Doghouse by L. A. Kornetsky

This is another pet's are smart mystery.   Ms. Kornetsky has Georgie, the Sharpei, and Miss Penny, the cat as major characters.   

 

I said in my review of Collared that Ms. Kornetsky portrays a very strong female protagonist as well as an equally strong male protagonist.   I like the fact that Ms. Kornetsky can portray a strong female without having the need to demean her male counterpart.   As much as I like strong female protagonists, I have seen where some authors feel that if the woman is strong the man must be a buffoon or patented stupid.   Sadly too many people still have difficulty with equality that men and women can operate together as equals.  Some how that just shouldn’t be a revelation. 

Ginny and Teddy are both back.  They complement each other’s skill sets quite nicely.   They still insist they are not investigators or at least Teddy does.   Their rivalry seems to have cooled and they are more partners now than adversaries.  Seth the cook involves the two pseudo-detectives with his friend, Deke.   Deke is dealing with life through the haze of multiple concussions in the boxing ring.   Another animal is introduced too, Parsifal an abandoned terrier.   Deke's eviction from his home avalanches into another full blown pet mystery. 

I have always enjoyed anthropomorphism and I think the addition of the pets adds flavor to the story.  They are still not prominent in the story but do figure into the plot line.   The intimate watering hole of Mary's reminds me of a similar but different bar in college where the owner/bartender wouldn't serve of age students more than one beer during the week when they were supposed to study.   On week ends, he was happy to serve you as long as you were keeping your grades up.  Places like Mary's exist but need to be discovered.

This book deals with concerns about the treatment of animals and is an ideal read for Animal Welfare Week. 

I enjoyed the book and look forward to sequels.

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This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.