The first book is for dog owners and/or dog lovers. The story of Chet and Bernie is at times funny, other times sad, and still other times endearing. Chet and Bernie are investigating the disappearance of a teen-age girl, either a runaway or the victim of a kidnapping. The story moves along quickly, going from the dark tunnels of a mine, to a biker’s bar, to the hot desert. Of course, what makes this more interesting is the fact that Chet is a dog, who is also the narrator of the story. Great descriptions from a dog’s eye view. A truly fun read. The book is Dog Gone It by Spencer Quinn. Well written, light mystery.
The second book, Married in Seattle, by Debbie Macomber, is about Janine, whose grandfather decided that she should marry his young partner. Neither Janine or Zack, the to-be groom, thought much of the idea, but grandfather plotted many ways to get the two of them together. Even though the two confronted grandfather, telling him that it wouldn’t work, he continued to try. Naturally, the more he tried, the more they resisted. Finally, because Janine liked the way she felt when Zack kissed her, and Zach thought it would be good based on practical and financial advantages, they got married. The marriage started off on the wrong foot, and it didn’t become a real one until Zack thought he had lost Janine. She had gone for lunch with her grandfather, and didn’t return home until late, leaving Zack wondering what had happened to her, realizing he was in love with her.
For you hockey fans, we have a book about a hockey coach whose snowmobile went through the ice and was never found, nor was the coach’s body. Gus Carpenter, goalie on the coach’s team, had left town, in disgrace, only to return some ten years later. Now a reporter for the local paper he investigates the finding of coach’s snowmobile in a different lake from where it was supposed to have been lost. As he digs further into evidence, he fears that some of his friends may have been involved in what has now been termed murder. The background of the mystery is built by alternating between past and present events. As the truth is revealed, Gus finds not only friends, but family are also involved, in the worst possible way! Bryan Gruley puts you right into Starvation Lake, with fantastic descriptions of people and events, in his debut novel.
Your turn: what great book have you read lately?