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kaas's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
familiar_diversions's review against another edition
3.0
This was an impulse buy. I saw it at the grocery store and was immediately drawn in by the dog on the cover. Even though I knew it wasn’t the first book in the series, it sounded like something a newbie should be able to jump into fairly easily.
Against the Paw is set in Fort Worth, Texas and stars police officer Megan Luz. Megan used to be partnered with Derek Mackey until he made one crude and sexist comment too many and she tased him. Megan was assigned a K-9 partner named Brigit, and Derek’s job was saved by his friendship with the chief of police. In this entry in the series, Megan and Brigit are investigating reports of a peeping tom at Berkeley Place. There’s a possibility these incidents may be connected to Ralph Hurley, a parolee who recently cut off his ankle monitor.
My latest Booklikes-opoly game roll asked that I read something tagged as a “cozy mystery” on Goodreads or elsewhere. Soon after I started reading, I double-checked that this was indeed marketed as a cozy mystery (Amazon lists it as such), because it had a few features that made me skeptical.
The big one was that one of the book’s three POVs was the peeping tom. I couldn’t recall if I’d ever read a cozy mystery that included the villain’s POV, and I found it to be an unpleasant surprise here (there are things I’m okay with in other mysteries or thrillers that I don’t particularly expect or want in cozy mysteries). Thankfully, for the most part it wasn’t quite as bad as I feared. The peeping tom’s efforts often went awry in some way. Unfortunately, there were a few more distasteful scenes later in the book - for example, one in which the peeping tom spied on a hijabi and got off on seeing her brush her hair, and one in which the peeping tom spied on a woman having sex.
The book’s other two POVs were Megan (first person POV) and Brigit (third person POV). The Brigit POV parts tended to be on the cutesy side but were usually too brief to be annoying, only a page or two long. They were kind of pointless, though. There were only a couple times when Brigit’s POV contributed a little extra information, and it was never anything that wasn’t covered by another POV later in the book. I suppose Brigit’s POV added a bit of extra humor to the book, but I only really laughed at one part.
Megan’s POV wasn’t bad, but she had some blind spots that bugged me. Some examples:
Megan seemed to be prone to the belief that cops and soldiers were unlikely (or less likely?) to be bad people, even if she had evidence to the contrary. Sure, Derek Mackey was a disgusting sexist pig who apparently couldn’t go more than a few minutes without saying something horrible, but hey, he was also a brave cop. Personally, I couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of how Derek probably handled rape victims (female or male) or, hell, female victims in general.
I did really like the partnership between Megan and Brigit, and the parts that dealt with Megan’s efforts to understand what Brigit was telling her were really interesting. There were a couple times when Brigit correctly identified the peeping tom and Megan misinterpreted her actions, but Megan did eventually catch on.
The characters were okay. In addition to Megan and Brigit, there was Seth, Megan’s boyfriend (still working through some personal issues involving his mother), and Frankie, Megan’s friend and roommate. I could tell I’d missed out on some relationship info by starting this series with the fifth book, but the author provided enough background that I didn’t feel lost.
I don’t feel particularly inclined to hunt down the rest of the series, but this was an okay read overall.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
Against the Paw is set in Fort Worth, Texas and stars police officer Megan Luz. Megan used to be partnered with Derek Mackey until he made one crude and sexist comment too many and she tased him. Megan was assigned a K-9 partner named Brigit, and Derek’s job was saved by his friendship with the chief of police. In this entry in the series, Megan and Brigit are investigating reports of a peeping tom at Berkeley Place. There’s a possibility these incidents may be connected to Ralph Hurley, a parolee who recently cut off his ankle monitor.
My latest Booklikes-opoly game roll asked that I read something tagged as a “cozy mystery” on Goodreads or elsewhere. Soon after I started reading, I double-checked that this was indeed marketed as a cozy mystery (Amazon lists it as such), because it had a few features that made me skeptical.
The big one was that one of the book’s three POVs was the peeping tom. I couldn’t recall if I’d ever read a cozy mystery that included the villain’s POV, and I found it to be an unpleasant surprise here (there are things I’m okay with in other mysteries or thrillers that I don’t particularly expect or want in cozy mysteries). Thankfully, for the most part it wasn’t quite as bad as I feared. The peeping tom’s efforts often went awry in some way. Unfortunately, there were a few more distasteful scenes later in the book - for example, one in which the peeping tom spied on a hijabi and got off on seeing her brush her hair, and one in which the peeping tom spied on a woman having sex.
The book’s other two POVs were Megan (first person POV) and Brigit (third person POV). The Brigit POV parts tended to be on the cutesy side but were usually too brief to be annoying, only a page or two long. They were kind of pointless, though. There were only a couple times when Brigit’s POV contributed a little extra information, and it was never anything that wasn’t covered by another POV later in the book. I suppose Brigit’s POV added a bit of extra humor to the book, but I only really laughed at one part.
Megan’s POV wasn’t bad, but she had some blind spots that bugged me. Some examples:
"Anyone who'd served his or her country couldn't be all bad, right?" (95)
"[Derek Mackey] and Garrett Hawke were cut from the same cloth. Arrogant. Unreasonable. Uncompromising. Still, they worked to protect others. I had to give them that, even if I thought their reasons were less about concern for others and more about basking in hero worship." (136)
Megan seemed to be prone to the belief that cops and soldiers were unlikely (or less likely?) to be bad people, even if she had evidence to the contrary. Sure, Derek Mackey was a disgusting sexist pig who apparently couldn’t go more than a few minutes without saying something horrible, but hey, he was also a brave cop. Personally, I couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of how Derek probably handled rape victims (female or male) or, hell, female victims in general.
I did really like the partnership between Megan and Brigit, and the parts that dealt with Megan’s efforts to understand what Brigit was telling her were really interesting. There were a couple times when Brigit correctly identified the peeping tom and Megan misinterpreted her actions, but Megan did eventually catch on.
The characters were okay. In addition to Megan and Brigit, there was Seth, Megan’s boyfriend (still working through some personal issues involving his mother), and Frankie, Megan’s friend and roommate. I could tell I’d missed out on some relationship info by starting this series with the fifth book, but the author provided enough background that I didn’t feel lost.
I don’t feel particularly inclined to hunt down the rest of the series, but this was an okay read overall.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Really great book! There were a few things going on, and yeah, really enjoyed that! Things wrapped up well, and I can't wait to read more!
laurla's review against another edition
"to call derek a thorn in my side would be an understatement, but in order to tell you what the guy really was i'd have to use at least five of the seven words the fcc won't let anyone say on regular tv."
"the lady that had been in the front seat was very sad and she could use a dog to cheer her up. after all, nobody could stay sad when a dog was licking their face."
"the lady that had been in the front seat was very sad and she could use a dog to cheer her up. after all, nobody could stay sad when a dog was licking their face."
moondance120's review
4.0
She was looking the other way when his eyes locked on her long, dark hair.
Megan and Brigit are back in a mystery involving a peeping Tom and an escaped convict.
This series gets better with each book. I love that the story is broken down into the points of views of Megan, Brigit and the culprit. Brigit's chapters always make me smile.
Megan is really coming into her own on the job and reaching towards making detective. I like that she takes the initiative to go above and beyond what is expected of her. Her relationship with Seth is settling in nicely and I appreciate the maturity they are both sharing after some rocky situation.
Brigit is a most excellent partner! There are comical moments from her thoughts as she is suppose to be on a diet. Much like us, she is not impressed.
I really like Megan's roommate, Frankie. The whole roller derby queen arc fascinates me. Her life is evolving as well and I look forward to learning more about her.
Of course Derek, Megan's former partner is back. He is just as sexist and irritating as he has been throughout the series. He is on my list of most disliked characters.
We learn a bit more about Seth in this book and I hope to see more of that in the next book.
The Peeper was a creepy character and I appreciate the handling of this situation. The Neighborhood Watch team reminded me of my own Watch team. Our community resource office has had to call them down a few times as well. Ah, the feeling of power.
Overall, this is a fun, easy read that I recommend.
Megan and Brigit are back in a mystery involving a peeping Tom and an escaped convict.
This series gets better with each book. I love that the story is broken down into the points of views of Megan, Brigit and the culprit. Brigit's chapters always make me smile.
Megan is really coming into her own on the job and reaching towards making detective. I like that she takes the initiative to go above and beyond what is expected of her. Her relationship with Seth is settling in nicely and I appreciate the maturity they are both sharing after some rocky situation.
Brigit is a most excellent partner! There are comical moments from her thoughts as she is suppose to be on a diet. Much like us, she is not impressed.
I really like Megan's roommate, Frankie. The whole roller derby queen arc fascinates me. Her life is evolving as well and I look forward to learning more about her.
Of course Derek, Megan's former partner is back. He is just as sexist and irritating as he has been throughout the series. He is on my list of most disliked characters.
We learn a bit more about Seth in this book and I hope to see more of that in the next book.
The Peeper was a creepy character and I appreciate the handling of this situation. The Neighborhood Watch team reminded me of my own Watch team. Our community resource office has had to call them down a few times as well. Ah, the feeling of power.
Overall, this is a fun, easy read that I recommend.
amythebookbat's review
4.0
I didn't realize this was #4 in a series when I listened to it. It is fine as a stand alone. I enjoyed the book and it made me laugh out loud several times... enough so that my family looked at me like I lost my mind at times.
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