Animal Appetite

Good reading. Susan Conant's Holly Winter series just keeps getting beter. If you're looking for some light reading that is pure entertainment, look no further.

Susan Conant has written a series of books in which murders are solved by a very unlikely person. The "detective" in Ms. Conant's books is a dog lover with the unlikely name of Holly Winter. Holly makes a living writing for a dog magazine. Holly's life centers around her two Alaskan malamutes. I am not a "dog lover" but I have enjoyed meeting the malamutes and I have enjoyed in other books reading about the strange world of dog shows.In Animal Appetite, Holly investigates the murder of a pubisher who died at his desk 18 years before the start of the tale. Concurrently, Holly is researching an actual historical event in which a woman who had been captured by native Americans managed to escape (killing several of her captors in the process). I enjoyed the combination of colonial history and wry humor aimed at dog fanciers and Harvard professors. I read Susan Conant because I enjoy the world she creates and the vivid way she brings dogs to life on the printed page. Don't expect the wild humor of Susan Evanovich or the well crafted puzzles of vintage Agatha Christy; expect an enjoyable romp with two wonderful malamutes.

Susan Conant is the dog show lover's writer. Every description of anything doggy in her book is 100% right on. Her credibility extends to the mystery as she investigates three different murders, one incident that happened to "savages" in the 1600's, another that took place 18 years ago, and the recent suspicious death of a Harvard professor. If you love dogs, dog shows, obedience trials and the like, you're going to love this book. The mystery is just another treat, like frosting on the cake.

Holly Winter, a writer for DOG'S LIFE magazine, makes a bet with her friend and neighbor Rita (a psychotherapist) that she can indeed write something that has nothing to do with dogs whatsoever. Thus, Holly begins research on Hannah Duston, who, in 1697 was captured by Indians--then killed her captors and returned home. At the same time she is learning about Hannah Duston, however, Holly is also finding out about John Winter Andrews, who died eighteen years ago (was it suicide or murder? the case was never solved)--and owned a Golden Retriever, the same breed of dog Holly's family has bred for decades. Surely there must be a kinship link of some sort, and Holly is determined to find out what really happened.Holly is a fun person to hang out with--smart, smart-mouthed, and with a smart choice of companions: her two Alaskan Malamutes, Kimi and Rowdy. Think Kinsey Millhone transplanted from Santa Teresa, California to Cambridge, Massachusetts and immersed in the world of dogs. Holly's other friends--her lover (and vet) Steve, her next door neighbor (and homicide detective) Kevin, and Rita--are almost as engaging as the assorted canines who show up in the novel. Be warned: the Holly Winter series is addictive! This reviewer read ten of them (of which this is number ten) in ten days. All are stronger on dogs than on the mystery elements--which is not to say the mystery elements are weak, they aren't--but that's just fine by me. It isn't necessary to read these novels in order, so grab the first one you can find (and all the others you can put your hands on) and dig in for a tour of New England, dog shows and obedience trials, colonial history... and, oh yes... rats.Kimberly Borrowdale, Under the Covers

Ms. Conant is at her best when she is writing about the dog world. In this book she attempts to branch out into the world of academia and the story falters. There are two mysteries to be solved here, and I didn't find either one of them to be particularly interesting. The only time the characters come to life is when they are relating to the dogs in the story, and those times were far too few. Surely there is enough weirdness in the dog world for several more books. I hope Ms. Conant returns there for her future stories. Still, if you are a confirmed dog person, as I am, you will want to read this one and then look forward to the next installment in the adventures of Rowdy and Kimi.