In the Doghouse

In Melissa Cleary's eleventh mystery, Jackie Walsh and her ex-police dog, Jake, have stars in their eyes. While the recent love of her life, Tom, is in California with their kids, Jackie and Jake are hired to work in a movie being made by one of Jackie's former students. The movie is "Under the Dog Star"; the idea and some of the scenes are taken from Jackie's sleuthing experiences. The movie is being filmed in Jackie's small hometown in Ohio. As we all know, no matter where someone yells "lights, camera, action!", a Hollywood ego is bound to find it's way to the limelight, and in this case it's big time, so Jackie finds herself wrangling a murderer instead of Jake and gathering more background information on the celebrities than she cares to.Those who have followed Ms. Cleary's series will recognize some of the recurring cast members and remember how enjoyable this series is. For new fans, although subjects from her past books are mentioned I don't consider them spoilers. I liked the way the way the mystery and the characters were presented. Ms. Cleary knows how to lead her readers though the maze of twists and turns. Melissa Cleary is well known for her popular series, Jackie is a seasoned sleuth, and Jake makes for a great tailing partner, so you can't go wrong with In The Dog House.