A review by crafalsk264
Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima

adventurous challenging informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Mattie Cobb is the first Timber Creek K-9 officer in the mountains of Timber Creek, Colorado. Mattie and her K-9 partner, Robo, a big German Shepherd, first have to prove themselves to the members of the Timber Creek police force, the county sheriff, Fish and Game officers and other law enforcement personnel in the area. When Robo finds the body of a missing teenager, they become committed to finding the murderer. When a lead detective sent in from the State Investigative agency is a woman, we have a strong team who can outperform many of their colleagues. A budding romance between Mattie and the local veterinarian is an interesting subplot.

This book is a good mystery suspense novel and I find the team refreshing. The characters are well developed and since this is the first book in a new series and is from an extensive backlist, I am looking forward to reading more books soon. The author has done a good job describing the training and the work of a successful K-9 team. The setting is a good one for this series and is  well written as almost a separate character.  Altogether this is an enjoyable book and I recommend to readers interested in mystery-thrillers, crime, police procedurals and stories about animals.