Laying Down the Paw: Paw Enforcement Series, Book 3* of 10, by Diane Kelly (Minotaur Books, 2015, 368 pp, $7.99) Review by Skye Anderson
Dog Knows it All
It took a few pages but then I couldn't "lay it down." Laying Down the Paw was an attention-grabber with a dog as a know-it-all and a human who has to be confronted with clue after clue - but then even this reviewer was surprised, pleasantly, by the ending which I didn't expect but came to realize was the only way this tale could end. All the loose ends were tied up quickly and to my satisfaction.
The Plot
Megan is a rookie police officer, in her first year on the Ft. Worth police force, and bucking for detective but currently a K-9 handler of Brigit, a German Shepherd Dog, who, being a dog, knows who the bad guys are right from the start but who wait patiently for the humans to catch on. (I know, usually rookie cops don't get K-9s and, to the picky reader, other discrepancies** abound but do not detract from this very good read).
Megan writes some chapters, dog Brigit writes others and Dub, a young teen in trouble writes yet others and how and when they all intersect make for one incredible yet credible tale. Megan (and dog) survive a hailstorm that quickly morphs into a tornado and then looting which is how they meet Dub the first time. And how Megan gets out of a standoff with four bad guys (looters) with guns is told the only way it could have happened.
Toss in a Little Romance (and Drugs and Crime, of Course)
Enter Seth, also a first responder, but a firefighter, and his dog Blast. . . and two teens from different sides of the tracks. . . .
Too Much and Not Enough
The number of incidents and situations that are almost believable but not to the astute reader can be overlooked but the intricate plot which leaves the reader not only guessing but perhaps perplexed as to how it all will end - who will be killed, if anyone? Because that is the only way this reviewer could think of to end it all. But I was wrong! (I wonder, if I read more murder mysteries, if I will be able to foresee the endings eventually and, if I do, if it will spoil the read for me.)
There are subtleties that make one wonder if this is the first book in a series but hoping not. One clue is the numeral 3 on the cover. When I finally realized this is part of a series, I was of two minds: 1. ) I'd love to read the others, or even just one and 2.) I wonder if another Diane Kelly book could be as good as Laying Down the Paw. I didn't want to find out, in case I was disappointed.
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*Bending the Paw
Paw of the Jungle
The Long Paw of the Law
Enforcing the Paw
Above the Paw
Against the Paw
Upholding the Paw
Paw and Order
Paw Enforcement
**like being able to, in between patrol calls, be requested to help the female detective assigned to this major case
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