Day: June 20, 2023

Still Waters – Sara Driscoll

FBI’s Meg Jennings and her K-9 Hawk, along with partners Brian & K-9 Lacey, have been invited to participate in a water search and rescue training in rural Minnesota, where they are teamed up with the best of the best, in a spirited competition.  While some competitors are friendly, some are not, and Brian quickly notices some discrepancy in event outcomes when his personal timekeeping does not match the official scoring.  On a forest search, Hawk seems to lose a scent on and get sidetracked – something that has never happened to him – before finally zeroing in on his find with a somewhat delayed time.  That evening, Meg and Brian defuse a tense situation between two handlers, one of whom, Rita Pratt, makes disparaging comments about Hawk, which Meg does not take well, especially when she catches Rita abusing her dog a bit later, an action she fully intends to report. 

The next day involves a search for remains in the lake, and Hawk nails the exercise without difficulty.  As they are returning to shore, Meg notices Hawk staring intently into the distance with a stance she knows all too well. Hawk has alerted to something else in a different area of the lake.  A diver goes overboard to investigate, and reports there is a body is submerged – and it appears to be fresh. It is soon determined to be that of Rita Pratt – the same individual Meg confronted the night prior.  Soon after, she learns that Pratt made an erroneous complaint against her, resulting in a suspension, putting her at risk of losing Hawk – and unwittingly making Meg a prime suspect – and the sole focus of a young agent – in her murder. 

As Meg fights to prove her innocence and hang on to her beloved Hawk, an unlikely ally shows up – her SAC Craig Beaumont arrives in Minnesota to lend a hand and provide support. But as another body turns up, the situation heats up leaving it up to Meg and her friends to catch a killer…

This is one of a few K-9 series I’ve found lately, and I love them all! As I open the pages to Meg & Hawk, I feel like I’m settling into a grand adventure with some old friends.  Be sure you have a free afternoon, because it’s very hard to put this book down!  Suspenseful, descriptive, action-packed, beloved dogs – what else do you need for a first-rate novel?!  Then, knowing the next installment of adventures won’t be too far behind – it doesn’t get any better than that!! 

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Kensington Books in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Dead Man’s Wake ~ Paul Doiron

Mike Bowditch & fiancée Stacy Stevens are celebrating their engagement and impending nuptials with family lakeside in Maine, when Mike hears the unmistakable sound of a fast-paced boat motor striking some type of object.  A Maine Game Warden, Mike knows what the sound means, and he, Stacey & their respective parents head out on the lake to assess for injuries.  The boat had fled the scene, but much to Mike’s dismay, Stacey spots a dismembered arm floating in the lake, clearly the casualty of a boat propeller.  

As they await further assistance, they attempt to locate the body that the arm once belonged to, and Mike & Stacey, along with the Lake Constable Galen Webb, examine the arm.  On its wrist is a high-end Rolex watch, which Galen immediately identifies as belonging to the owner of nearby Mouse Island, a Kip Whitcomb. With further questioning, Mike learns that Kip often brought women to the island, despite being married.  After marking the area w/ a buoy, the group heads to Mouse Island to have a look around, quickly finding evidence that there had been a woman with the victim.  But where was she? 

State Police Detective Roger Finch arrives to assist, and the woman’s body is quickly located, with obvious evidence of homicide. The investigation kicks into high gear as the team looks for evidence – did Kip kill his lover and then go for a swim, only to be struck and killed by a boat, or was there something much more sinister at play?  Where is the boat that struck Whitman? Interviews with family members and locals close to the scene, while enlightening, lead to dead ends as obvious suspects are quickly ruled out. Meanwhile Galen Webb seems to turn up everywhere…is he a young deputy who is hoping to prove himself worthy of the Warden’s Service, or is there something else altogether at play??

Another fabulous read from the Mike Bowditch series!! As a former, short-term resident of the great state of Maine, I just adore this series, the characters and the familiarity of the areas used as a backdrop for some great fiction!   The Belgrade Lake area is absolutely beautiful – and I’d taken that ride more than a few times in my years there.  Awesome series, great characters, ingenious plots – I cannot say enough about these books!!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!