Stalking Ground: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery (edició 2016)

Stalking Ground by Margaret Mizushima is another perplexing mystery in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series starring Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner, Robo.

In this second installment in the series, Mattie and Robo are tasked with the unenviable job of trying to locate Chief Deputy Ken Brody's missing girlfriend, massage therapist Adrienne Howard. Although Adrienne has not be gone for very long, Brody is certain she is the victim of foul play but Mattie cannot help but wonder if she has just left. When the missing woman's car is found, Mattie and Robo try to track her but when Robo cannot find a trace of Adrienne, Mattie fears the worst. After receiving an anonymous tip, Mattie, Robo and Brody are faced with the grim task of searching for Adrienne's body in a remote mountainous area. When they uncover her remains, Mattie sends Brody to bring in the rest of the investigative team while she and Robo guard the burial site and gather evidence. When an early snowstorm hits, local veterinarian Cole Walker, who is also a member of the volunteer mounted patrol, brings them much needed supplies to endure the storm. The next day, Mattie and Robo once again team up with Detective Stella LoSasso as the investigation into Adrienne's murder begins.

While Mattie still relates better to her canine partner than people, she is making progress with her co-workers and friends. She enjoys spending time with Cole and his daughters, fifteen year old Angela and eight year old Sophie, but she is little uneasy about some of the feelings she has for Cole. She has a casual friendship with her co-worker, Rainbow but Mattie still remains close to her former foster mother Teresa "Mama T" Lovato. Mattie is estranged from her brother Willie but in recent months, he has been tentatively reaching out to her through Mama T. When he finally works up the courage to call her, she is at first happy to hear from him, but an unexpected revelation brings up unsettling pieces of memories Mattie would rather leave buried.

Mattie's professional relationship with Brody is much less contentious but he remains skeptical of Robo's skills and although she thinks he is too close to the case, she agrees to work with him. In the aftermath of their gruesome discovery, Brody goes back to regular patrol duties while Mattie and Stella spearhead the investigation. They discover some puzzling information about Adrienne's past but with few leads, they are not making much progress in locating a suspect or uncovering a motive for her murder.

Cole has a professional connection to Adrienne but unfortunately, he is not much help during the investigation. He has a lot going on both professionally and personally so his interactions with Mattie are somewhat limited. She does offer some useful advice for his ongoing issues with his oldest daughter Angela, who is still having troubling adjusting to her mom's abandonment and her parents' divorce. In the midst of the upheaval at home, Cole is spending quite a bit of time on the road as he travels to an isolated ranch to treat an extremely ill horse. Growing concerned over the lack of progress and some very puzzling symptoms and test results, Cole is stunned when he finally learns the truth about the cause of horse's illness.

Stalking Ground by Margaret Mizushima is a gripping addition to the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series. The characters are immensely appealing and they continue to grow and evolve as they work on their individual issues. The mystery surrounding Adrienne's murder is quite intriguing and while it is fairly easy to guess who the killer is, the perpetrator's motive remains elusive until the novel's rather dramatic conclusion. A well-written and engaging whodunit that old and new fans of this refreshingly unique series are going to enjoy. ( )

Absolutely fantastic! I can't say enough good things about this author. The plot built up well. We had repeat characters, which I love! The thing about a good series is that you can't wait to pick up the next book to visit your new friends. That being said, I have the third book and am ready to settle in. 💜 ( )

Enjoyable read. The author has a kind heart. ( )

More dead bodies, more mystery, some shocking revelations. Better than book one but it still feels like the author is holding back, being safe in her writing. The characters are so well balanced, such thin before they act types, they are boring. I keep waiting for one of them to just take a chance, but then plan everything out, thinking it through before. Even the bad guys are sterilized feeling, no foul language, no outlandish behaviors they are so civil. I already bought book 3 so I'm giving it another go to pick up. ( )

Reading Margaret Mizushima's first book, Killing Trail, hooked me on her characters and the setting. I thought her debut had a couple of minor glitches, but looked forward to her second book. I am thrilled to say that Stalking Ground addresses almost all those points I noticed in the first, and in addition is an even stronger, tighter, more thrilling read.

Mattie's relationship with her K-9 partner Robo is a very important part of the book (and the series)-- and not just because of the mysteries they solve. A training session for the two of them in Denver is worked seamlessly into the narrative, and later on Mizushima introduces us to another canine character, Bruno the Doberman Pinscher. It's fascinating to learn about the lives of working dogs like Robo.

These Timber Creek K-9 mysteries are a character-rich environment, which may not be preferable to those who prefer mystery to that "relationship nonsense," but I love it. Mattie and Robo aren't the only two in town; we also are privileged to watch busy veterinarian Cole Walker on his rounds, as he volunteers for search and rescue, and-- most importantly-- how he and his daughters adjust to a very difficult divorce in which his wife left the family. This adjustment period isn't going smoothly because Mizushima's characters are very human and make their share of mistakes. Cole and Mattie are obviously being paired off (slowly), and it will be an interesting relationship to watch develop. Mattie has her own demons, and her own dreams of family that may, or may not, come true.

Once again, Mizushima has written some wonderful action sequences high up in those Colorado Rockies, especially the scene involving Cole. There's just one little thing to dull the bright shine of Stalking Ground: it was still all too simple for me to deduce who- and where-dunit. All that needed to be divulged were a few specifics. However, with the characters and setting this author has created, this is a minor quibble indeed, and I'm certainly looking forward to book number three. ( )