Index of Suspicion

Dr. Robert Armstrong is a retired veterinarian, and held the post of animal control officer for the health department in Houston, Texas for ten years. He also served in the Air Force veterinary corps and for three years served as director of medical readiness for the Air Force's European Command. He was based in Southeast Asia and Germany, working with military dogs.In his follow up to CANIS, his first mystery featuring Dr. Duncan MacDonell, politics, smuggling, and veterinary medicine all meet in a political conspiracy that involves death of a political candidate by what appears to be a rabid cat. Duncan MacDonell happens to be attending a Republican $500 per plate fundraiser for their candidate, Patrick Sawyer. When Sawyer gets into his limo to leave the party, he is viciously attacked by a cat. MacDonell is on the scene, and immediately orders rabies testing done on the offending feline:"MacDonell scratched his chin. After mulling it over all night he expected the worst, and now he couldn't believe what he had just heard. 'Tell you what,' he said after some reflection, 'run it again and ship a chunk of the hippocampus up to Austin on Monday for mouse inoculation, just to be on the safe side.' 'Run it again?' Aaron whined. 'Run it again,' MacDonell repeated. 'Negative is negative, Doc,' Aaron said. He sounded sober. 'I'm not questioning your result, Johnny.' 'Sounds like it to me. And we usually only do mice if we suspect a false positive.' 'This isn't a usual situation, John. I saw the cat. It was flaming.'"Armstrong's MacDonell is up against the usual bureaucracy when the candidate dies of rabies, who are only interested in covering their arses instead of getting to the bottom of the conspiracy. Mac is an instantly likeable character, with flaws and brilliance, happily working alongside a wife who is as much of a whiz with a pistol as she is in the kitchen. Set in Houston, Texas, MacDonell shows the reader what life is like in Texas, from the politics to the cooking. In Texas time, politics is gaining political correctness as MacDonell fights for justice against some rich and vindictive opponents. This is an intense and suspense-laden read.

I met and quickly warmed up to Dr. Duncan MacDonell in CANIS. Now he returns in a story about rabid cats. A politician is attacked by a cat and although tests on the animal are negative, the governor still dies of rabies. Was it an unfortunate accident or was the governor murdered? City politics and budget problems continue to plague MacDonell. To complicate matters further, the FBI suspects foul play by MacDonell or someone on his staff. INDEX OF SUSPICION is a well-written, intriguing mystery. The characters are believable and dialogue sizzles. But you get more than just an entertaining read. As in CANIS, Bob Armstrong's expertise shines through. He continues to educate his readers, this time on rabies and how it can be contracted (you don't have to be bitten by a rabid animal), as well as life in the trenches at an Animal Control Center. This was an excellent follow-up in a great series.

Dr. Duncan MacDonell, a Veterinarian, finds himself smack dab in the middle of another mystery. When a man is literally shredded in his car by a psycho cat, Dr. MacDonell is there to save his life and get the animal out of the car. What at first just seems a bizarre incident, quickly escalates into political intrigue. Because it wasn't just any man that was being slashed by a raving cat. It was the Governor. Who could be behind such an atrocious attack? What kind of monster could set something like this up? The plot gets thicker and the suspects are out in droves. I couldn't figure this one out till the end and every exciting page kept me up late at night in anticipation. Robert Armstrong has written his second gripping thriller. I was excited to see that he continued with the same main characters from Canis and stepped up the intrigue in INDEX OF SUSPICION. I really enjoy his way with dialogue and the life experiences he must draw upon to give the reader a sense of the atrocities that some animals have to endure during their short lives. I truly enjoyed INDEX OF SUSPICION for it's great writing, excellent information and exciting storyline!

Index Of SuspicionBy Robert ArmstrongThis is the second in the series about veterinarian Duncan MacDonell and his wife Jeannie set in Texas. This story opens with the governor being attacked by a cat in his limo. From there it is all excitement and a wonderful look into the world of veterinary science. I particularly enjoyed the way the authorshowed Texas and the world of the forensic science as used by Dr. MacDonell. I also found it refreshing to have a protag with a wife where there was no ... hanky panky going on behind her back. These two people were very in tune with each other and as I said that was a refreshing change from the usual hi jinks of main characters. I am not very good at writing reviews because I am afraid of giving away too much of the story. I will say this, there are certainly enough bad guys and an interesting plot to keep you interested but if you like a good story and good people as the star of the story you will like this book. I highly recommend it.

Patrick Sawyer, former Governor of New Jersey, sneaks away from a five hundred dollar a plate fund-raising dinner, hoping to get a little time away from Secret Service agents and fawning admirers. A suave and sophisticated politician, who commands respect from men and women alike, Sawyer appears to be a shoo-in for his party's presidential nomination. As he sits alone in a rental car parked outside a country club in Houston, a crazed cat, which mysteriously found its way inside the locked vehicle, savagely attacks him. Veterinarian Duncan MacDonell is nearby when a call goes out for help. He is shocked to see the candidate's condition and certain that the cat is rabid. MacDonell traps the animal and takes it back to the lab for testing. He is surprised when the test comes back negative. His gut instinct tells him that something is wrong. His instinct proves correct. Patrick Sawyer contracts rabies. Now, the CDC is involved, and it looks like MacDonell's job is on the line unless he can explain why the original test failed to reveal information that might have saved the life of the next President of the United States.The family of the man who may replace Sawyer as the party's next candidate contacts MacDonell, asking him for help to dispel any cloud of suspicion that might hang over a run for the White House. A quest for the truth propels MacDonell into a world of lies, deceit, and murder. Was there a conspiracy at work? Who is involved? Who knows the whole truth?INDEX OF SUSPICION offers a complex and compelling story that grabs you and holds you until the very end. Duncan MacDonell and his wife, Jeannie, are richly drawn and believable. They are definitely characters you want to visit again. This is a top-notch novel, full of intrigue, yet underscored with a human element that makes the overall presentation near perfection.INDEX OF SUSPICION, the second book in the Duncan MacDonell series, rates the highest recommendation I can give. Expect to hear more from its talented author, Robert Armstrong.