tracking game

4 stars

Another good mystery in a fun series.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a quick and easy read that kept me turning pages late into the night. This is the fifth book in this mystery series and the books are not getting stale. In addition to the new mystery, the author delves deeper into the relationship between the main character, K-9 Officer Mattie Cobb, and her veterinarian boyfriend Cole Walker. It’s taken this long for the characters to acknowledge their deep feelings for each other, and while it’s scary and there is a long way to go, at least they’ve finally made headway.

The mystery begins when an explosion draws the attention of Mattie and Cole during a town dance. As they approach the scene, they see a van engulfed in flames and two men on the ground. One man, Nate Fletcher, is dead from two gun shot wounds to the heart. The other man, a good friend of Cole’s, was injured trying to rescue Nate.

As Mattie and the sheriff’s department begin to investigate the murder, it leads to Nate Fletcher’s in-laws’ large family ranch. As they begin to investigate the family and its business, another murder rocks the county. Clearly there are a lot more secrets surrounding the family than first believed, and Mattie and her trusty K-9 Robo will need to use all of their skills to solve this mystery.

I really enjoy this series. The characters are fairly well developed and likable. The mystery is interesting and the author inserts enough false leads to keep the reader guessing. While there are murders and other violent crimes discussed in the book, the violence is not graphically depicted. There is also action and suspense, but again, there are no overly graphic scenes. While I don’t purposely shy aware from graphic action and subjects, it’s a nice change of pace to read something a little lighter.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.