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!

Deception Cove by Owen Laukkanen

 

Mason Burke has spent the last fifteen years in prison. The one good thing he did is rehabilitate and train a rescue dog named Lucy. Now he's out and he just wants to know if Lucy is okay. When he learns she's going to be put down because she bit a sheriff's deputy, he heads to Deception Cove, Washington, to try and save her.

Jess Winslow is a young widow and former marine suffering from PTSD. Lucy is her dog. When she's confronted by Deputy Kirby Harwood, who wants something her deceased husband apparently stole, Lucy defends her. Now Harwood has her dog and is threatening to have her killed if Jess doesn't find the thing he wants. But with Mason's help, Jess is determined to get Lucy back.

Ethan @ A Book a Week reviewed this book in August. He wrote that "Owen Laukkanen tells a stirring story of loyalty and redemption in the form of a page-turning thriller," and I couldn't agree more. This book is such a great read! In many ways it reminded me of The Drifter by Nicholas Petrie, another favorite book of mine. I loved Mason; he went to prison at 18 and is now trying to figure out how to be an adult and a good man on the outside. Jess is another great character. I loved how she and Mason team up to save their dog and fight the bad guys. Deception Cove has action and suspense. And lots of heart. It's compelling and well-written, and my favorite Owen Laukkanen novel so far. Thanks, Ethan, for recommending it!

Happy Reading!

Other Owen Laukkanen novels I've enjoyed:  The Watcher in the Wall and The Wild.

From my TBR shelf...

My library has been closed for an entire month now. The books I put on hold back in March for my next two buddy reads with Melody are languishing on the hold shelf at my library--hostages to COVID-19. And the last of my library books have all been read, leaving me with only the books on my shelves. Luckily, I have a lot. Some I'll review; some I won't. And though I am grateful I do still have books to read, I REALLY hope my library reopens soon! Anyway, here's one from my TBR shelf:

Title & Author:  Voyage by Ellisa Barr

Why I bought it:  I read and enjoyed Barr's previous book, Outage, and wanted to read the next one in the series. Also, it's one of those EMP disaster/survival books that I like to read so much.

Favorite line:  "Wake up and smell the apocalypse, Sena."

The plot in brief:  Sena and several of her classmates are on an Alaskan cruise when the EMP hits. Chaos quickly ensues as Sena and a few new friends struggle to make their way back home to Washington state.

My thoughts:  Sena's a foster kid with a fear of the dark and a past she doesn't like to talk about. You'd think she'd be tough and guarded, but she comes across as meek, timid and naive, and even a bit spineless at times. It wasn't until the last half of the book that she finally stands up for herself. Despite these flaws, I still liked her. And I liked this book, although I do wish it had been a little more fleshed out in places. At only 200 pages, the story felt a little thin and left me wanting more. Barr's first book, Outage, is definitely the better read. But this one was still fun.

My rating:  3/5 stars.

Happy Reading!