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If Elizabeth Dole raised bloodhounds, she'd probably be a lot like Jo Beth Sidden, the heroine of Virginia Lanier's terrific series. That is to say, Jo Beth lacks a little in the warmth and empathy department, but she's very smart, very tough, and precisely the person you'd want if you were an Air Force colonel trying to locate a missing plane. "Planetrailing" isn't Jo Beth's usual bowl of grits; neither is searching for a lost cat that belongs to a crusty Southern matriarch who's even tougher than she is. But Jo Beth and her bloodhounds have the nose for sniffing out lost causes. Unfortunately, the wealthy Alyce Cancannon soon turns up dead--and Jo Beth is hired to find the murderer. There are 10 possible suspects, and in the process of running the killer among them to ground, Jo Beth is attacked by an alligator, kidnapped by a man she had romantic designs on, and put on trial for her own life. Meanwhile, the imminent birth of 10 new bloodhounds adds to the tension! This fifth Bloodhound adventure is somewhat melancholy, owing to the protagonist's contained emotionality and sometimes unlikable personality. But Jo Beth grows on the reader from one book to the next. And as usual, Lanier serves up a full helping of fascinating information about dog breeding, handling, training, and what can only be called "canine forensics." --Jane Adams
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