Play Dead

The "cozy" in this cozy mystery comes in with the main character's calling of dog trainer. She has two dogs of her own, and is called in to help with a collie named Sage. And it's there that my disbelief in the book begins. This woman's knowledge of and training of the dogs as described in this book are … problematic. One of her dogs licks her face, upon which she comments that it "was something I'd trained her not to do". Why? A few pages later the other dog, inside while her wonderful owner is outside, scratches at the glass door. So … licking is out, but scratching is okay.

What tipped me over the edge into complete mistrust of everything this dog trainer says is the fact that she routinely leaves her dogs – and her clients' show more dogs – in her car while she runs around playing detective and running errands. And she advises her mother to do so as well. (Granted, her mother's brilliant alternative to doing so was to take a dog into a mall, but this just means that stupidity runs strong in this family.)

You do not – not ever – not under any circumstances – leave a dog or a child in a car. Not for half an hour, not for five minutes. If I have to explain why this is a bad thing, google it. Better yet, let some charity make a penny off your ignorance and go to www.Goodsearch.com and do a search. I have no idea at what time of year this book takes place – and it doesn't matter. Hot, cold – I don't care what the temperature is: you do not. Leave. Your. Dog (or child). In a car. Alone. Ever. I will call the police on you. I have done so – and been physically threatened by the bastard who did it (two dogs in a theatre parking lot in a blizzard while the owners watched a four-hour movie). I don't care if the dog is a malamute and adores the cold. I don't care if the dog is actually a salamander and loves the heat. I will call the police on you. And I will hope for a hefty fine – or jail time. Jail time would be lovely.

She also drives about with three dogs in her truck bed.

The characters' grasp of legalities is at least as questionable as their understanding of working with dogs. She assumes possession of Sage, the collie owned by the murdered client at the heart of the mystery, and somehow decides that it is within her purview to decide who will inherit him.

"As far as I know, no one else has a legitimate legal claim to him, so unless one surfaces, he's yours."
"I'm sorry, but since the last time I spoke with you, I've decided to give Sage to somebody else."

In the meantime, while the mother is looking after Sage, someone tries to kill him and the awesome dog trainer's two. The mother handles evidence, and then:

"What did the police say when you called them?" I asked.
"Oh, shoot!" She snapped her fingers. "I never did get around to doing that"…

The stupid runs strong here. After the attempt to kill the dog(s), Mama is still stupid enough to chuck the dogs out in the yard unsupervised, and is shocked – shocked, I tell you! – when Sage disappears. "'What have I done?' Mom said in a frightened whisper." Yeah. Exactly.

The reason that the dead client's dog is so important, they think, is because he witnessed the murder. The heroine tells people so. I'm not sure why she is so surprised when people treat her like she's crazy – oh, wait. Stupid.

Her stellar investigative technique is coming up with the idea of calling all the people in her telephone book with the same last name, trying to find one particular one. The reason this is not a good idea is that the last name is … Smith. Yeah, you go try that. Get back to me when you're done sometime next year.

Our dog trainer was advised to use security on her computer – like every other human being who has ever logged onto the internet. But she didn't bother, reasoning – and I use that term loosely – that no one would want to look at files about dog owners. Well, maybe she didn't keep those dog owners' addresses, phone numbers, and credit card information on that computer.

The author's grasp of timing is … questionable. A dog is giving her owner concern by not eating. The problem is not with the dog but with the kibble – a bag that was tainted a month ago, story time. Why would they never buy a new bag? Try a different food? Why would they keep uselessly filling the bowl with the same stuff? And how the hell big was the tainted bag if they filled her bowl even every other day? I also questioned the main character's intelligence and the author's storytelling sense when the former talked about putting out a broadcast about the missing dog (which by that point had morphed into "hers"), when the entire radio station had been shut down for some time, but really by that point I was just exhausted. show less

I really wanted to like this book because the idea of a mystery series with a dog psychologist / amateur sleuth sounded fun, but it just didn't deliver for me.

A couple of things: The mystery was way over complicated and a bit ridiculous. I felt the main character was annoying, yet she had men tripping over themselves to get to her. Her office partner was in all kinds of insta-love for her, her blind date was crazy about her after 5 minutes, etc. I think she was supposed to be smart and plucky, but it did not come across in the writing. And her roommate was written to be a sniveling, needy psycho--basically the world's worst person who no one in their right mind would tolerate. Pretty much every male character was written to be a total show more jerk. I would never talk to any of these people in real life, ever, except the mom and the cooking class instructor (but only if she promised not to make me eat vegan food).

The depiction of Boulder was pretty spot on, though. Well done, author, for capturing the hippie-uniqueness that is Boulder. show less

3.5 stars.

The dogs were the best part of this novel. Allida was fine, but most of the rest of the characters seemed abrupt and arbitrary, as did the plot and its resolution.

The dogs were great, though! Each has a distinct personality, and some of their behavior was vital to the eventual resolution of the plot.

Sage, a collie, has had 2 owners murdered in his presence. He might be the only clue to the killer- so when ALL of Allida's clients start asking about Sage, wanting or insisting on adopting him, she is suspicious.

And not only is Sage as catnip to dog people, Allida herself- not having dated in years- is suddenly inundated with men who claim to be smitten. Most of whom own dogs...

I did think the bulk of the novel worked well, and show more was nicely paced. The ending, though, seemed rushed, and the motivation for the revealed murderer seems somewhat lacking in its impetus for multiple killings; regrouping and trying again, but not via murder, would have been more sensible.

I enjoyed this novel, but may or may not read any more in the series. I am, after all, more a cat person. show less

Allie Babcock has recently moved from Chicago back to Boulder, and is starting up a dog training business. She's found living quarters sharing a home with a neurotic woman, Kaitlyn Wayne, who is happy to have Allie's cocker spaniel, Doppler, living with them, but not her German shepherd, Pavlov, so Pavlov is staying with Allie's mother, about an hour out of town. Allie and Doppler visit them on weekends.

She's also found office space shared with Russell Greene, an electrical engineer who is afraid of dogs but rather sweet on Allie despite that.

And Allie gets a chance to boost her business with an interview on the Tracy Truett radio show. It's too bad that the station staff has just been told that the radio station is being closed down. show more It's Tracy's last broadcast, and she's had time to get drunk. In the midst of all this chaos, one of the few calls Allie gets to take is from Beth Gleason. Her collie, Sage, isn't eating, and she thinks it's because he saw his former owner murdered--although the police think it was suicide.

Allie schedules a meeting with Beth and Sage, and she has no idea how exciting her life is about to get.

I like Allie, and I like her dogs. They're believably real dogs, smart and loyal and not able to perform miracles of canine-human communication. I also like Allie and her approach to training, which is kind of important. I couldn't spend an entire book with a dog trainer protagonist I'd be afraid to let hold my dogs' leashes.

Allie is smart, too, and doesn't do out-of-character stupid things. It's really not her fault that, after taking on Beth Gleason as a client, she suddenly finds herself surrounded by an impressive array of crazy, unpredictable, potentially dangerous people. (Although, in fairness, she found her housemate, Kaitlyn Wayne, on her own, and it's Kaitlyn who's responsible for her abusive, manipulative ex coming back into the picture and into Allie's already over-stressed life.)

It quickly becomes clear that Beth isn't the only one who thinks Sage might be able to identify a killer, and Allie finds herself playing detective in pure self-defense. Altogether, it's an exciting, improbable roller coaster ride with some enjoyable, likable characters.

Recommended for light reading. show less

A friend suggested I read this and I am glad I did. It's a nice cozy mystery, the opening book of a series, and a nice light read. We meet Allie Babcock, the new dog trainer/dog psychologist in town. As she solves mysteries, we also learn some dog training tips. I like the cast of characters in Allie's life, including her dogs. This book kept me guessing about who the bad guy was which many mysteries don't. I've already ordered the sequel.

If you like cozy mysteries and dogs, I think you'll love this book.

Cute story of a dog psychologist who solves the murder of a collie's owner.

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