Linda Johnston is the author of a series of mysteries featuring Kendra Ballantyne, an attorney and pet-sitter, and her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Lexie. Linda, who is also an attorney and pet-sitter with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Lexie, wrote a guest post here a while back.
Linda sent me a copy of her newest Kendra Ballantyne book, Double Dog Dare, to review, and I'm glad she did. The book is a whirlwind, with a plot twist every time it looks like things are about to settle into a groove. The end of every chapter, especially near the end, provides a kick into the next page until you finally conclude that, heck, I've got to find out how this ends.
Things start off briskly, as Kendra worries about the extended incommunicado absence of private investigator Jeff Hubbard, her soon-to-be squeeze-in-residence. The phone rings, and LAPD detective Ned Noralles tells Kendra that Jeff's Escalade, without Jeff but with blood and a broken window, has been found badly parked in an aqueduct north of town. From there, the twists just keep on coming as we follow Kendra on her rounds as attorney, pet-sitter, and amateur detective.
One of the delights of Double Dog Dare is that the attorney, pet-sitter and detective roles interweave and ccomplement each other in wholly unexpected ways: Jeff's disappearance may be connected with a pet-cloning business named (nice touch) The Clone Arranger (just speculating, but I think that's where the "Double Dog" part comes in); to put together her investigation, Kendra uses resources from her pet-sitting business, which in turn provides some of the contacts she needs to resolve a lawsuit against one of her clients. The subplots braid together in ways that keep you guessing while propelling you forward, and in the end everything falls into place satisfactorily and plausibly. With, much more than incidentally, the dogs at the center of every strand.
Double Dog Dare is both stimulating and rewarding, and would be a great beach book for those of you whose beaches are still warm. Otherwise, grab a modest but spritely Shiraz and a couple of dogs, curl up on the couch and read it while the wind and the rain howl outside. You'll be well compensated for your time.
Double Dog Dare is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and other fine bookstores.