Monday 12 October 2020

Book ~ "Bending the Paw" (2020) Diane Kelly

From Goodreads ~ A bloodbath is a shocking new challenge for Megan and Brigit when Detective Audrey Jackson calls them to the scene of what could only be a brutal murder. But the one thing the nightmarish scene is missing is a victim. The frantic homeowner’s husband is gone, seemingly without a trace - and so is the money he was holding. Has a vicious killer committed what might just be the perfect crime? 

Meanwhile, it’s hailing cats and dogs all over Fort Worth, and roofing contractors have descended on the city in droves. With plenty of damage and continuing storms, work delays are building up like so much runoff but Megan is suspicious that one roofer may be a scam artist. Determined to leash every lawbreaker she and her K-9 partner find, Megan is building a case for prosecution, all while Brigit has her nose to the ground for a murderer.

Megan is a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas.  Her partner is Brigit, a German Shepherd.  Megan has aspirations of becoming a detective and is being mentored by Detective Jackson.  Jackson has been called to the scene of a potential kidnapping and/or murder and invites Megan along.  A wife arrives home to find her kitchen awash with blood and her husband is missing.  Blood tests show that it's the husband's blood and his car, also full of blood, is eventually found, but there's no body.  The couple seem to have had a great relationship so it's puzzling as to who would kill the husband and why.

A roofer is taking money from new clients but isn't doing the work.  He is blaming the rest of his crew and a shortage of supplies and Megan isn't sure if he's telling the truth or if he's a scam artist.

This is the ninth in the Paw Enforcement series (I've read them all) but can work as a stand alone and you don't have to read the others to know what's going on (there is enough background provided).

I liked the writing style ... it was amusing at times.  It is written in first person perspective from Megan's point of view and third person perspective from Brigit's point of view (which is funny) and the Slasher's perspective (the chapters alternate and are labeled).

I like Megan.  She's gotten more confident and ambitious as time goes on.  Brigit's funny and likeable and it's fun to get into her head.  Though she is a trained police dog, she can be naughty when she wants to be (like figuring out how to open a cupboard that has been child-proofed and eating a box of Megan's crackers).

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