Book Review - Under the Dog Star by Sandra Parshall

 Thanks again to Carl Brookins for another great review.

Under The Dog Star

by Sandra Parshall

ISBN: 978-1-59058-878-9

a 2011 Poisoned Pen release,

303 pages

The story is already in full-bore action when you open the book. “In the silver moonlight, the dogs appear as a dark mass moving down the hill and across the pasture.” Contrast of light and dark. Questions immediately arise. Are these dangerous dogs? Feral dogs? Where are we and who is observing this? Why should we care?

In the hands of this careful, experienced writer, you know you are in for a wild ride. Veterinarian, Rachel Goddard, runs an animal clinic in the mountains of Virginia, a place where people are used to taking care of their problems in direct fashion. Wild dogs threatening livestock? Never mind they are or were somebody’s pet, shoot ‘em. This is anathema to Rachel and she mounts a county-wide attempt to trap and rescue the dogs before they are shot. The county is thrown into an uproar and her competence is questioned when a prominent physician is discovered with his throat torn out and plenty of evidence that a dog was the culprit.

Rachel’s lover, Tom Bridger, a deputy sheriff in the county is worried about Rachel’s safety as he struggles to understand the crime. Both Rachel and Bridger come up against one of them most dysfunctional families I have ever read about. There are other complications and false trails that have to be dealt with. The author handles dog fighting and other crimes is a forthright yet sympathetic manner. Readers will get the vivid pictures the author draws, but won’t have to wallow in the degradation. Parshall makes her points cleanly and evocatively, just as she illuminate the settings, both by contrast and depiction.

There were times when I wanted to grab Rachel and inject a little backbone into her and Bridger is sometimes entirely too controlling. Nevertheless, this is a strong, well-written chiller with crackling dialogue, great characters and a powerful resolution.
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Carl Brookins www.carlbrookins.com  BLOG:  http://agora2.blogspot.com  -BOOKS:  Case of the Great Train Robbery, Reunion, Red Sky

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Tomorrow I am going to have something really different on my blog as part of the The Last Way Station Mega Book Tour that is going on until March 5. When I agreed to host some guests who had excerpts of their books to share, I had no idea that I was going to get steamy sex scenes. Since I do like to support my fellow authors, even if I don't read what they write, I decided to let the show go on, so to speak. Those of you who do like the steamy romances and erotica, might enjoy participating in the voting for which is the best steamy sex scene of the four being offered tomorrow. Others can skip tomorrow and come back Wednesday for the regular G-rated material.

As part of this blog tour, the authors and sponsors are giving away lots of free books and visitors to the various blogs along the way can enter to win neat prizes, like a Kindle Fire.