To Collar a Killer

Rating:
Summary: Not Enough Stars
Review: I do not like the cutesy titles, I do not like the cutesy artwork, but I love the novels of Mr. Lee Charles Kelley. My only problem is I gave five stars to one of his previous books, and now I don't have room to give this one the kind of stellar accolades it deserves.

It's a great mystery, but more than that, you care about the characters' lives, you laugh yourself silly at times, and you find yourself crying your eyes out at others, all while being kept in suspense about how the hero (and his lovely lady friend) are going to "Collar a Killer".

Six and a half stars, at least . . .

Rating:
Summary: Best Yet
Review: I made my mystery book club read this for our December meeting because I just got a Corgi puppy. I'd read the other Kelley mysteries and loved them but this has way more twists & turns, taking Jack & Jamie from Maine to California, with visitors from Oregon & New York City -- it's like a wild ride down a hairpin mountain road, the kind where your dog hangs its head out the window to let all the events run over him. It was a GREAT discussion book because of all the action & the many characters. I recommend it highly to other mystery groups.

Rating:
Summary: Back and Better than Before
Review: Jack Field and Dr. Jamie Cutter are back in this third novel in the series of pooch-related mysteries written by Lee Charles Kelley. This one is even better than the first two. Kelley is fast-becoming one of my favorite writers.

In this story Kelley brings in several characters from Jack's past, most notably Jack's father, a former beat cop from San Diego, and Lou Kelso, Jack's P.I. pal from New York.

The story goes from a 4th of July party to several jail cells (where Jack's incarcerated on suspicion of murder), to a carnival in a thunderstorm, to a drug lord's hacienda in San Diego, to Jack and Jamie's engagement party, a backyard cookout where the killer is trapped.

Great, great, read. (The dog training tips are excellent, too!)

Rating:
Summary: To Collar A Killer
Review: Jack Field is a dog genius. Any questions you may have, he has the answers. He thought, when he retired as a NYC cop and bought a kennel in Maine, that the rough life was gone. He is proven wrong when a man is found dead. Worse yet, Jack is the prime suspect!

The person framing Jack is doing a good job too. For this case goes from Maine to a San Diego drug lord. But they apparently did not know who they were messing with.

***** Very clever! The author had me guessing for a long while. Dog lovers (the tips really do work!) or not, if you like mysteries, you will love this one. *****

Reviewed by K. Blair.