Book ~ "Dog Spelled Backwards - an Unholy Mystery" (2013) Jill Yesko

From Goodreads ~ Private investigator Jane Ronson suffers from oppositional defiant disorder, the uncontrollable urge to punch first then ask questions later. 

When a rabbi with a shady past offers her a bag of cash to spy on a rival rabbi, Jane jumps at the chance to make what think will be easy money. To get her cash, Jane impersonates an Orthodox Jewish woman and infiltrates a black market kidney ring in Baltimore’s Orthodox community. 

Between Russian gangsters and double crosses, Jane is number one on everyone’s hit list. To save her life, she forms an alliance with a religious woman and confronts a family.

Jane is living with Don, her boyfriend who is a cop, and her dog, Archie.  Her cousin, Lenny, drops a bombshell on her ... she's Jewish, not Catholic as she had been raised to think.  The Rabbi who is helping Lenny discover his Jewishness has a job for Jane.  Rabbi Goldberg wants Jane to investigate the goings on of another Rabbi who is running a black market kidney ring and making some serious money at it.  Going undercover as an Orthodox Jewish woman, Jane must cover up her tattoo, take out her nose ring and exchange her leather and jeans for more subdued clothing.  As Jane investigates, she discovers that not all is what it seems.

This was the second in the series by this author.  The writing didn't seem as raw as the first one, Murder in the Dog Park, probably because Jane, though still cranky, has softened now that she is with Don.  Written in first person perspective, it was from Jane's point of voice.  There were a lot of Jewish references, which were explained, which I found interesting since I'm not Jewish.  Jerome provided some funny comic relief when he goes undercover with Jane as an Orthodox Jewish woman.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity so I would recommend it for a mature reader.

Book ~ "Murder in the Dog Park: Bad Girl. Good Cop. Bad Dog" (2012) Jill Yesko

From Goodreads ~ Discovering a brutally murdered boy in a rainy dog park sends misanthropic private detective Jane Ronson on a journey through Baltimore's gritty underbelly.

Aided by a sexy cop, a bad-ass bull terrier and a cast of characters out of a John Waters movie, cynical Jane must use her computer-hacking and street-fighting skills to save her cousin from being framed as the killer.

While out walking her dog, Archie, Jane comes across the body of a dead child.  She calls the police, gives her statement to a police officer and figures that's the end of it.  Her cousin, Lenny, is a photographer and soon leaves some pictures for her to look at ... when she finally does look at them, she realizes Lenny has captured images of the child's murderer.  Because he has a history of being in the wrong places at the wrong time taking pictures, Lenny is arrested for the murder and Jane must do all she can to save her cousin.

This was the first book I've read by this author.  What had attracted me to it was because it was a mystery with a dog as part of the story ... two of my favourite things!  Written in first person perspective from Jane's point of voice, I found the writing style entertaining and raw.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity so I would recommend it for a mature reader.

The characters are interesting and far from normal.  Jane is very anti-social and, with her computer skills like hacking, makes a living doing "research" for the more sleazy private detectives, etc.  Archie, her dog, is a hoot ... to him, nothing is better than eating garbage, snoring, farting and showering Jane with kisses right after he has licked him.  Lenny is an oddball who's passion is taking photographs ... sometimes when he's innocently taking shots of children, the parents think otherwise and he gets in trouble.

It was a quirky fast read.