Creature Discomforts (A Dog Lover's Mystery)

I am always on the lookout for Susan Conant's latest "Dog Lover's Mystery," and in Creature Discomforts, she has produced another howling good time. This time, the mystery is set in Maine's Acadia National Park rather than heroine Holly Winter's usual Cambridge, Mass., milieu, a change of venue I found refreshing. There, Holly faces an even greater challenge than usual: solving the murder of an environmental curmudgeon as she struggles with amnesia resulting from an accidental (!?) fall while hiking in the park with her beloved Alaskan malamutes, Rowdy and Kimi. Poor Holly doesn't recognize or remember most of the people she comes into contact with, and must carefully navigate a web of deceit to not only uncover the murderer but also reveal some financial shenanigans as well. As always, I was deeply impressed by the author's ability to weave together topical subject matter (this time, environmentalism) with loads of dog-related tidbits, and a barking good mystery! Loyal followers of Holly, Rowdy, and Kimi's adventures will appreciate the character development of Holly's warming relationship with her father and a rather shocking development in her ongoing romance with Cambridge vet Steve Delaney. One caveat: Some fans may miss some of the usual supporting cast of characters they've come to love, such as Holly's neighbor Kevin the cop and her upstairs tenant Rita the psychologist. All in all, I can't wait for the next Susan Conant "Dog Lover's Mystery"!

How does she do it? How does Susan Conant keep turning out such entertaining mysteries with great characterizations? I don't know, but thank you, Ms. Conant! These books are a boon to dog lovers and mystery lovers, especially those who are both!This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't wait to see how the mystery came out -- and I *really* couldn't wait to see how the relationship part came out. No, I'm not going to spoil the surprise. Let me just say that I hope the next book comes out very soon!When Booklist says "It's easy to find faults with Conant: her stilted descriptions of Maine's Acadia National Park sound as though they were lifted from an old Fodor. Likewise, the indigestible trivia about breeds and training she drops into the text land like stale dog biscuits on the basement floor," well, the heck with that publication. I liked the descriptions and I **loved** the bits on dogs, because they ring of truth -- and great love for all dogs. It's a delight to read this stuff. It's also given me some obedience ideas. Hmmmm . . . Katie, come!

Susan Conant has done it again! Another book that I could not put down until I finished it. I did miss more references to dog shows, but Rowdy & Kimi were delightful as usual. Can't wait until the next one comes out.

SUSAN CONANT once again makes her characters and Alaskan Malamutes come alive as though all the two legged humans are sitting in your living room telling you their stories first hand, and the Malamutes are woo, wooing theirs! This book has a little different style of writing then Ms Conant usually does and keeps you riveted to the chair from the first page until the last! I highly recommend to any reader in love with dogs, no matter what breed, to settle in and enjoy a first rate reading experience!

When she regains consciousness, Holly Winter has no time to worry about not knowing who she is or the names of the two malamutes standing nearby that she knows is hers. Her first concern is to find a way back up from the side of the mountain that she apparently fell from. After escaping her harrowing situation, Holly learns that she is in Maine's Acadia National Park as the guest of Gabrielle Beamon.Holly finds out that another guest Norman Axelrod also fell off the same cliff at around the same time she did, but he died. Holly knows that the killer will want to complete the job by murdering her. As she struggles to regain her memories, Holly and her two canines Kimi and Rowdy begin to investigate the accidents.CREATURE DISCOMFORTS is an engaging canine mystery that focuses on the charcaters. The story line clearly has GONE TO THE DOGS and Holly as they investigate the two accidents while hiding her amnesia from everyone. Susan Conant does not clutter her tale with litter as she concentrates on her stars and their relationships with other characters. RUFFLY SPEAKING, amateur sleuth fans and canine lovers will relish this tale and trace the BLOODLINES of the Dog Lover,s mysteries.Harriet Klausner