he new '-Holly Winter' dog mystery - When Dog's Life columnist Holly Winter rejects applicants who want to adopt homeless dogs, she makes a lot of enemies. In dogs Holly trusts, and the dogs she trusts most are her beloved malamutes, Rowdy, Kimi and Sammy. But right now she could use a human friend. Lately, it seems wherever she turns, things go wrong: an anonymous call turns vicious, her husband is keeping secrets, and acquaintances die under mysterious circumstances. Then Holly's own life is threatened. Can the brute strength of Rowdy, Kimi, and Sammy protect her? A Dog Lover's Mystery #19 ( )

What fun to read! The normal cast of charters is included, with all of their peculiarities. The plot revolves around a family who has moved in close to Holly who own a malamute. There are lots of apparent red herrings and the resolution to the story leaves the reader in doubt until the last few pages. ( )

This book was a breath of fresh air for me. It's been awhile since M. Conant has written a Holly Winter mystery, and I have missed Holly, Steve, Rowdy, Kimi and Sammy. Not to mention all the other wonderful characters, both human and canine in this series. This book is an excellent return after a few years hiatus. The story is great, the people and dogs are wonderful, and the mystery interesting enough to keep you reading. I love this series because it is a series that is custom-written for dog-lovers like me. I love Holly's take on life and on people's foibles. She compares everything to dogs and living and training dogs, and that's not such a bad thing. I personally think that canines and their way of thinking and interacting with each other is not a bad way to be at all. At least you always know where you are with a dog. They don't play mind games, or plot murder of their own species. What a lot of fun this series is, and I really do enjoy it. ( )