Twas the Bite Before Christmas

Ex-cop Jack Field and his fiancée Dr Jamie Cutter, state medical examiner, are enjoying a quiet evening in front of the fireplace when they get a call about a murder. Amy Frost, The Bright's housemaid, has been murdered with blunt force trauma. The Brights believe her ex-boyfriend Thomas Huckabee killed her. Jack begins investigating. After Karl, the Bright's chauffeur, tells him about the professor and some strange happenings on the third floor of the Bright's mansion, Karl disappears. Thomas Huckabee has gone into hiding. Jack is desperate to find him, not to pin this murder on, but to get him to give a kidney to his son who is dying. He is most probably the best match. To help find the professor's role in all this, Jack sets up a good con to get him out of hiding. He finds Karl in New York trying to square things with the Russian mafia. Can Jack put the pieces of the puzzle together in time to solve the murder and help Thomas' son? I really enjoy the mysteries in this series. Jack and Jamie are a great couple and Jack's dog training tips are very educational. Jack is a wonderful character. He has his flaws, but he's a great guy inside and his work with the dogs and sick kids really lets this shine. Jamie puts up with a lot from Jack. She is a wonderful lady and Jack knows that. You don't have to read this series in order, but it does help as Jack and Jamie's relationship grows and builds in each book. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

So what is it that is so very appealing about this series? Maybe for me it is the setting- my own adopted state of Maine. Or could it be the characters? Jack Field, ex New York detective, is the owner of a dog kennel/ training business. He is usually in the company of or thinking about Jamie Cutter, the Medical Examiner. Living with Jack is his foster son, 'Duke" a crime victim from NYC. A steady, well written cast of characters traveling from one book to another to make this a cohesive, fun group of books to read. The starring roles though are assigned to the various dogs that populate the scenes. Much space is also given to dog training tips- a system based on play and praise. Kelley writes with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek. He seems to understand that Jack makes Sherlock Holmes seem dense and plots are more interesting when they appear impossible. The asides and comments to the reader draw the casual reader into his world. He cleverly admits that these are just good mystery stories that are enjoyable to read- and what more can we ask from a cozy? (Next step would be a top rated tv show! Anyone out there know any producers..but remember it was my idea first!) Three Hints for reading this series: 1. It is not neccesary to read them in the order written but would be more enjoyable to follow the continuing plot lines in order. 2. Just remember- the dog is always innocent ! (oops- is that a spoiler?) 3. If you do not have a dog when you start the series you probably will by the end! 'Twas the Bite Before Christmas Jack has never been big on Christmas spirit. When he and Jamie get embroiled in the murder of a maid in a near by mansion, his cold will not get better and he is shot at, hit in the head, it only seems to reinforce his feelings about the holiday. Add some elvin magic, lots of dogs and the Russian mob and Jack may be done with holidays forever.

Jack and Jamie are back, thank goodness, and in this latest offering from Lee Charles Kelley they take readers on another fun ride with, of course, all of their canine companions. While this book can certainly be read as a stand alone, readers would be well-served to grab up all the prior Jack and Jamie books first, because they're fun to read, and second, to get to know the characters. I don't think anyone that enjoys this genre would be disappointed. And speaking of which, what a breath of fresh air Mr. Kelley brings to the world of dog mysteries! I devour books; they are my preferred form of entertainment and relaxation. When I want a fun read, I choose a dog mystery. Quite honestly, it seemed the field had rather dried up recently. Even one of the authors I read regularly abandoned us and wrote about....ee gads...cats! Enter Mr. Kelley. As with his prior books, in "Twas The Bite Before Christmas", Mr. Kelley gives us a fun mystery with two main protagonists that you will like immediately; well, if, like me, you like a smart-aleck know-it-all pain in the butt guy like Jack ( but hey, he loves dogs, has a great sense of justice, does volunteer work for sick children, and beats up tough mafia hoods,and doesn't give up till he solves the crime...what's not to like? ),and Jamie, well, everyone loves Jamie. ( Even if Mr. Kelley does attribute her occasional moodiness to certain 28 day cycles....what's Jack's excuse?? )But you get the drift; these two have fun together, even through ups and downs, and the reader has fun right along with them. The quirky supporting cast is a bit out there, but somehow Mr. Kelley brings it all together and makes it work. After all, it is supposed to be a fun read, and from the rich,eccentric,devious Brights whose housemaid is found murdered at the beginning of the book, to their mafia connected chauffeur Karl, to their mysterious visiting "professor", to tales of elves and strange lights in the Bright mansion, and most importantly, to the dogs that Mr. Kelley cleverly weaves into his stories, it IS a fun read, and it works. One last note from someone who is an absolutely committed, passionate, nutso, over the top, fanatical dog lover. Most people that enjoy this genre are dog people. I would venture a guess that readers would be happy to see their breed represented in a book they're reading. Until now, there wasn't much chance of that happening. Most dog mystery writers write from their limited experiences and stick to the breed they know. Mr. Kelley is a trainer and has vast experience with many breeds; he also obviously knows that readers will want to see their breed(s) represented in his books. This is not just a smart marketing idea; it makes for more interesting reading. Mr. Kelley also finds ways of smoothly educating readers on his training philosophies and methods. As someone who trains dogs, I love this. I have gone from thinking "interesting", to "YES!!" to bookmarking Mr. Kelley's web site. THIS trainer

I was nearly finished writing DOGGED PURSUIT when I got an e-mail from my editor at Avon. Was the book I was currently working on set at Christmas? Could it be a Yuletide-themed story? Hardly, I told her. It's set in October and features a serial killer. Not much Christmas cheer there. Still, the idea of writing a story with Christmas themes built into it was very appealing to me. Years ago I'd written and sold a spec screenplay called THE LEGEND OF CHARLEY MAINE that was never produced. I had a great deal of affection for the characters in that script and wondered if I could artfully weave them into Jack and Jamie's world. Off the top of my head I pitched a story idea for what became TWAS THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS to Erin, my editor. It involved a rich, elderly couple, living in a mansion on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. They come home from a Christmas concert to find their housemaid has been murdered. They suspect her ex-boyfriend, who's done time for murder, and even plant evidence to implicate him. But their grown, playboy son was having an affair with the victim. Then there's the chauffeur, Karl, who has ties to the Russian mafia in Brooklyn, not to mention a mysterious professor who occasionally comes to visit the mansion from New York. When he stays with them strange lights appear at night on the third floor. I told Erin the story would also tie-in to remnants of the Underground Railroad (for escaped slaves), and that there would be a chase scene at the skating rink at Rockefeller Center. She loved it, agreed to let me put DOGGED PURSUIT on the back-burner for the time being (it'll be out in July of 2006), and we were off to the races. I had a lot of fun writing this book. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Ex-NYPD Police Officer Jack Field now lives in Maine where he owns and operates a kennel and is a consultant to his fiancée state medical examiner Jamie Cutter. They are enjoying themselves one night when a phone call summons them to the Bright mansion where the corpse of the housemaid Amy Frost is found d lying on the steps. Tests show that she suffered blunt force trauma to her head by an unknown object and the Brights believe her abusive ex-boyfriend Thomas Huckabee did the deed. They go so far as to plant false evidence so the police will focus their investigation on Huckabee. Karl, the family chauffeur, disappears after telling Jack about a mysterious professor who visits the Brights quite often and where he is in residence. Strange things happen in the newly contracted third floor of the mansion. Karl is in New York trying to resolve a misunderstanding with a Russian mafiosa who winds up helping Jack in his quest to find the mysterious professor. Jack wants Huckabee found so he can give a kidney to his son who has weeks left to live and his father is a good match. Jack also wants to discover what role the professor played in the Bight problems and develops a brilliant con to bring him out of hiding. Readers who like Laurien Berenson and Susan Conant will love `TWAS THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. The secondary cast makes the tale including Doberman pinchers who look fierce but are putty in Jack's hands. The hero's own two dogs will bring a smile to the reader's face with their actions and antics. Though a bit too many ornaments, Lee Charles Kelly has written a clever crime caper. Harriet Klausner