Gun Shy: A Raine Stockton Dog Mystery

Here's a terrific mystery line and of course, fabulous dogs! I wish the author would write books about Sunny. I like her character much better than Raine's. Raine acts without thinking and doesn't show good judgement a lot of the time. Abolish Raine and bring on Sonny!

There is absolutely no shortage of action for Raine Stockton in this 3rd book in the series. Without losing the sense of realism at all, the author manages to give the dog characters in her stories great depth. Likewise for the human characters. I find I want to know what happens to Raine in her love life, her professional life, her relationships with the dogs, and oh, by the way, I want to see her solve the mystery too. The plot somewhat revolves around a new dog character. The dog Raine dubs Hero is a yellow lab who is highly trained, but now depressed and nearly crazed after being left at the scene of the apparent suicide of his owner. Hero turns out to have been an assistance dog for the now dead mistress. I won't spoil the plot for you, but the rehabilitation of Hero is one of the most heartwrenching dog stories you'll read in a long while. And the dancing scene with her own dog, Cisco, is one of the most heartwarming. I thought this book was the best of the three entries in the series so far, and that's saying a lot. However, don't read it without reading the first one at least (Smoky Mountain Tracks). It's also excellent, and you get the background you need to appreciate this book.

I love the The Raine Stockton Dog Mystery Series. Donna developes the plot with the dog as a main character throughout the story. Every chapter ends being a real page turner. I really want the Rapid Fire book to come out in paperback soon ! I enjoyed Donna's dog mysteries so much, I purchased her older mysteries - "Dark Angel" and "Exposure", also really intriging reads.

I have read the other two Donna Ball stories. This one was really good. I felt transported to my favorite mountains in the fall. Sonny is an interesting character and I can never read enough about her psychic ability. It was interesting reading about the "dancing dog." I would love to actually see a routine. I bet it is amazing. I emjoy reading about all the dogs that Raine has. I was so glad that Hero may be back in the next book which I anxiously await. The scene at the very end cries for "more." I am intrigued by this new love interest for Raine. You will love this addition to the series. Donna, your word processor is calling...don't you hear it?

A frantic and starving yellow lab guards the cabin where his mistress lays dead of an apparent self inflected gunshot wound. The sheriff places a call to his niece, Raine Stockton, the only professional dog handler in the area. Raine must remove the snarling dog to prevent the deputies from shooting it. There is no identification at the scene of the suicide, not even a vehicle parked near the remote cabin. How did the woman and her dog get there? Where is her purse, ID, luggage, food? Was the scene staged to look like a suicide? Was it in fact a murder? The first clues come from the traumatized dog. Then random events provide key information that unravels a tale of jealousy, greed, and revenge. An enjoyable mystery for dog lovers. The author includes many of her favorite subjects; canine search and rescue, canine freestyle (a form of human/dog dancing), and canine agility. The only complaint I find with the book is not the fault of the author but rather the publisher. The book's cover illustration gives away information the reader shouldn't know until half way through the story.