The Dogfather

Susan Conant has done it again. A fun mystery, Holly becomes the dog trainer of the mafia. Problem is, they're happy to do her "favors" (of the mob variety). When one of "the family" gets murdered, the only eye witnesses are Holly's two dogs, Rowdy and Kimi. If you loved other Holly Winter books, you'll love this one. Written with humor. Paws up on this one!

Mobster Enzio Guarini loves dogs. So when his new puppy doesn't behave, he sends his henchmen out to bring him Holly Winter, dog trainer and fellow dog lover. Holly knows enough about the mob, and about Guarini's reputation, to accept the job, but when one of Guarini's assistants is killed during a training session, Holly knows she's in over her head. And Guarini's attempts to help her, including intimidating an A.K.C. judge and possibly blowing up her car, let her know that she's in trouble. Of course, for Holly, trouble is a given. As if the mob weren't bad enough, she's got hostile FBI agents camped out front and an ex-boyfriend who seems to want to reconnect but somehow keeps missing. Author Susan Conant writes a funny and entertaining mystery. The dogs are well integrated and are real dogs (not super-dogs who talk, solve mysteries by themselves, and otherwise dominate the story). Holly continually uses her dog training insights to 'help' her deal with people, adding to the humor but also increasing Holly's depth of personality. Of course, her problems with boyfriends, the FBI, and the mob increase the author's sympathy for Holly as she tries to figure out the right thing to do. Conant's writing is funny and highly readable. THE DOGFATHER is perfect light reading, a cute mystery, and will appeal even to readers who don't care much about dogs (dog fans will love it).

Once again, Susan Conant delivers a masterfully written mystery featuring Holly Winter, dog writer/trainer living in Cambridge, Massachusetts. When Holly agrees to train a mob boss's new puppy, she doesn't count on getting involved in a mob murder. Interrupting the session to search for dog treats, she returns to find a dead body. The mob quickly removes the evidence, but Holly remains nervous, with good reason. Another shoot-out gives her a fright and lands her neighbor in the hospital.Holly doesn't track clues and the murderer's identity is a surprise, although a clever one. While I kept turning the pages, I felt a little cheated of a true mystery. Holly's dog savvy remains unquestioned but I wish the author had given her a murder that drew on her unique skills and talents. A spoof? An author who can't resist the "dogfather" pun?Regardless, I most liked the stories where Holly speaks the language of dogs to uncover the murderer. Here Holly turns over the stage to the ...well, Dogfather.Holly's training tips are valuable as always (bits of roast beef work well as treats!) and we can welcome back her former lover, Steve the veterinarian. The author has created a quandary for herself: Mystery heroines with romantic interests tend to lose their allure, and Steve is such a terrific catch that Holly's resistance makes no sense.Even Holly is beginning to realize he's a prize. And Holly's cat Tracker needs to mellow out. She needs to consult a cat therapist! I have one dog and two cats and everybody needs attention, every day.

Holly is assisting the local capo, Enzio Guarini to train his beautiful Elkhound puppy. The customs and lifestyle of a mob boss is totally alien to her. When one of his associates is murdered while holding Rowdy and Kimi, things really start to go out of control.I really enjoyed this one. Ms. Conant has returned to the dog aspect of her first mysteries and the novel is all the better for it. The characters as usual are quirky and interesting and the mystery is very good. I am also glad to see Steve easing back into the picture. It is about time one of Rowdy's puppies appeared in a book also! Great and very quick read.

In her not so distant past, Holly Winter, dog lover and owner of two Alaskan malamutes did something that brought her to the attention of mob boss Enzio Guarini concerning his hated son-in-law. Although she never intended to have anything to do with him again, she is virtually kidnapped by his overzealous employees while walking the dogs. The ride gets off to a bad start when the dogs eat Enzio's cannolis before they are brought to his home where he informs Holly that he wants her to train his new four month old rambunctious puppy.Not being an idiot who wants to relocate underground, Holly agrees to train the puppy. One day while Holly and Enzio are working together in a parking lot, one of Guarini's guards is murdered. Holly is instructed to go home and forget about the incident. However that proves difficult when a bomb blows up her car, an FBI agent threatens her and somebody takes a shot at her while she is dining with her policeman buddy. What can one expect in Cambridge?The DOGFATHER is a hilarious parody of "The Godfather" with Enzio being the right Brando. Surprisingly, the mobster discovers who the killer is, not the heroine. The female protagonist tries to make the best of an untenable position and at times her actions are extremely funny. Susan Conant always writes an excellent who-done-it but this one is especially good due in large part to Holly's reactions to certain incidents, cannoli anyone?Harriet Klausner