THE START OF A BEAUTIFUL PARTNERSHIP—A DETECTIVE DUO WITH HEART AND FUR
Steve’s ripe for a new relationship—divorced, over forty, and still dusting himself off from a lamentable sojourn in prison, an unusual experience for a professor, to say the least. (He really must do something about his hacking habit!) Rochester’s a handsome, homeless, loveable golden retriever whom Steve had always found … golden retriever whom Steve had always found too big, too enthusiastic, and too shaggy.
But tragedy struck their neighborhood when someone murdered Caroline, Steve’s nice next-door neighbor, while she walked her best friend, Rochester. Steve’s the unlucky guy who finds her body and he just knows, despite their differences, that he has to take in the broken-hearted pooch.
Once they’re both properly rehomed, these two form a detective partnership that’ll make you sit up and beg for more. Eat your hearts out, Spade & Archer—pretty soon they’ve got a warm and fuzzy thing going. Big furry forthrightness—not to mention heart—meets tech-savvy craftiness as they work their case.
In Plakcy’s capable hands, watching these two fall in love (which of course is the most irresistible treat on offer here) is like watching a time-lapse film of a flower blooming— it doesn’t happen too fast, and it’s never cloying. Instead it’s slow and satisfying, magical to the point of jaw-dropping even while absolutely expected. You just know you could watch it over and over again.
Neither of the new partners knows about his own hidden talent, let alone the other guy’s. Rochester has no idea he has the potential to be the greatest doggy detective since Rex the Wonder Dog was a pup. But he’s got a job to do and he has to find a way to train Steve in the fine art of investigation. Unbeknownst to Steve, his life just changed radically—because a big furry mentor has just trotted into it.
Both want justice for Caroline, and Rochester’s way of expressing it is simply to sniff out one clue after another in the hope his two-legged colleague can piece them together. Steve’s way—when all’s said and done— is still to bend the law a little, with the help of Caroline’s contraband laptop. And also to follow Rochester’s trail of treats.
Fans of animal cozies—and all cozies!–will find pure gold here especially aficionados of mutt heroes from the aforementioned Rex through the immortal pooches created by Spencer Quinn, David Rosenfelt, Garth Stein, and Laurien Berenson. Lovers of canine classic films like TURNER AND HOOCH, BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA, and the immortal BENJI will also want to sit and stay awhile. Luckily, there’s a whole litter of cases out there.
Neil S. Plakcy is the author of the award-winning Mahu mystery series, and coeditor of Paws and Reflect: A Special Bond Between Man and Dog.
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While Steve was in prison for computer hacking, his wife divorced him and his father died. So when Steve was released from prison in California, he returned to Bucks County to live in the townhome his father had left him. Steve began teaching English courses at a local college, and he reconnected with a high school buddy, Rick, a policeman. Steve was in a rut, going nowhere until his neighbor Caroline was killed, and he agreed to take care of her dog, Rochester. From that point on, steve’s life changed dramatically. He started to look into who had killed Caroline, and he used her laptop to hack websites and gather illicit information, a clear violation of his parole. The narrative style in this book was breezy and friendly, the comments Steve made or thought about his young teen students’ writing ability and work ethic were spot on, and his interactions with the dog Rochester were hilarious. This was a great book, a far cry from some smug mysteries where neophyte characters takes on murder investigations because they perceive the police as inept. The characters in this book respect one another, and that was refreshing.
I would have given it a 5 except that the author threw in a snarky dig at conservative Christians. I’ll thank you to refrain from sullying my read with your politics.
I love that a cozy mystery actually written by a guy that appeals to women. Good story line, not set in a food place or grandma’s old house left to a niece. I am going to read all in the series. Love the Golden Retriever that helps with investigations but does not talk. Good job!
I enjoyed this book. It was predictable but it had a great storyline and good narration by the main character. I love the idea of the dog being a central character. And I love the way the writer had such a great sense of humor throughout the story. I think will consider reading the next books in this series.
Enjoyed the mystery and was guessing right up to the end. Excited to read the next adventure!
Not every book for is for every reader. I wanted to like this book but I did not. Many readers, however,will appreciate the condenced writing style.
Recommend this highly entertaining mystery.
I loved this book. It was different, fun, kept me turning pages and now I can’t wait to read the rest of the books. Loved the Dog.
Love books about dogs and dog lovers? This is perfect.
A great read. Enjoyed this book. Hope to read the next book.
Enjoyed the story, enjoyed the dog. Did not enjoy the repetition of basic facts multiple times in the book. Without giving anything away, let’s just say that once the character’s background is spelled out, it does not need to be repeated over and over. That’s why I only rated it 4 stars.
Very enjoyable read.
A step up from the usual cozy mystery. One of the best I’ve read in a while.
Interesting main character. Hacker who did time trying to adjust to parole. Lovable golden retriever. Excellent editing.
Interesting story but not an exceptional writer. Still, I’ll probably will read the next one in the series. What’s not to like about a story that features a golden retriever?
Great plot development.
A fun story, easy to read, the good guy (with the implausible help of his Golden) solves the crime. I enjoyed it so much I purchased the entire series.
Had to read another one as well!
I really enjoyed this book. It is well written with very few errors, well-developed characters, and a fast-moving story line that kept me interested right to the end. This is the first book I have read by this author and I look forward to reading many more. I recommend this book and this author without hesitation or reservation.
This book was so much fun. I laughed out loud and had to read paragraphs to my husband so he would laugh too.