Murder Unleashed

Rating:
Summary: Great Characters, Great Story, Great Dogs!
Review: This is a terrific book in a lot of ways, though I found it flawed in spots. The story had me laughing at times and turning the pages as fast as I could at others. And I loved all of the characters, especially the dogs (wait till you meet Hooch!). The writing style was unobtrusive and easy to read, at least for the most part. But there were sections that bogged down a little, at least for me. Luckily, there weren't many sections like that, just a few. I also read the first book by Kelley and I think he has the makings of a hit series. I will definitely read more books by this author.

Rating:
Summary: Great Characters, Great Story, Great Dogs!
Review: This is a terrific book in a lot of ways, though I found it flawed in spots. The story had me laughing at times and turning the pages as fast as I could at others. And I loved all of the characters, especially the dogs (wait till you meet Hooch!). The writing style was unobtrusive and easy to read, at least for the most part. But there were sections that bogged down a little, at least for me. Luckily, there weren't many sections like that, just a few. I also read the first book by Kelley and I think he has the makings of a hit series. I will definitely read more books by this author.

Rating:
Summary: Good Dogs, Bad Books
Review: This is the second book in the series that I have read, and it is no better than the first. The dogs are fun, but unless you are a major dog lover, don't bother. The "hero" is a smart-alecky ex-cop turned dog trainer, who has a snarky, married lover and is continually being harrassed by her uncle by marriage, a corrupt sherrif who tries to frame the "hero" for murder because he disapproves of his affair with a married woman. The writing is abysmal. The author would benefit from some 3rd grade English classes, because he seems to have forgotten (or never learned) the basic rules of grammar that most 3rd graders learn. Some books are interesting enough that bad grammar and sentence structure can be overlooked. These are not among them. The plotting is simplistic and the resolutions are telegraphed far in advance of the (blessed) ending. Save your money for a really good dog book, such as those written by Susan Conant or Laurien Berensen.

Rating:
Summary: Please let the dogs out
Review: Why is it that sexy ladyloves of tough burned-out ex-cops have to hit their men to keep them in line? Maybe it's because Jack Field knows dogs better than he does people. He's also prone to an occasional slip of the tongue over billiards. (ie. on marriage: "Thankfully the subject has never come up.") By the end of the book, however, he undergoes a transformation and, complete with a Tiffany diamond, proposes to the small town medical examiner, Dr. Jamie Cutter. That is, if she can get him away from his dogs, especially ones accused of murder!

Jack not only has A Nose for Murder (title of the debut novel of the series), he has a nose for quality. He defends a bloodhound against murder charges, and saves Tulips, an Asian-American singer and illegitimate daughter of a murdered judge, against the abuse of her drug-running boyfriend. Unfortunately, a shady sergeant, the murdered judge's even more shady in-law sniffing around Jamie tend to raise Jack's hackles and make him more dangerous than a dachshund that can't reach the Puppy Chow. But the pair who burglarizes together stays together. How can a man write realistic male-female relationships? The answer's easy: Borrow some of the sense God gave a dog, and like Jack Field, you'll sniff out and uncover what's really important in life, even without a rolled-up newspaper.