Tracking Game
A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery
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- $27.99
Publisher Description
A Library Reads “Top Pick”
Finalist, Colorado Book Awards, Mystery
“Another compelling mystery” in Timber Creek’s “vivid Colorado setting” that is “sure to appeal to fans of Margaret Coel or Nevada Barr” (Shelf Awareness)
Two brutal murders, a menacing band of poachers, and a fearsome creature on the loose in the mountains plunge Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo into a sinister vortex.
An explosion outside a community dance sends Mattie Cobb and Cole Walker reeling into the night, where they discover a burning van and beside it the body of outfitter Nate Fletcher. But the explosion didn't kill Nate—it was two gunshots to the heart.
The investigation leads them to the home of rancher Doyle Redman, whose daughter is Nate’s widow, and the object of one of their suspect’s affection. But before they can make an arrest, they receive an emergency call from a man who’s been shot in the mountains. Mattie and Robo rush to the scene, only to be confronted by the ominous growl of a wild predator.
As new players emerge on the scene, Mattie begins to understand the true danger that’s enveloping Timber Creek. They journey into the cold, misty mountains to track the animal—but discover something even more deadly in Tracking Game, the fifth installment in Margaret Mizushima's Timber Creek K-9 mysteries.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the start of Mizushima's middling fifth mystery set in Timber Creek, Colo. (after 2018's Burning Ridge), an explosion rocks the community building where Deputy Mattie Cobb and her boyfriend, veterinarian Cole Walker, are attending the Celebration of Summer dance. When Cole and Mattie investigate, they discover a burning van and a gunshot victim who turns out to be Nate Fletcher, the son-in-law of prominent ranchers. Mattie's German shepherd K-9 partner, Robo, detects traces of cocaine during a sweep of the van, leading Mattie to suspect drug running. When another man is shot and attacked by an animal in the mountains, Mattie fears something more sinister is afoot. Meanwhile, Cole adjusts to single fatherhood, while Mattie struggles to open up to him about her painful past. Mizushima's take on small-town policing feels authentic and series fans will be thrilled to see Cole and Mattie getting closer, but the case, with the exception of a tense horseback search for an exotic animal, lacks excitement. Hopefully, Mizushima will return to form next time.
