All Shots-Susan Conant

All Shots
Susan Conant
Berkley, Nov 2007, $22.95
ISBN: 9780425217443

Dog lover Holly Winter trains malamutes. When she walks into her Cambridge, Massachusetts home, she finds a strange man sitting inside. He introduces himself as Adam and asks her if she has something for him and if she heard from Calvin. She assumes he meant to contact the other Holly Winter living in the university town, so she gives him direction to her place.

Later that same day she is asked to go to Mellie’s house in reference to finding a missing Siberian husky. Her search leads her to the yard of Dr. Zach Ho. She peaks through a glass door and sees a dead woman and a trashed room. A police friend informs Holly that the deceased had bills and receipts from the other Holly and that the dead female was trying to steal their identity. Inside the house was also a picture of a blue malamute. A short time later, Holly receives a call from a stranger that they have her blue malamute with tags identifying her as the owner. She picks up the canine, who is not her dog; unaware that the dog is the key to finding the killer, identity theft, dog smuggling and kidnapping, meth labs, and the three Holly Winters of Cambridge.

Dog lovers will thoroughly enjoy this amateur sleuth because of the antics of the many canines including the hero doggedly steals the show. Likable Holly (the malamute trainer - not the other) is the center of the tale as she investigates a missing canine case that leads to a homicide inquiry. Although some of leaps of faith seem very risky, readers will appreciate her efforts as she tries to take a bite out of crime.

Harriet Klausner