There is absolutely no shortage of action for Raine Stockton in this 3rd book in the series. Without losing the sense of realism at all, the author manages to give the dog characters in her stories great depth, almost as much as the human characters. I find I want to know what happens to the lead character Raine in her love life, her professional life, her relationships with the dogs, and oh, by the way, I want to see her solve the mystery too.

The plot revolves around a new dog character in the series. The dog Raine calls 'Hero' is a yellow lab who is highly trained, but now depressed and nearly crazed after being left at the scene of the apparent suicide of his owner. Hero turns out to have been an assistance dog for the now dead mistress. I won't spoil the plot for you, but the rehabilitation of Hero is one of the most heartwrenching dog stories you'll read in a long while. And the dancing scene with Raine's own dog, Cisco, is one of the most heartwarming.

I thought this book was the best of the three entries in the series so far, and that's saying a lot. However, don't read it without reading the first one at least (Smoky Mountain Tracks). It's also excellent, and you get the background you need to appreciate this book.

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By the time I was called in, the body had been inside the cabin for at least four days, maybe more.

This is the third book in the Raine Stockton series. Raine works with Search and Rescue in the NC mountains with her faithful dog, Cisco. The apparent suicide of a tourist has Raine taking custody of her dog. When Raine discovers that the dog is trained as a service dog she increases her interest in solving the mystery.

I really enjoy this series. It is great to see how Cisco is growing as a search and rescue dog. Raine's relationship with Buck is so fragile and hopefully finally resolved in this book. Sonny continues to commune with the animals with her psychic abilities and fight the inappropriate construction on the mountain. The dancing dog was a sweet addition to the mix.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

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I love dogs and the stories of their lives with their
people. These are just such books and I wish there were
more. This is a moving story and full of love.

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As "dog mysteries" go this wasn't the best, but far from the worst, in the genre. I will continue reading the series and hope for interesting development.

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