Black Ribbon
A Dog Lover's Mystery
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
“[Susan] Conant might be the dog lovers’ answer to Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who series.”—Rocky Mountain News
Canine-loving detective Holly Winter is a columnist for Dog’s Life magazine. She thinks a week at Waggin’ Tail, a camp for canines in the scenic Maine woods, will be a vacation in pet heaven. So does Rowdy, her champion malamute—especially when there are pooches galore: mixed breeds, Pekes, cairn terriers, Labradors, shelties, and a gorgeous mastiff pup. But upon Holly’s arrival at the camp, things swiftly go to the dogs. Instead of the advertised gourmet food, there’s olive loaf and soggy pudding. The human campers are given to nasty back-stabbing. And Holly receives a black-edged card consoling her for the loss of her dog. Is this someone’s sick idea of a joke?
Suddenly Waggin’ Tail seems like the summer camp from hell. Then a dog owner turns up dead in a freak accident. The probable cause? The victim’s own dog! Holly suspects a four-footed frame-up and with Rowdy sets out to find the real culprit. She’s on the scent and closing fast—which makes her the perfect target for a killer whose bite is definitely worse than his bark.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Not even the most dogged canine fancier is likely to stay the course of Conant's latest dog-world mystery, a disappointing follow-up to her well-received Ruffly Speaking. Here Holly Winter, Dog's Life columnist, heads to the Maine woods with Rowdy, her Alaskan malamute, for fun and games at Waggin' Tail, a week-long camp for the doggie set. The food and activities schedule are disappointing; most disconcerting is the presence of a dog sympathy card and pamphlets advertising pet cemeteries. Another problem is Eva, the thoroughly obnoxious owner of an untrained Labrador. Readers who quickly recognize Eva as the tale's victim will also expect her murder to be resolved and will rightfully object when Conant has the killer observe, while destroying evidence of guilt, ``I hope you understand.'' The author's knowledge of the dog fancy and all things malamute would have been better kept on a tighter lead. As Holly herself warns the reader, ``I could go on and on, and, if I'm not stopped, will probably do so at extreme length and in minute detail.'' Fair warning.
