The Snow Lies Deep by Paula Munier

 

I have a few favorite series that I religiously keep up with--reading the latest book as soon as it comes out--and Paula Munier's Mercy Carr series is one of them. I love Mercy and her Belgian Malinois, Elvis, and her husband, Vermont Game Warden Troy Warner and his Newfoundland, Suzie Bear. In this one, their daughter, Felicity, is nine months old and about to celebrate her very first Christmas. Too bad Mercy's "Uncle" Lazlo just got murdered. 

Christmas abounds in this book from yule log traditions to a ceremonial Winter Solstice bonfire (complete with Druids), a town sing-along, Christmas Eve dinner, and "more is more" decorations. The author even works in that Russian fairy tale, The Snow Maiden. There are a lot of characters to juggle, too, with Mercy's extended family and all her friends, which Munier handles well. But I felt like the mystery itself got a bit overshadowed by it all. And their murder investigation didn't feel as tautly plotted or as compelling as in her earlier novels. That's not to say I didn't enjoy this one, because I did. Mercy and Troy and their dogs are engaging characters and I like the quirks and charms of their small Vermont community. I just didn't love the mystery as much as I usually do. (Though I'd still give it 4 stars.) And if you want that Christmas-in-Vermont setting, this is the book! 

Happy Reading!

  

Other Munier books I've reviewed:

A Borrowing of Bones (#1) 

Blind Search (#2) 

The Hiding Place (#3) 

The Wedding Plot (#4) 

Home At Night (#5) 

The Night Woods (#6) 

Dying Cry by Margaret Mizushima

 

The plot:  This is the 10th novel in one of my favorite K-9 mystery series. Newlyweds Mattie and Cole Walker, and Cole's two daughters, Sophie and Angie, and their three dogs are out snowshoeing when they hear a terrified scream. Mattie, who is a deputy and K-9 handler with Timber Creek's Sheriff's Department, goes to investigate with her dog, Robo. What they discover is the body of someone they know. And he didn't die from an accidental fall; he was pushed. Once again, Mattie finds herself involved in a puzzling murder investigation. 

My thoughts: I love Mattie and Cole; they have such a supportive and respectful partnership. And Mattie's German Shepherd, Robo, is full of personality. He's one of the main reasons I love this series so much. I also like that Colorado setting. The mystery was good, too. But it's these characters and their development over the course of this series that makes these books so memorable and appealing. (And also why I recommend starting with the first book, Killing Trail.)    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Other books in this series I've reviewed:

Stalking Ground #2

Hunting Hour #3

Burning Ridge #4

Tracking Game #5

Hanging Falls #6

Striking Range #7

Gathering Mist #9

Two Quick Recommendations...

 

An Instruction in Shadow by Benedict Jacka

This urban fantasy novel picks up right where An Inheritance of Magic leaves off with Stephen Oakwood meeting his mother for the first time. He's also looking for his father, trying to find wells of Essentia and master the magic of Drucraft, and survive the ambushes and attacks coming from new enemies and members of his own aristocratic family. It's fun and full of action. I really like Stephen and his friends, and can't wait to read the third book in this captivating series. I'm only sad I have to wait at least another year before it comes out. 

(I also really love Jacka's Alex Verus series!)

The Night Woods by Paula Munier

I bet you can guess one of the reasons I love this mystery series. Mercy Carr and her Belgian Malinois, Elvis, are favorites of mine, as are her game warden husband, Troy, and his Newfoundland, Susie Bear. Despite being eight months pregnant, Mercy gets drawn into a murder investigation, which doesn't make her mother very happy. Then a billionaire out hunting goes missing. And someone's threatening Mercy. Plus, there are wild boars loose in the Vermont wilderness near their home. It's another compelling and entertaining novel from Munier.

(I highly recommend checking out the first book in this series, A Borrowing of Bones.)

Happy Reading!

Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima

 

First line:  Weather could make or break a search and rescue mission, and the wind would play havoc with the scent trail today.

Series:  Timber Creek K-9 Mystery

Summary:  When Deputy Mattie Wray and her German Shepherd, Robo, are asked to fly out to Washington's Olympic peninsula to join in the search for a missing nine-year-old boy, she can't say no. Even though she's supposed to be getting married to her veterinarian fiance, Cole Walker, at the end of the week. Because there's a lost child and the local police need Robo's air scenting skills. Luckily, Cole has her back, even traveling to Washington to offer his doctoring skills to all the SAR dogs there and their handlers helping to search the dense forest area where they think the boy wandered off into. But Mattie soon starts to suspect his disappearance is the result of something more sinister. Can they find him in time?

My thoughts:  I love this series and a big reason why is the dogs and all their search-and-rescue skills. It's so interesting! I like learning about the difference between ground tracking and air scenting, each dog's speciality, and how their handlers guide them. And Mattie and Robo certainly have their work cut out for them this time trying to track a small child through such a rainy forest setting. This mystery also has good action and suspense. And all of these characters are so great. I've loved seeing Mattie's and Cole's relationship deepen over the course of this series. And Robo is the best! Gathering Mist is another winning read from Margaret Mizushima.

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Still Waters by Sara Driscoll

 

The plot:  Meg Jennings is a search-and-rescue dog handler for the FBI's Human Scent Evidence Team. Her K-9 partner is a black labrador named Hawk. They're camping in Minnesota with several other search teams for a weekend of water search training. There's also a trials competition for all the handlers and their dogs...a competition Meg hopes she and Hawk will win. But then, on the second day, Hawk alerts to the dead body of one of their competitors. And Meg finds herself one of the suspects. She and her friends must move quickly to find the real killer.

My thoughts:  There are so many reasons I love this K-9 mystery series! The setting is always different and interesting. The search-and-rescue work with the dogs is fascinating. And there's not just Meg and Hawk, but also fellow FBI handler Brian with his German Shepherd, Lacey. They make a good team; and their dogs are so endearing! I also love Meg's relationship with firefighter, Todd Webb, and her friendship with newspaper reporter, McCord. It's really the characters and their interactions that make these books so good. (The camping scenes in this one with Meg, Todd and their friends were especially fun.) And, of course, the murder investigation in this one was as compelling as ever. This series just gets better and better, which is another reason why it's one of my favorites. 

Happy Reading!

Other books in this series I've reviewed:         

Lone Wolf  #1

Storm Rising  #3

No Man's Land  #4

Leave No Trace  #5

  

Another good K-9 mystery...

 

The Hiding Place by Paula Munier is the third book about Mercy Carr and her Belgian Malinois, Elvis. And there's a lot on Mercy's plate in this one. She just got handed one of her grandfather's cold cases involving a young woman named Beth Kilgore who went missing twenty years ago. George Rucker, the man who killed her grandfather twenty years ago, just escaped from prison. Mercy still hasn't repaired her relationship with Game Warden Troy Warner. And an army vet just showed up at her front door claiming Elvis is really his dog. Things go from bad to worse when someone delivers a pipe bomb to her grandmother's front door.

Even though there's a lot going on in this book, the focus remains on Mercy and Elvis ... and Troy and his Newfie Susie Bear. I really love these characters! I enjoyed their investigation, and that unexpected twist at the end. And I love the snowy Vermont setting. As always, Munier's writing is good. And Mercy isn't quite so stubborn and hard-headed this time around; she only makes one really stupid decision. Luckily, Elvis rectifies it fairly quickly. Because he's awesome. All the dogs in this book are awesome. It's one of the reasons I love this series so much. 

Happy Reading!

Other books in this series:

A Borrowing of Bones (Mercy Carr #1)

Blind Search (Mercy Carr #2)

A K-9 Mystery...

 

FBI agents Meg Jennings and Brian Foster and their dogs, Hawk and Lacey, have been sent to Blue Ridge, Georgia to track down an elusive killer who's been shooting people with a compound bow and arrow. All the murder victims seem to be connected to a proposed dam being built in the area; the resulting reservoir would wipe out several homes and farms. It's also being built on land claimed by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Which leaves plenty of suspects for the FBI to investigate.

What I love about Sara Driscoll's FBI K-9 novels is the relationship between Meg and her dog, Hawk, and how she and Hawk use their unique skill set to track down the truth. Leave No Trace is the fifth book in this series, and it's another solid and entertaining mystery. There's good suspense. And Driscoll includes a lot of history about Georgia and the Cherokee in this one, which I found both interesting and sad. Meg's relationship with her firefighter boyfriend, Todd Webb, also deepens in this one, which made me happy. I like the two of them together. And the dogs? They're as awesome as ever. If you're into K-9 mysteries, this is a very good series to check out!

Happy Reading!

Other fun K-9 reads:

A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier

Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima

No Man's Land by Sara Driscoll

Breaking Creed by Alex Kava

A fun K-9 mystery...

 

Officer Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner, Robo, are back in Margaret Mizushima's sixth book, Hanging Falls, and Mattie has a lot on her plate in this one. On a routine hike, Mattie and Robo find the dead body of a young man caught in the fast flowing waters near Hanging Falls. It's easy to see that his death wasn't an accident. But who murdered him? Someone from Timber Creek? Or someone from the strange religious sect that he belonged to? Mattie is determined to find the truth. But murder isn't her only concern. She's also about to meet her long-lost sister and grandmother; she's nervous and excited, but mostly she hopes they can shed some light on what might have happened to her mother all those years ago. Then there's her relationship with local veterinarian Cole Walker and his two daughters. But they're a happy complication in her life.

My thoughts:  Robo, Mattie's smart and well-trained German Shepherd, is still my favorite part of these books. He's so awesome and has so much personality; I love him! I also really enjoy Maggie's and Cole's continuing relationship, as well as Cole's struggle to be a good dad to his two daughters. The two are both such likable characters. And I thought the mystery in this one was interesting and entertaining. But the side story with Maggie and her family felt a little thin, almost like an afterthought. It needed to be more fleshed out in my opinion. This is still a really fun read. I just wanted more of it. 

Happy Reading!

Other Margaret Mizushima books I've read:

Killing Trail (#1)

Stalking Ground (#2)

Hunting Hour (#3)

Burning Ridge (#4)

Tracking Game (#5)

No Man's Land by Sara Driscoll

 Urbexing:  Urban exploration, usually of abandoned or nearly inaccessible man-made structures.

From the blurb:
"For Meg Jennings and her K-9 companion, Hawk, exploring the ruins of a deserted building is an exciting way to sharpen their skills without the life-or-death stakes they face as part of the FBI's Human Scent Evidence Team. But deep in the echoing rooms of an abandoned asylum, Hawk finds the body of an elderly woman. The victim couldn't have made her way into the derelict building on her own. Before forty-eight hours pass, Meg learns of more cases of elders found dead in neglected urban structures.

There's not enough evidence to link the deaths--yet. But Meg scents a pattern, and when she gets word of another senior gone missing, she and Hawk don't hesitate. Meg is sure a murderer is hunting the elderly, and she can prove it if she can just find a connection. It will take the expert coordination of her whole team, along with help from Clay McCord and Todd Webb, to uncover the means, let alone a motive. And to stop someone who has operated in the dark for so long, Meg will need to risk more than she has to give . . ."

My thoughts:
This is a fun series that just keeps getting better with each book. My favorite parts, of course, are all the ones involving Meg's dog, Hawk, and his work as an FBI search-and-rescue dog. In this one, he and Meg have to search several old and abandoned buildings, which made for some very interesting and suspenseful settings. I also loved how the author included urbexing terms and definitions at the beginning of every chapter. Who knew urbexing was even a thing?

The mystery in this one is unique and compelling. I really enjoyed watching Meg and the others figure it out.

And those interesting friends and co-workers of Meg's? They're one more reason I keep reading this series. I like how Meg's sister, Cara, and Clay McCord, a Washington reporter, add insight (and some mad research skills) in helping Meg solve her cases. And I really like Meg's interactions with Todd Webb, her fire-fighter boyfriend. They make a good team. And it's because of these relationships, and how they grow and change over time, that it's best to read this series in order, starting with the first book, Lone Wolf.

Happy Reading!

Blind Search by Paula Munier

Quick synopsis:  Mercy Carr and her Belgian Malinois, Elvis, are back! It's the beginning of hunting season in Vermont when Mercy and Elvis find the body of a murdered woman in the woods. She's been shot by an arrow at close range, and they think a nine-year-old boy named Henry witnessed her murder. Only Henry's not talking--he's autistic and prefers numbers to words or people. He likes Elvis and Susie Bear though. But with his dad suspected of murder and the police wondering what he may have seen, it's clear Henry is in danger. Troy Warner, a Vermont Fish & Wildlife Game Warden and Susie Bear's owner, and Mercy are determined to protect Henry, even if that means finding the killer themselves.

What I liked:

• HENRY. With a penchant for Batman pajamas, prime numbers and playing his own version of Dungeons & Dragons, he's an easy character to love. I also loved how Elvis and Susie Bear are so protective of him, and how he was drawn to Mercy and Troy (who he named Paladin and Ranger).
• MERCY & ELVIS. "Elvis lifted his head, nose nuzzling her thigh. Even so, Mercy felt alone. Whether this feeling was down to another sudden wave of grief over her fiance's death catching her unawares again or the insistent tug of attraction to a certain game warden, she wasn't sure. Elvis licked her hand and she smiled. As long as she had Elvis, she was never alone."
• TROY & SUSIE BEAR. "Susie Bear was excited. All the way from the truck to the restaurant, she pranced in front of him. Despite her size, she was light on her feet. She stopped several times to enjoy the attentions of children and grown-ups alike. The dog's happy-go-lucky personality was a beacon, allowing Troy to shine in her light. He wasn't that good with people, but thanks to Susie Bear, most people never noticed."

My one complaint:  Mercy and Troy seemed to take a nice step forward in their relationship about halfway through the book, only to take two steps back at the end--a setback I found both frustrating and stupid. Here's hoping they resolve it quickly in the next book. 

Happy Reading!

Post script:

If you haven't read A Borrowing of Bones, Munier's previous novel about Mercy and Elvis, I'd recommend reading that one first.