Book Review: Lawyers, Dogs, and Money (Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery, #2) by Tracy Carter

Lawyers, Dogs, and Money by Tracy Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While the author set the bar high with the series' excellent debut, she definitely met and surpassed it in this exciting follow-up.

Lawyers, Dogs, and Money is the second book in author Tracy Carter's marvelous working dog-centric series, the Veronica Kildare K-9 Mysteries, and continues the suspense-filled story of the title character and her canine partner, Leda, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever rescue. Carter set the bar high with the series' excellent debut, Dogged Pursuit, but she definitely met and surpassed it in this exciting follow-up.

The story unfolds from Veronica's point of view, and she is a calm and steady protagonist, although still healing from the past trauma of losing her fiancé, Zach, at the hands of a serial killer. Formerly a legal assistant in an Ohio district attorney's office, she relocated to Colorado to start over as a working dog trainer and handler far from the now-incarcerated murderer. She and Leda have gained renown as a successful team in search and rescue and drug detection in the Boulder area. Her narrative is told with a strong, confident voice, and she comes across as genuine, engaging, and relatable as she deals with her lingering grief and learns to let go of her lost love. She's always on the go, with numerous irons in the fire; however, she reacts authentically rather than super-humanly, knowing she needs regular rest and respite.

In addition to Veronica, several well-developed and engaging secondary characters are integral to her personal life and business operations, most notably her father, Bob Kildare, and her assistant trainer, Michael Fletcher, a young man she rescued from the streets of Denver in the previous book. I enjoy Michael's contribution to the story immensely and am delighted with his continued success in his studies and growth as a trainer and handler. However, I was completely charmed by Bob, with his unwavering support of his daughter, his skills in the kitchen, product demonstrations and reviews, and dogged investigatory computer research. Bob has been a widower long enough, and there is a hint of a romance in his future.

The book's opening sequence is attention-grabbing and exceptionally well done, absolutely setting the pace for what's yet to come. A central mystery unfolds, with a wide array of possible suspects and motives to investigate and rule out. Just when I felt I knew where the threat was coming from, new details emerged and sent the characters in an alternate direction. I thought that the author accurately depicted reality when the parties to the investigation were pulled away to work on other things and couldn't devote their 24/7 to the one case, as often happens in many mystery stories. The dog-training scenes were fascinating, informative, and entertaining, as were the interesting tidbits the characters shared about Kadri's birth country and the import/export business. The author uses the Colorado setting to advantage, painting vivid and enticing pictures throughout. I did have a very minor issue with Veronica's tendency to over-explain at times, using definitions that sounded like they came straight out of a dictionary; however, these were few and far between.

Even though this is the second book in the series, new readers shouldn't have any trouble catching up and enjoying the story. With its engaging characters, exciting plot, and non-stop action, I recommend LAWYERS, DOGS, AND MONEY to mystery readers, especially those who enjoy stories featuring working dogs, search and rescue, drug detection, or books set in Colorado.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.


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Audiobook Review: Dogged Pursuit (Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery, #1) by Tracy Carter

Dogged Pursuit by Tracy Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great start to this new K-9 mystery series!

Dogged Pursuit is the first novel in author Tracy Carter’s new Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery series, and it is a wonderfully detailed mystery and a dog-filled and entertaining debut. A strong female protagonist and her much-loved, highly talented tracking dog lead readers through the mountainous terrain of the Colorado countryside on search-and-rescue missions, including one for a renowned scientist slated to testify in an upcoming, high-profile murder case.

I really enjoyed the characters introduced in the novel and look forward to seeing them again in future adventures, especially the main characters Veronica Kildare, her father, Bob, and their newly welcomed employee and friend, Michael Fletcher. Veronica has a tragic past, and her recent move to just outside Boulder, Colorado, is a life-saving second chance. Her backstory slowly unfolds over the course of the novel, starting with broad hints that kept me coming back to hear the rest of her story. Her decision to extend her new life to the orphan, Michael, and the scared little dog, Cocoa, was heartwarming and inspiring.

Of course, the story features a lot of dogs, and the relationship between Veronica and her rescue dog, Leda, is amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the details of Leda’s tracking and drug-detection sweeps, as well as the information about dog training and Veronica’s fledgling business, Dogged Pursuit. I even liked hearing about Bob’s articles and product testing!

The plot is intriguing and has several unique features, such as identifying the unusual helicopter seen flying over Rocky Mountain National Park early in the story. Missing witnesses have been the subject of many mysteries, but the author delivered fresh twists that made the story feel above and beyond the ordinary. I was engrossed watching it all unfold.

I experienced Dogged Pursuit as an audiobook narrated by new-to-me narrator Alyssa Baumann, and I was never disappointed. I thought she did a beautiful job, altering her voice to portray the different characters rather than doing a straight read-aloud of the material. The voices were consistent and recognizable for each character, and I especially thought her rendering of the male characters was convincing.

I recommend DOGGED PURSUIT to mystery series readers who enjoy dog-centric or dog-themed stories.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through RABT Book Tours and PR.

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Book Review: Can't Run With the Big Dogs (Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery, #4) by Tracy Carter

Can't Run with the Big Dogs by Tracy Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excitement, suspense, and the heroine's special relationships with working dogs make this tale of mystery and hidden menace a must-read!

Can't Run With the Big Dogs is the fourth book in Tracy Carter's dog-loving Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery series, featuring the savvy dog trainer and her amazing dog, Leda, and their wonderful circle of family and friends, each with their own working dogs and passion for helping others. In this latest adventure, Veronica and Leda are called upon to trail the paths of several missing, lost, and abducted people, and readers get a front-row seat as a couple of service-dogs-in-training learn their new craft.

Veronica, a lifelong dog lover, has built a new life as the owner of her own dog training facility and the human half of the area's premier search-and-rescue team, alongside her Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Leda. But before settling in Boulder, she had been the victim of an horrific ambush when her district attorney boss and sheriff's deputy fiancé had been gunned down by a violent criminal who then eluded capture. While the gunman's burned-out vehicle with an unidentified body inside had eventually been discovered, there had been no positive proof that his reign of terror and threats to Veronica were over. Throughout the series, the lingering threat that Tommy Arnett was still out there, watching and waiting, has really enhanced the foreboding and suspense of the stories, and this book provides the same brooding background menace. Still, a note of hope lingers as everyone waits for the results of new DNA testing.

Veronica's relationship with her delightful professional baseball player beau, Ricardo, has helped heal her emotional wounds from the past, and their time together is warm and comfortable. Veronica is supported by her loving and talented father, Bob, who tests and rights reviews for outdoor outdoors equipment and has a clear genius for manipulating and processing out information via the Internet, besides being a dab hand in the kitchen, and by Michael, the young product of the state foster system, now living on site while attending college and learning to become a K-9 handler and dog trainer himself. Veronica's best friend Sylvia, her husband, Boulder PD Sergeant Tim Donovan, and their brood of two sets of twin teenage daughters round out her close-knit circle of friends. As a group, they focus on service and making a positive impact on their environment and community. While facing some difficult situations, they always strive for excellence and maintain a positive attitude, which becomes very important when partnered with a working dog on assignment.

Yet, the highlights of the book are those featuring Veronica's work with the dogs. Beyond Leda and her exciting rescue operations in the surrounding Colorado wilderness areas, this book also features her adventures with two fledgling service dogs. Sky, an 18-month-old Australian cattle dog mix and shelter rescue, is undergoing training to sniff out and alert nursing home staff to the presence of C. diff, an insidious bacteria that can be deadly to the elderly. Decla, a two-year-old Irish Red and White Setter who lost her human family in a car accident, is finding a new home and purpose as a drug-detection dog at the local horse-racing track. Decla's storyline intersects with the main plot of strange goings-on at the track, where already two grooms with important information have gone missing.

Finally, the author chooses an exceptionally versatile setting by placing the action in the Boulder/Denver, Colorado, area. The descriptions of the locations are vivid and so critical to the action that readers can almost feel the bitter cold and damp, smell the crisp, fir-scented air, and feel the loose, rocky trails beneath their feet as Veronica and Leda trail the scent of someone who is having the worst day of their life.

With its engaging cast of characters, vibrant settings, and compelling plot, I recommend CAN'T RUN WITH THE BIG DOGS to readers of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

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Book Review: Sick As a Dog (Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery, #3) by Tracy Carter

Sick as a Dog by Tracy Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This 'must-read' for dog lovers hits the ground running and never lets up!

Sick As a Dog is the third book in author Tracy Carter’s exciting dog-themed series, the Veronica Kildare K-9 Mysteries, featuring the energetic dog handler and trainer, her talented Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Leda, and a host of amazing service and support dogs. With an engaging group of recurring characters, their dogs, and several diverse, interwoven storylines, Veronica’s latest adventure is action-packed from page one as she and Leda complete the first of many search and rescue missions.

Veronica Kildare is a young 30-something with a tragic past, a summary of which the author skillfully weaves into the current action. Although this is the third book in the series, the concise retelling of how Veronica came to be in Colorado, the owner of a successful dog training business and well-appointed facility, will provide readers new to the series with an excellent foundation to enjoy this one as a standalone. Veronica continues to suffer the emotional and physical aftereffects of what occurred in Ohio, leading to her relocation to the Rocky Mountains, but she is slowly coming to terms with her past, altered future, and the reality that she needs to move on and live the rest of her life. Her dedication to helping find persons lost or in trouble in the surrounding Colorado mountains has, in turn, helped her as well.

As previously mentioned, the plot takes off quickly with Veronica and Leda on the trail of a missing rock climber and with little pause they are called upon to assist in a new concern involving the suspected illegal dumping of hazardous waste that appears to be impacting a local river and the water source for a large natural area as well as downstream agri-businesses. When Leda discovers the semi-nude body of a young woman in the same location and the park ranger who initially asked for assistance is critically injured in a single-car accident that was no accident, Veronica, her father, Leda, Officer Tim Donovan, and a local investigative reporter dig in to find answers and determine if these diverse events are related.

The descriptions of the natural areas Veronica and Leda search are vividly drawn, and you can almost hear the insects, birds, and other wildlife or breathe the fresh mountain air as you read. The detailed recounting of the search and rescue missions puts you on the scene and is a highlight of the book, as are the descriptions of the dogs’ training sessions and their often amusing and clever antics.

I recommend SICK AS A DOG and the entire Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery series to mystery readers, especially those who love working dogs and canine family members.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.



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