Emily Kimelman

Talk about introducing some change into your life: Joy Humbolt breaks up with her boyfriend, loses her job and acquires the biggest dog possible from the pond - all in one day. And then she buys Charlene Miller's dog-walking business on Manhattan's exclusive upper east side. It seems like the perfect fit: Quiet environment, minimal contact with people. But from the start things seem fishy: why was Charlene in such a hurry to sell her business? And then she stumbles over a corpse. Her natural show more inquisitiveness leads her into an investigation of her own, her new business gives her an in to the tenants as well as the servants.
It took me a while to figure out what is so different about this book: there are absolutely no shifts of perspective. The whole book is in the here and now of one person only. This gives the whole story its specific flavor. Though some of the choices she makes are a bit implausible, overall it's a quite enjoyable read. show less

Deep inside of all animals there dwells an innate fear of fire; and for the Rottweiller Keiki - Detective Leilani Texiera's most loyal friend and fiercest ally - the fear of fire is no less insidious or terrifying. As a decendant of the Drover Dogs of Rome, Keiki definitely understands the enormous legacy that she must honor. In ancient Roman times, these Rottweiller ancestors followed men into war, helped herd animals, and protected the flock from predators. All these tasks required a show more certain bravery and great skill to accomplish; yet it was also a noble responsibility for such creatures to undertake.

In more modern times, Keiki's role remains much the same. She must protect Lei and her family from any and all predators. They are members of her pack and rely on Keiki's indomitable strength and wily intelligence for their protection. This is a responsibility that Keiki takes enormous pride in and treats very seriously.

Yet, when the enemy that you must face is also one that fills you with the most shameful fear, what is a mighty protector to do? How will Keiki save her family from such a raging, uncontrollable beast? For the sake of her pack, Keiki must rely on her own protective instincts, and the assistance of some new friends in order to do what needs to be done. Because when you're only one dog - the protector of the pack - and facing off against a particularly devious enemy, your number one priority in this mission becomes crystal clear: protect the family.

I must say that while I do have at least five books by Emily Kimelman sitting on my virtual TBR pile, this was the first book by this author that I've actually had the pleasure of reading. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; it was extremely fast-paced and very well-developed for its length, and I absolutely loved both Keiki's and Blue's character development. I give this book an A+! show less

I set this aside 64% into the first book. it wasn’t holding me. Sysdney Rye felt a bit empty. The plot was too much like Nancy Drew and the Secrets of the BDSM Club. The sense of place was stong. The ddialogue was realistic. But it didn't work for me a mystery or a thriller.

This is a tough one for me to rate.

On one hand, it's a good start to a series, and does a lot of heavy lifting to set up the Sydney Rye character before she's even officially Sydney Rye. It's also well written, and the narrator did a fantastic job.

On the other side, for me at least, it really did feel like a touch too much set up for a rushed ending. There was a lot of complicated stuff going on for Joy (the eventual Sydney) to figure out and there were times when I felt very much like we show more were being led down blind alleys. Joy (again, to me) seemed to stumble upon developments more than she worked them out.

And, while I appreciated the author's takes on some of the irritating people in the world—the homophobic, the uber-religious, the people who serve people for a living, but hate their jobs—I did feel that it got a touch heavy-handed at times, though I was pleasantly surprised with the final meeting between Joy and her mom.

I think this is very likely an enjoyable series, and the right audience is going to love it. I just don't think I'm the right audience. show less