Rating:  Summary: Hilarious. Review: "Mastifful"! The "Barker Street Regulars" is one hilarious read, especially with the added treat of Sherlock Holmes on top of the already funny canine humor. I'm sitting here laughing out loud at each page with the Holmsian clues, references, characters, and titles. What could be funnier than naming a cat after a famous Malamute or a Great Pyrenees impersonating a Newfoundland or a coded message? Or reference to numerous Holmsian titles, characters and quotes? I did not want this book to end and cannot wait for the next. And I cannot wait for this to come out in paperback so that I can buy it for gifts.
Rating:  Summary: Conant does it again Review: As a long standing Conant fan, I can proudly say The dog owning methods of holly winter trained me how to raise my own dog. I picked up the later, Black Ribbon over two years ago, and deciede I too wanted a dog. personally i don't condone that type of influencial and spontanious pet buying. but that same summer I adopted my Golden, Murray from a local shelter. ILP'd him, earned a CGC, and so far have a leg torwards our CD. He eats Eukanuba, sleeps with me on a king sized bed, and lives the sweet life. thanks to Conants great books, murray isn't euthanized, I've got a great hobby, and lots of new friends, and learned to love the modern day mystery. Kudos, Mrs. Conant-whereever you are!
Rating:  Summary: Barker Street Regulars Review: Barker Street was my first Ann Conant purchase and a disappointment. If you aren't a Sherlock Holmes fan, don't start your interest in Conant books here!
Rating:  Summary: Conant is back with a worthy new addition to the series Review: Being a big fan of this series, I naturally looked forward to this newest edition, but with some trepidation because Conant's last book was a bit of a disappointment to me. But Holly Winter, Rowdy and Kimi are back in true form in "The Barker Street Regulars". It is fast paced, involving, and touching, one of my favorites. This book is intelligent, and not just for the dog-lover (although I think someone with no interest in dogs would not get as much out of this series, as, say, someone who is a dog nut like myself).
Rating:  Summary: Barker street regulars Review: good read. If you ever read any sherlock holmes stories the references in this book will keep your mind searching. Just like a sherlockian mystery you will be kept guessing to the out come.
Rating:  Summary: Grat read Review: Holly Winter is proud of her two award winning malamutes. Holly currently wants one of her canines to be certified as a therapy dog, working with senior citizens. Her favorite elderly citizens are Althea, Hugh, and Robert, who live in a nursing home. The venerable trio share a grand passion for Sherlock Holmes and collect any related memorabilia. When Jonathan Hubble, Althea's nephew, visits Althea's sister Ceci, he is murdered. The elderly threesome, Holly, and her two dogs investigate the murder. They soon learn that Ceci was seeing an animal psychic, who they feel is linked to the murder. As they get closer to the truth, the four humans and the two canines find they have placed their own lives at risk. THE BARKER STREET REGULARS is the latest entry in one of the more genial amateur sleuth series on the market today. Besides dog lovers, mystery aficionados will enjoy the mystery with its interesting intellectual puzzle. The heroine and her helpers are all wonderful, warm characters. However, it is the allusions to Homes and Baker Street that makes this refreshing novel worth devouring. Harriet Klausner
Rating:  Summary: Multiple Animal Mystery Group winner takes it again! Review: I am a longstanding Susan Conant fan, mostly because I can always count on her books to teach me something new about dogs. I especially like the way she never resorts to cutesy anthropomorphic tricks to try and make her dogs more "interesting" to her readers -- she understands that few things are more interesting than the natural behaviour of living creatures. Holly Winter -- obsessive, pushy, and dedicated, always strikes me as the kind of person whose friends would alternately want to hug or shake her, but would never find boring. With that said, I have to confess that recently, mainstream reviews of Ms Conant's work have made me very nervous as critics complain that her books would be more enjoyable if they featured less information on dogs. These critics certainly do not echo readers like me, who morosely note that there are already a depressing number of books out there that feature absolutely no dogs at all. If Conant gave in to critical pressure and turned her considerable talents away from dogs, where would I be? Fortunately, after the enjoyable but sadly people-oriented "Animal Appetite," things appear to be back on track with what I humbly believe is her best work yet: funny, fast-paced, and filled with insight on people, dogs, and even cats (a bonus indeed!) I know nothing at all about Sherlock Holmes but happily followed Holly's lead through the maze of clues and Holmesiana. I was delighted to see Rowdy back on his best eye-batting, tail-wagging, woo-wooing form (my first dog was a male Siberian who would drop and roll over for tummy-rubbing as fast as Rowdy, who is practically a larger, dog-aggressive version of my late Pike). I laughed at Kimi's bossy ways; teared up over Ceci's grief, which echoed similar losses of my own; and muttered helpful advice to Holly in the matter of gaining the trust of her rescued cat (she took a long time to take my advice, but finally came around!)The only problem I have with this story is that I firmly believe that Byron's Newfoundland possessed "Strength without Insolence", not "Indolence" as written on page 113. But that is indeed a small and minor quibble. In short, I was as absorbed in this story as I have ever been in any of Conant's mysteries, and consider it possibly her finest yet. It was certainly worth every minute I spent waiting for it to come out in affordable paperback.
Rating:  Summary: Barker street regulars Review: I enjoy Conant's unique style of writing...as if she is speaking directly to the reader. This was a very good mystery. The references to the Sherlock Holmes mysteries was fun and interesting. Of course, it's always the dogs that draw me back to Conant's stories, and in that respect, I was not disappointed in this one.
Rating:  Summary: A Good Mystery For Dog Lovers Review: I enjoy Conant's unique style of writing...as if she is speaking directly to the reader. This was a very good mystery. The references to the Sherlock Holmes mysteries was fun and interesting. Of course, it's always the dogs that draw me back to Conant's stories, and in that respect, I was not disappointed in this one.
Rating:  Summary: Great book! Review: I received this book for my birthday, being someone who shows dogs, and I've read it four times since. The storyline is original without being too weird and the characters evoke many emotions. Susan Conant writes as though the main character is actually talking to you, not just normal first person, which is refreshing. Although I was sometimes confused by the hints to Sherlock Holmes, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to dog lovers. :)
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