The Bone Ranger, by Louisa Bennet (Clan Destine Press, 2021, 314 pp PB, $29.99 HB) Review by Skye Anderson
Ah!
We reviewed Monty & Me
Well, the time has come and now we wonder why we waited so long!
Author Bennet (or author Monty, golden retriever) is a funny and clever mystery writer, even if they are British and hard to understand (different spelling and vocabulary).
You will fall in love with Monty the dog on the first page.
We guarantee it!
The Plot
Continuing on from book one in the series, we have already met our hero, Monty, and his person Rose who has secret powers (she can detect a lie: she tingles and her hands can actually become numb hearing a big enough whopper) which make her a valuable policewoman. Unfortunately, Rose is on leave from her job in order to recover emotionally from the incidents in book one (she was almost killed).
She is itching to get back to being a detective.
Polish university students, missing dogs, a young woman's murder, parents separating and a mother drinking and flirting, a new and very shy male veterinarian, a teen gang member who is really good on the inside, a helpful rat, a magpie and a traveling squirrel with half a tail - all contribute to suspense that accelerates and will keep you up until you finish the book.
What, or who is the Bone Ranger? A good guy, we hope.
And what's with those red Wellies (rain boots, Wellingtons) Rose is wearing on the book cover?
The Style
We, of course, love Monty - he is so smart! He solves mysteries but the difficult part is conveying that information to his person without breaking any of the Ten Dog Commandments* (edited). We a lsolove the abundant dialogue and short chapters (all 62 of them), generally alternating between Monty and a narrator.
You will love this book (and Monty) from the first page and one important fact about dogs you will learn is their incredible sense of smell. It has been said that people can identify spaghetti sauce simmering but dogs can parse out the garlic and the tomato and the basil and . . . . And just as each person has their own signature scent, Rose can be detected in the distance if one smells vanilla and peppermint and the sea. If the scent is strong, she has been here recently: if weak, she left a while back.
Not only will the humorous/humourous writing keep you smiling but the author throws in some wild facts that are correct and that show you she has really researched her craft. (That, or she is a Renaissance woman and a polymath.)
Humor:
"I hate going to the vet's. They think they can get away with sticking a thermometer where it really shouldn't go, just because they give you a measly liver treat or two. The first time I went there I ended up with stitches and a plastic cone of shame around my neck. I can't tell you how maddening it is to have an itchy ear and not be able to scratch it. Scratching, after all, is one of the things we dogs live for."
Polymath Facts:
". . . Zofia is a very beautiful hooman. If she were a dog, she'd at least win her group at Crufts, and maybe even have a shot at Best in Show.: (p. 111)
British Vocabulary:
". . . we're zooming along the dual carriageway. . . .It is bucketing down with rain. The windscreen wipers rasp and judder because the rubber bits are worn." (p. 243)
And, we love the bright book covers!
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*1. Love your person.
2. Do what your person wants since she is a good leader.
3. Defend your person.
4. Never embarrass your person.
5. Never appear smarter than your person.
6. Never show that you understand hooman language.
7. Never be seen using hooman technology.
8. Cooperate with other creatures for peaceful purposes.
9. You may abandon a person if ordered to kill another animal for entertainment or profit, or another hooman, unless your hooman's life is at risk.
10. If in doubt, play dumb and wag your tail.
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