Reading right now: 

Excited to read this series by Diane Kelly with a police dog as Officer Megan Luz’s new partner. This is a cozy series which sounds fun with a feisty female police officer and an adorable canine named Brigit. So far there are eight books available in this series with the ninth coming out in November.

On hold right now:

Linda O. Johnston’s newest book in her series Barkery & Biscuits is “For a Good Paws.” This is the fifth in the series which started with “Bite the Biscuit.” In the first book, Veterinary technician Carrie Kennersly buys a bakery which she turns into the Barkery where she sells canine treats which sets off fights with her competition who turns up dead. Her latest involves a convicted killer who is released from prison only to kill again. Carrie doesn’t believe he is guilty and sets out to find out what really happened. Her cozy series includes recipes for humans and dogs.

 

Laurien Berenson’s Melanie Travis series started with “A Pedigree to Die For” after Melanie’s uncle dies and his prize-winning poodle disappears. Now the 23^rd book in the series is out and Melanie is accused of murdering Evan Major, the owner of a Bulldog puppy that Melanie has agreed to train. To solve the murder, Melanie gathers her Bite Club Reading group together to trap the real killer. Watch out in September for the 24^th Melanie Travis book called “Here Comes Santa Paws.”

 

Spencer Quinn’s latest is “Heart of Barkness” which is the ninth book in the Chet and Bernie mystery series which started with “Dog on It.” Chet and Bernie have had more than their share of bad luck. When they first met, Chet was a failing PI and Bernie had just flunked out of police dog training. Once they found each other, they found that together they could be great detectives. Chet actually narrates this series of novels in a gritty and hardboiled voice.

In the nineteenth book in the Andy Carpenter series, golden retriever Tara and attorney Andy Carpenter continue solving mysteries. Andy’s self-deprecating humor is entertaining and fun, but his dedication to Tara and all things dog is heartfelt and enticing. While Tara gives Andy the will to live, Andy is an attorney who not only defends his clients in court, but enlists his friends to solve the puzzle before going to court. In “Bark of Night,” Andy is trying to discover who murdered the owner of a perfect French bulldog named Tiny. Tiny was left with Andy’s vet with instructions to euthanize the dog. When the vet started asking questions, he discovered that Andy’s help would be needed. For those of us who love Andy Carpenter, the good news is that October 1 will see the release of the 20^th book in this series, “Dachshund Through the Snow.”

Other Mysterious Things:

Dogs as major or minor characters in books are extremely popular--almost as popular in books as in our society. With our growing love of dogs, it is no wonder that authors are finding ways to include them in their books. Some of the authors who are indulging dog lovers include: Carol Lea Benjamin, Sheila Connolly, Krista Davis, Margaret Mizushima, David Handler, Bethany Blake, Waverly Curtis, Peggy Webb, Susan Conant, Donna Ball, and so many others that I will have to come back to doggie mysteries again soon. The books shown below are the first in each series: