A Bloodhound to Die For

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing end to a great series
Review: Each of the earlier bloodhound books was well-written with fully developed characters and complex plotting. It seems as if this last book in the series was written by someone other than Virginia Lanier. The plot is simplistic and predictable. The interplay between the characters is lacking. And even good old Jo Beth isn't nearly as feisty as in the earlier books. I read this book is three hours because it was so bland. If you have not read any of the other books in the series, please do not begin with this one as it serves as a poor example of the quality of the others. Instead try Murder in Bloodhound Red, Ten Little Bloodhounds, or The House on Bloodhound Lane. Even better start with the first one and work your way through. I assure you that you won't be disappointed until you reach this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Bloodhound to Die For
Review: Having read all the previous books in this series, I was anxious to read this final book. I enjoyed it immensely and was glad that many of the loose ends were tied up. This final novel was somewhat different than the earlier five. Perhaps it was because Ms. Lanier was aware of her failing health and finished the series for fear that she wouldn't be around to give us further adventures of these colorful characters. I am heartbroken that we will hear no more from this talented writer. I highly recommend this book and all the others in the Bloodhound series.

Rating:
Summary: A Bloodhound to Die For
Review: Having read all the previous books in this series, I was anxious to read this final book. I enjoyed it immensely and was glad that many of the loose ends were tied up. This final novel was somewhat different than the earlier five. Perhaps it was because Ms. Lanier was aware of her failing health and finished the series for fear that she wouldn't be around to give us further adventures of these colorful characters. I am heartbroken that we will hear no more from this talented writer. I highly recommend this book and all the others in the Bloodhound series.

Rating:
Summary: ONE DOG TOO MANY
Review: I AGREE WITH THE CRITICAL CUSTOMER REVIEW THAT IT DID NOT SEEM TO BE WRITTEN BY THE SAME AUTHOR. I AM SORRY SHE IS DEAD AND NOT AROUND TO RECTIFY THIS DOG OF A BOOK.

Rating:
Summary: A series to die for!
Review: I don't think this book is quite as tough as the others in the series, but it is still an excellent read. It is more of a character development story than the normal action-filled books, not that it doesn't have plenty of action in it. I think Ms Lanier was trying to tie up Jo Beth and Company as much as possible for her faithful readers - like me! - so we leave satisfied with the closure. I am sorry to hear she has died, because I really wanted to meet the author and talk to her since I live in the area the story is set in - she has these people pegged, I can promise you! The way she so lovingly describes the bloodhounds makes me want to go buy one, but Ms Lanier also makes sure to emphasize that these dogs require a lot of work on the owner's part, so people don't just run out and buy them like they do whenever a Dalmation movie comes out... You need to educate yourself about whatever breed you are dealing with is what Jo Beth preaches.

Rating:
Summary: The grand finale to a wonderful series.
Review: I don't understand the dissenters here who didn't enjoy this book. In many ways, it was the best of the series. Jo Beth Sidden finally grows up and becomes a complete, but vulnerable person. The entire series is highly recommended to mystery and bloodhound lovers. It's a shame it has to end. I have eight bloodhounds, and they're ALL to die for!

Rating:
Summary: The grand finale to a wonderful series.
Review: I don't understand the dissenters here who didn't enjoy this book. In many ways, it was the best of the series. Jo Beth Sidden finally grows up and becomes a complete, but vulnerable person. The entire series is highly recommended to mystery and bloodhound lovers. It's a shame it has to end. I have eight bloodhounds, and they're ALL to die for!

Rating:
Summary: A Bloodhound To Die For
Review: I just completed A Bloodhound To Die For. I had told myself that when this book arrived, I would "pace" myself, and savor each word, as I have been told that this is Ms. Virginia's last book, but once I started on page one, I didn't put it down until I had finished it! As usual, Ms. Virginia does not disappoint with this book. I had tears running down my face at the end - partly from the story, and partly because this could very well be the last of the series. My hope is that Ms. Virginia will change her mind, and give us just one more! I have felt like Jo Beth is a member of the family since the first book, and I hate to see it end! Virginia Lanier is the BEST!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Bloodhound To Die For
Review: I just completed A Bloodhound To Die For. I had told myself that when this book arrived, I would "pace" myself, and savor each word, as I have been told that this is Ms. Virginia's last book, but once I started on page one, I didn't put it down until I had finished it! As usual, Ms. Virginia does not disappoint with this book. I had tears running down my face at the end - partly from the story, and partly because this could very well be the last of the series. My hope is that Ms. Virginia will change her mind, and give us just one more! I have felt like Jo Beth is a member of the family since the first book, and I hate to see it end! Virginia Lanier is the BEST!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Sweet Finale
Review: Jo Beth Sidden untangles a series of mysteries, and in the process untangles her life in this sixth and final book in Virginia Lanier's series about a woman who raises search-and-rescue bloodhounds in South Georgia. The ailing author has confirmed that this is her last book about the strong-willed and independent southern woman.

Throughout the bloodhound series, Jo Beth Sidden and her team of gentle bloodhounds have rescued lost children, searched for escaped convicts, and uncovered drug operations in and near the Okefenokee Swamp. Her relationships with her employees who raise and train the dogs, her best friend Susan, and the tough and [very hansom] Sheriff Hank Cribbs define her as an independent and caring southern woman who does not give up easily. In the previous book Jo Beth had to kill her abusive ex-husband Bubba in defense of herself, her home, and her dogs; and A Bloodhound to Die For picks up a few months later when she is finally feeling safe again, although she is not welcome to shop in the store owned by Bubba's cousin. The novel's first subplot comes as a wife learns of her husband's infidelity and takes drastic measures, but the reputed affair could have simply been a pernicious rumor. Following those events, Jo Beth learns that a prisoner from her hometown has put her on the prison's visitor list even though Jo Beth has never met the man. Her visit to the jail leads to a crazy confrontation with an unstable felon and his tight, truly south Georgian (I'm from Atlanta) family. She is also called on to search for an elderly woman with senile dementia who has a frightening habit of wandering away from the house that she lives in with her husband. In the midst of these events, Jo Beth's beloved bloodhound Bobby Lee is taken, leading Jo Beth to search the swamp for her dog as well as search herself for an answer to her fear of commitment to Hank.

The conclusion to this book is a sweet ending to the series, as Jo Beth resolves her feelings towards her life and her work and looks forward to the changes that lie ahead.