"Grief and guilt are the ghosts that haunt you when you survive what others do not. Mercy Carr survived, and so did Sergeant Martinez's dog. Nearly a year after her best friend died in Afghanistan, she rose at dawn and took Elvis on another long hike through the Vermont woods. A tired dog was a good dog. ... So every morning they marched off their grief mile after mile in the mountains, where the cool greens of the forest could chase away the dark ghosts of the desert."
The main characters:
Mercy Carr, 29, former military police who's stubborn and independent, quotes Shakespeare and who's still grieving the death of her best friend and fiance ... and her dog, Elvis, a five-year-old bomb-sniffing Belgian Malinois with canine PTSD.
Troy Warner, 33, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Game Warden who's wife left him one year ago ... and Susie Bear, his Newfoundland retriever mix that he rescued who now helps him with all his search and rescue jobs.
The Mystery:
Mercy and Elvis are out hiking when they find an abandoned baby in a clearing in the woods. Troy and Susie Bear come up to help investigate and stumble upon some old bones nearby. Is it just some strange coincidence, or are they somehow connected? As Mercy and Troy investigate further the mystery surrounding both only deepens.
What I liked best:
Mercy, Elvis, Troy and Susie Bear! Mercy and Troy are both a little broken and not sure they can trust each other. But they do trust their dogs. And together they make a formidable team. I liked the growing friendship between Mercy and Troy and I loved their dogs. The mystery is good as is the Vermont setting, but it's the characters who make it really compelling. I'd give this one 4.5/5 stars.
Happy Reading!
Yeah, you definitely liked this one better than I did :) I did like it enough to read the next book. I'm just hoping the characters/relationships will develop more and that the writing will tighten up in subsequent installments.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed this one!
I hope her subsequent books get even better, too. :)
DeleteI love dog books and character driven books. So glad you enjoyed this one :)
ReplyDeleteMercy and Elvis were a good team, as were Troy and Susie Bear.
DeleteLove a book with characters that feel three-dimensional. I like the sound of this one!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a really good read. :)
DeleteI won a copy of this one last year and haven't read it yet. However, your thoughts make me want to read it sooner rather than waiting. Going to get it off the shelf right now. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear what you think of it. :)
DeleteThe quote, the blurb, and your review all make this sound like something I would enjoy. I'm putting it on my Goodreads list and seeing if the library has a copy. Good review!
ReplyDeletePS. I'm #17 in line at the library, so it may be a while!
DeleteDon't you hate that? But at least your library has a copy!
DeleteI love animals in stories, and the mystery sounds good, too!
ReplyDeleteIt's a good combination. :)
DeleteThe premise sounds good and I always love a character-driven story. :)
ReplyDeleteThis one worked for me. I really liked it. :)
DeleteThis sounds very original with those dogs, and I always like it when the characters are well written.
ReplyDeleteKind regards,
My favorite books are books where I like and can root for the main characters. And I liked both of these characters.
DeleteNice cover and lots of dog!
ReplyDeleteAnd none of the dogs die! ;D
DeleteI love stories with dogs! You've definitely made me very interested in this book. I'm adding it to my wishlist right now. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you get a chance to read it! :)
DeleteThis sounds like a good one and who can resist the two dogs as part of the greater story!
ReplyDeleteI love reading books with search and rescue dogs and police K9s. :)
DeleteI really love the sounds of this, and the relationships between humans and animals.
ReplyDeleteThe dogs really add to the story. :)
DeleteYou make me really glad I own this on my Kindle!
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it as much as I did. :)
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