5 comments about The House on Bloodhound Lane.

1. I have read all of Virginia Lanier's books (date of review 8/7/00). All five are full of excitement and suspense as well as romance and humor.

   Being a dog lover myself, I was fascinated by the nuances of caring for, training, and working with bloodhounds.

   I just finished her last book in the series and I will sorely miss Jo Beth and her adventures into the swamp with her magnificent dogs. I am eagerly awaiting the next one!




2. This book made a three hour airport delay tolerable - something that many books can't do. Jo Beth is back with her nice mix of sass and humor. The kennel is growing but there are a few problems - including a vicious ex-husband on the loose and a missing businessman. Romance is in the air for all the ladies at the kennel - or so it seems.

   The highlights of the book are two-fold. First, it's always nice to read a mystery that doesn't have a dead body. Second, and most endearing, is Bobby Lee, the brilliant, blind bloodhound.

   Bottom-line: Nothing extraordinary but good enough to pass along to my dog loving niece.




3. This is *NOTE* the second book of a series. It is well done enough that you can pick up the series here but it will be more enjoyable if you start from the beginning. The books are; 1996-Death in Bloodhound Red, 1997-The House on Bloodhound Lane, 1998- A Brace of Bloodhounds, 1999-Blind Bloodhound Justice, 2000-Ten Little Bloodhounds. I'm not sure why we don't have books for 2001 and 2002, but after you read the first book and then run out and buy the next four that continue without dropping the pace and excitement, you'll mourn the gap in the series. I have a review in on the first book that gives you an idea about the series, which I won't repeat.

   In this second book Virginia Lanier develops the themes she began in the first book. As I mentioned she does an excellent job of giving you a wealth of knowlege about the south, the Okenofee swamp, and bloodhounds as trackers (not hunters). You learn still more and critically important, she manages to repeat some of the old knowlege such that you don't lose vital bits if you start at the second book, but is still interesting if you read the first one. Instead of boring solliques you get inserts that go with the action that end before you get bored, such as when she is explaining something to someone as opposed to an off the story line that reminds you that you are reading a book. As with the first book, I not only read it till it was done (about 3am on a night I had to get up and go to work at 7am) even though I swore to myself that really truely I was not going to do this like I did with the first one. Then once I read it through I went back and enjoyed a leisury read to pick up the information and the beauty of the story, after I happily reread the first book for the third time.

   I've checked out a lot of the information here with a friend that is from Georgia and so far she is 100% on accuracy. Since just because an author makes something sound believable doesnt mean it is, and I'm primary a science fiction reader so I'm always wary. The only difference is my friend knows bloodhound hunting dogs, but no trackers. But she did verify (and I can't remember which book it was in) where a monster gator was climbing a fence to get at the puppies, that while she doesn't know of any examples of them climbing fences, there are many examples of them getting into fenced yards where no one can figure out how they got in.

   Additionally in this book the long feared release of her ex-husband from prison happens, and I really enjoyed Jo Beth's revenge on the prison system for not telling her BEFORE. I'm not going to say what happens or if she found out 'in time' because I HATE a review that blows the plot by telling you the entire book like a bookreport. I'm going to let you wonder.




4. "The House on Bloodhound Lane," the second in the "Bloodhound series," has confirmed it. Virginia Lanier has just zoomed to the top of "My Favorite Mystery Writers'" list!! (Even better than Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, which is saying a LOT!!)

   I can't believe that I have just now discovered Virginia Lanier's great characters! Jo Beth Sidden is a feminist with an attitude and such a wonderful character! I love how she is always trying to improve and "fix" her friends' lives (because her own is so often in such chaos)!

   I couldn't put this book down. It has SO many intricate sub-plots and I love the dialogue. It is great to read so much about the dogs as well. I especially liked how Lanier took the readers back to Bobby tracking Mary Ann.

   Lanier is such a gifted and intelligent writer to devise methodically the reasoning that spews out of Jo Beth's character.

   I've already started "tracking" down the hardback editions of Lanier's books. They are keepers. Other mysteries that I've rated as 5 stars are good, but they don't come close to Lanier's Bloodhound Series! She is THAT GOOD!




5. The idea is different enough to rate 5 stars but the stories and characters are also wonderful.I was very glad to find this as a series, which I love reading, and I hope the author continues the bloodhound books.

5 comments about Ten Little Bloodhounds.

1. I have enjoyed the books in this series, but this is my least favorite by far. I found too many parts to be unbelievable; the protagonist was constantly alienating her friends and putting herself in extreme danger (more than usual....?). There were also a few side stories that were never really fleshed out or wrapped up, which was disappointing. And too much happened in the last chapter...cheap literary device used to tidy everything up. So, read it if you're reading the series, but skip it otherwise



2. I liked this book at least as much as the earlier ones in the Bloodhound series. Virginia Lanier provides a realistic tour of the nearly mystical abilities of the bloodhound and keeps the characters busy at the same time. JoBeth is balancing ten bloodhound pups, ten murder suspects, the nasty Bubba and her business all at one time. No wonder she's short-tempered. The astonishing information on the scent machine is true--I've seen it in action. She weaves the facts and the fictional characters together in an exciting story that has humidity and 'gators crawling out of the book's covers. A great read!



3. There seemed to be entirely too much going on in this story, to the point that I lost track of several subplots. Maybe this book showed the heroine in a worse light than most, but I didn't find her charmingly feisty, I found her extremely irritating. Maybe I am simply tired of Southern characters who brag about Southern manners and then are pig-rude to everyone they meet. I am willing to believe that she is more interesting than this book shows her, but I will probably never know. I am fascinated by bloodhounds and I *still* couldn't enjoy this book, so I do not plan to investigate the rest of the series.

   If nothing else, any novel that would have a major character's murder trial occupy about two chapters squeezed into the end has got more problems than I care to think about. The fact that, under the circumstances described, the major character would probably never have been charged in real life only made that part more bewildering.

   I plan to read a "How To" book about bloodhound training to cleanse my palate, and then never go near another book in this series ever again.




4. New to this author and will not open another of her books. If one can't stand the protagonist,one can't enjoy the story, dog lover or not. Jo Beth is a nightmare of ego and self-righteousness, and her mental meanderings are dimwitted and sour. Too bad, as I had great hopes for the series.



5. I have read all of Ms Lanier's books regarding bloodhounds. They are so entertaining and gives me an idea of what the world of raising bloodhounds is. I am anxiously awaiting another book from her and would like to know when she has a new one out. Reading is so relaxing for me. And I like books that have a little mystery involved.

5 comments about In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber (Bloody Jack Adventures).

1. I have been utterly fascinated by the Bloody Jack series since I first stumbled upon it a few years ago. I could NOT wait until Bloodhound, and eagerly pounced upon it as soon as possible. I heartily enjoyed the entire tale, at times laughing, crying, or shouting in rage. All throughout the story, the character developments of all of the girls was both impressive and believable. I could not help but draw parallels to William Golding's Lord of the Flies. I was struck by the complexity, sensitivity, and depth with which Mr. Meyer treated his characters.
   
   Towards the end of the book, I was certain that I would be satisfied as a reader. Meyer had, I felt, nicely tied up all of the plots within the book; everything fit and made logical sense within the frame of the story. I was surely going to have the satisfaction of a conclusion to a well-wrought series. At last, at long last, Jacky and Jaimy would get together. But no.
   
   In literally the very last sentence, the gate came crashing down. They weren't getting together. Yet another adventure/arrest was in store for our heroine. I am getting more than a little fed up with Mr. Meyer's continued dragging out of this plot. I hate loose ends, and I felt that just about the only loose end left was that they finally get together. And judging by the reviews, I am going to have to wait AT LEAST two more books before I am satisfied. This is getting ridiculous.
   
   I think that Jacky has settled enough by NOW that seeing her in domestic life would be an interesting character development for her. Yes, I will probably read the next two books, but I will most likely borrow them from the library, rather than buying them. Please Mr. Meyer, please either fulfill the romantic storyline, or drop it altogether and just concentrate on the adventure. The endless game of chase for these two characters is getting rather tiresome and worn. I am beginning to feel very cheated as a reader and loyal fan.



2. I sbdolutely love this book!!! I am a 34 year old mom of 3. I would definately let my teenager read this book!!!



3. The fourth book in the best young adult series for adults since Harry Potter finds our audacious, wily heroine trying to behave herself (and save herself from a certain hanging at the hands of British authorities) by returning to Miss Pimm's school for girls. Adventure, though, finds Jacky as she and her schoolmates--young ladies of elegance and class and wealth--are kidnapped aboard a slaver and destined for the slave markets of Northern Africa. Jacky must lead the girls and somehow find their escape from the cruel slavers, refusing to be objectified and victimized because of their gender and upbringing. Even more difficult, Jacky must work with her archenemy, the snobbish Clarissa. Jacky forever belongs on the sea, and her classy girly friends forced into her world makes certainly for an exciting, interesting and dynamic adventure. And not in the least because Clarissa, a slaver owner, is treated like those she oppresses, and--even more so--because the girls a forced to see another side of life, a horrible version of what awaits them due to their position in society as pretty, well-behaved dolls set up for marriage. Amazing, amusing, exciting tale may not be the strongest in the series, but it is still a fantastically strong and unabashed (though dramatic and adventurous) look at the historical period (with sly contemporary literary references), bawdy, violent, threatening, baudy, dangerous, realistic, and with incredible characters; from the beloved, admirable, clever, and wonderful heroes to the dastardly, horrific villains, and all those in-between. Jacky is the perfect heroine for all women, and one of the greatest characters of all literature. Grade: A+



4. After the Battle of Trafalgar and with a huge bounty on her head as an accused Pirate, what's a girl to do? Well, if you're Jacky, you sail back to safer shores to the Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls in Boston. She is reunited to old friends and enemies, but it's a lot less hazardous than sailing the Seven Seas... or is it? Her relatively peaceful and land-bound school days are interrupted by a dastardly plot which finds Jacky and her classmates imprisoned in the hold of the slaver-ship, the Bloodhound and going out to sea on an unwilling voyage. Of course, Jacky is not only a survivor, but a planner and a leader of men (or girls), but can the girls overcome a crew of hardened slavers?
   
   This is the fourth book in the Bloody Jack Adventures (1. BLOODY JACK, 2. CURSE OF THE BLUE TATTOO, 3. UNDER THE JOLLY ROGER), and it's best if you start from the beginning. Although Jacky is once more sailing, this adventure is not at all as wild and exciting as the last book, but it was a treat to see everyone work together in order to try and deal with their surprising situation. It certainly was a "Particularly Peculiar Adventure," definitely different for Jacky, and was a hard challenge to overcome. Definitely, another worthy addition to this series of adventures.



5. A "Bloody Jack Adventure", In the Belly of the Bloodhound is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of a thrilling and empowering novel for young adults, especially young girls! Jacky Faber has been named a pirate by the King of England, and a price has been put on her head. She sought to hide amid the Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls in Boston, but during a class field trip to Boston Harbor, the ruthless crew of the slaver ship called the "Bloodhound" abducted the girls for auction into Arab harems. Jacky is ready to fight her captors, but the Lawson Peabody girls are out of their element - and in need of Jacky to show them the importance of finding one's courage! Only by relinquishing rigid adherence to propriety can they become their own rescuers from a desperate situation, in this enthralling saga of rising past societal expectations to meet a dire challenge. 13 CDs, 15 hours.

5 comments about A Bloodhound To Die For.

1. I have enjoyed all Lanier's books. I love dogs, so that works well into her story for me, and I truly appreciate her humor and light sarcasm. Makes for a very entertaining and relaxing read.



2. I first found one of the novels by Virginia Lanier in the local library. After reading them all (6) I had to have copies of my own. For people who love books about dogs, sassy women and southern auras, Lanier is the one to read.



3. I am extremely pleased with my purchase of this book and the company who provided it. I received the book faster than I thought I would and it was in excellent condition.



4. I have enjoyed many of Virginia Lanier's books. I would love to see
   them available for the Kindle!



5. This was an awesome finale to the previous 5 books about breeding, raising, training, using bloodhounds, and the efforts made to overcome her young marriage that she escaped through divorce from her stalker husband, who only wants her dead and punished. Unfortunately, the ex-husbands daddy is connected in the county to all the Law Enforcement and Legal System Judges, so he continues to evade or nearly escape the just deserts for his actions.
   I'm sorry to see that Ms. Lanier has since passed away, and there will be no further books about bloodhounds.
   I loved this one, and have all six of them. They are worth re-reading at least once a year.

2 comments about Red Dog Rising.

1. With a super sensitive nose, the power of the Bloodhound is not something to underestimate. "Red Dog Rising" is the combination discussion of blood hound use in police work and memoir of retired K9 officer Jeff Schettler. Filled with exciting stories of being on the trail with his dogs, it's an intriguing read that will please both dog lovers and fans of detective work. "Red Dog Rising" is a must as such, for both criminology studies collections and canine studies reading lists that focus on the work of man's best friend.



2. 
   met Jeff a few years ago and he recently moved close to Atlanta and is currently working with one of our team members and she had him autograph the book for me which I greatly appreciated . Book is well written and laid out so that the reader is taken along on a"discovery journey" Enjoyed reading and learning from the book

5 comments about Bloodhounds (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals).

1. Very informative. Not only does it give you a little history on the breed, but details the positives and what could be negatives of the breed. A book I would recommend to anyone considering this breed.

   ..




2. VERY informative book for the money. Of the three bloodhound books purchased this month, one was worthless, one was a little pricey, and this one was the best value.



3. Full of information, very thorough. Not too lovey dovey about the breed, very geared towards people who have or will have a bloodhound. Stuff you need to know! Wish it had more pictures, but that's what the other books are for.



4. A nice introduction to bloodhounds. Gives you basic information about the breed and a good read before deciding on this dog. Most of the information is easily available on the internet but it's nice to have in a quick guide for a very inexpensive price. I would recommend to anyone interested in getting a bloodhound but if you already have a dog this book is a little basic, still it's nice to have in your library so friends and family can become more informed about this fantastic breed of dog.



5. We recently obtained a bloodhound mix puppy and had no idea about the breed. This book answered all our questions throughly and makes an excellent reference for later use.

5 comments about Bloodhounds (Soho Crime).

1. In some ways this book was excellent. The "locked-room" aspect of the book was very well done, and Peter Lovesey is an excellent author. I love Peter Diamond, but that's where I felt the book fell down a bit. I read these books because Peter Diamond is such a wonderful character, but I found that he wasn't as real in this one as in the previous three that I've read. He's still an accident-prone curmudgeon, but I didn't see the human side as much. Maybe that's because we didn't see much of his wonderful wife Stephanie . She is a wonderful foil to the irascability of Diamond. But the book is good nontheless. It's a page-turner and keeps you guessing until the end. We see the inevitable twisted mind as the perpetrator of these fantastic crimes.



2. The Bloodhounds are a weird mystery fan group who meet in strange places like crypts to hold discussions. Just prior to tonight's meeting Milo finds a rare Penny Black stamp inside a John Dickson Carr novel; the stamp was recently stolen from the Postal Museum. Not long afterward, Milo is found dead in his locked riverboat and the stamp is missing.
   
   The killer sends riddles to the police and the media driving an already irate Bath Detective Superintendent Diamond up a wall while his staff interviews the other members of the Bloodhounds. Diamond soon comes up with a theory on how the killer escaped the locked riverboat puzzle, but that fails to get him any closer to identifying the culprit making him wonder if his hypothesis is sending him down the wrong path.
   
   Paying homage to John Dickson Carr, no one writing today does locked room mysteries as good as Peter Lovesey does. In his fourth Diamond police procedural (see THE LAST DETECTIVE, DIAMOND SOLITAIRE, and THE SUMMONS) is a terrific tale that grips readers as the cops question the obsessed Bloodhounds only to uncover all sorts of personal secrets, but no murder motive as none seems like a thief. Diamond remains cantankerous perhaps more so this time because the serial killer is laughing in public at his foibles. Besides the locked room, Mr. Lovesey pulls a brilliant sleight of the hand that will fool and satiate the audience.
   
   Harriet Klausner



3. This book is a defense of mystery novels being not reality but logical puzzles for those who enjoy thinking. At that, it's a wonderful success. All the clues are on the table and it's up to the reader to decipher them. The text is fluid, although there's a bit much of it, and while characters are stiff their essential traits are behavioral and those are represented well. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy mysteries in the Christie/Hammett tradition of mind games and forays into discrete logic.



4. Bloodhounds (Soho Crime) Very entertaining! A "locked room murder" with a very interesting cast of characters. If you love mysteries, give it a try.



5. I came upon Lovesey quite by accident & have been pleasantly surprised & entertained. I have now read all 8 of the series featuring the curmudgeonly Inspector Peter Diamond & they make for a quick, enjoyable romp. These are not taunt thrillers but tongue-in-cheek good old fashioned murder mysteries, set in Bath, England. Diamond & his team solve their puzzles one piece at a time in the way good Policemen do. I heartily recommend these engaging stories.

5 comments about Dying Bites: The Bloodhound Files.

1. Jace Valchek is an FBI profiler who gets inside serial killers heads (figuratively, not mind reading..) to track them down. One night she has a particularly vivid dream about being transferred on short notice and wakes to find it was no dream: She's in an alternate world where Vampires, Werewolves & Golems dominate, magic works and humans are a small and at least somewhat persecuted minority (In the US they still aparently have full legal rights at least, but many doors are shut to them on a real-world basis).
   
   The supernatural types tend to be very mentally stable, so having a serial killer is something they are unaccustomed to dealing with, thus Jace's "transfer" (though the fact that there isn't regular trans-universal traffic hints a hidden reason as well).
   
   As Jace uncovers the details of each murder, she airs a lot of dirty laundry that makes her start to wonder if she may not be on the wrong side..
   
   I really enjoyed this book. Jace is an interested and conflicted character, by no means perfect, but coping reasonably well with her situation. The society she finds herself in is deeply flawed in ways which I believe are meant to mirror some of the darker episodes of ours, but is in the end portrayed as worth saving, and her co-workers are very human despite being blood-suckers, hairy-at-full-moon and/or walking bags of sand.
   
   I didn't rate the book as 5 stars because it does have some infelicities. First of all, I really wanted some sort of "hand wave" as to how Jace's new world could be so similar to ours (US exists, some version of WWI & WWII happened etc) despite having such a radically different makeup. It's actually a pretty easy handwave: "Well, yes, it is improbable that a world with a vampire, werewolf majority would so closely mirror your own, but in an infinite number of parallel worlds, it was bound to happen, and in fact made it easier for us to grab you", but we didn't get it. Second, I believe we are being set up for a Jace/Cassius romance, but the chemistry between the two felt very off to me. The dialogue and the way Jace interacts with him make it clear that there's *supposed* to be something going on, but I never got a real sense of him as a "character" rather than a powerful, plotting cipher. Third, some of the world-building is nice, but other bits like the frozen-in-era cities fall a bit flat. (And I can't fault the story, but the book cover is very generic and really could go on almost any UF book).
   
   Finally, I have to mention the delicious in-joke that probably many people coming to this book from other Urban Fantasy rather than "old school" SF and Fantasy may not notice. One of the key elements in the book's denoument is Higher Power Level Craft (HPLC):
   
   "So how does it work, this kind of magic?"
   
   "Through gods of course. Ancient terrible beings who can be bargined with if you don' mind risking death or insanity.."
   
   and a good bit more in that vein. I wonder if there were others that I missed?
   
   The ending of the book explains why there will be more entries in "The Bloodhound Files", and I am looking forward to them.



2. I bought this book because I wanted to try out a new author and I'm so glad I did. As a first book in a series there is always room for improvement but DD's writing style and humor, as well as a unique story line, made this book a terrific read. If you enjoy a book that makes you laugh as you get caught up in the story, this would be a great choice.
   
   I look forward to DD's next book and hope it lives up to its possibilities.
   
   L



3. I expected to enjoy this book: the premise was interesting, the reviews for the most part were promising and, while I like to think myself a discriminating reader, I am really quite easily entertained.
   
   What turned me off most was using a present tense narrative; it was uncomfortable. A close second was the main character - she was very annoying, with repetitive thoughts patterns and few discernible redeeming qualities.
   
   Some of the characters had real potential, especially Charlie. Even Gretchen, though a bit too similar to Pam in the Sookie Stackhouse books, could have been developed into a worthwhile character. But it never happened. The author could have killed off the whole cast and I doubt it would bothered me.
   
   Before I started this book, I already had the upcoming sequel in my cart. By the time I finished reading it, I had deleted it. There are too many good authors waiting to be read to waste my time on this one.



4. I just finished this book that I got from the library and I will be buying a copy of it and getting the second book as soon as it comes out.
   Supernatural world heroines are a dime a dozen; tomboyish girls with attitude who jump into every fight, jump into bed with every man they meet after insisting to themselves that they won't, and are never fazed by any situation.
   This one, named Jace, has a strong drive to prove herself so that no ones write her off, but she's not obnoxious and she doesn't give you a constant running commentary on everything in her head.
   I was also happy to find that she is a vegetarian! I've read too many books where the heroine is stranded or traveling and just eats whatever they give her no question. I find that really hard to relate to. It's also refreshing not to have to flip past page after page of "book porn" to get back to the story...so this may be my favorite new series!
   Thank you D.D Barant...



5. I loved this book. I have read it a couple of times now because I love the author's dry wit. I like the main character's discovery of a new plane of existance which seems very much like her own, until, ugh!, something happens that suddenly reminds her that she isn't in Kansas any more. This author has a deft touch with mystery, character development (who knew that I would ever find a golem an interesting character?) and humor. I can't wait for her next book.

No comments about Death Blows: The Bloodhound Files.

5 comments about Bloodhound (The Legend of Beka Cooper, Book 2).

1. bloodhound was a book where that can't be put down, a keep turning pages book.
   It's a sequel to Terrier beka cooper, I think it's a better than the first book. it also has a little romance in it as well as lots of action. it's a great book I would suggest reading it, but must read Terrier beka cooper first by tamora pierce.



2. I love tamora pierce books - I have read every single one. It seems that she is putting too much of today's world into her books as of late. I am not crazy about this book at all -- don't get me wrong there are some really good parts but alot of junk that just didnt need to be there. Definitely wait to buy this until it comes out in paperback or get it for sale as used through ebay or amazon.



3. Another fantastic mystery with Beka Cooper. I didn't think this was as good as TERRIER, since it took place with all new characters. I missed my old TERRIER friends! But Beka and Goodwin were still amazing. I was kept on my toes the entire time.



4. Rebekah "Beka" Cooper is now a Dog, a fully qualified member of Provost's Guard, which is basically the police force in Corus, the capital of Tortall. Beka is a natural at Dog work - she's observant and persistent, but her magical traits set her apart from the rest. She has the ability to gain information from the spirits that attach themselves to pigeons and the dust and dirt that swirl on the ground called dust spinners. These skills, along with the help from the company she keeps, make Beka a skilled Dog.
   
   Beka has been a Dog for five months at this point, and her fourth partner has just decided to leave her, which sends her back to her (amusing) training Dogs, Tunstall and Goodwin. One her first day back with them, they learn of counterfeit silver coins being used throughout Corus, which begins their investigation on the subject. On the second day, the merchants raise their prices in order to cover their losses, which causes a riot in the Lower City. During the riot, Tunstall is injured and in trying to get him to safety, they meet a group of men from a security caravan, who turn out to be quite useful to them.
   
   After the riots, it's found that the counterfeit coins are being brought in by gamblers from Port Caynn and the Port Caynn Dogs don't seem to be doing anything about it. With Tunstall on bed rest, Cooper and Goodwin are sent undercover to Port Caynn to try and locate where these fake coins are coming from - and who is sending them out into the mainstream. Beka and Goodwin must explore the deep world of gambling and find the root of the problem, all in a strange city.
   
   Along the way, Beka sees Dale Rowan, a bank courier who sometimes works on the caravan whom she met in the riot. Dale becomes more than just someone to help the women learn about the gambling places, and the eating houses that could help aid them - he becomes someone Beka really begins to like. He is handsome, buys her fine gifts, and becomes a bedmate for her, all in a matter of days. There is just enough romance that you almost want to root for him, but personally I am still rooting for her and Rosto, the Rogue of Corus.
   
   With the help of the adorable Achoo, Beka's new scent hound, Slapper, a hilarious pigeon that carries the voices of the dead, and their new friends from the riots, they have just the aid they need to get their investigation started. Things finally start falling into place when Goodwin goes to Corus to report what they have found so far. Once Goodwin is gone, things come together rather quickly for young Beka, and it is up to her alone to keep it all from blowing up before help arrives. And it is up to Achoo to teach Beka that there is more to finding a criminal than the chase, and sometimes you have to sniff them out of their hiding places.
   
   I love this story! It's told very well - everything you read is written through Beka's journal and, despite the length of the book, the entire story covers just under three weeks. I didn't read TERRIER, the first book in the trilogy, but BLOODHOUND seems to stand on its own, with only a slight temporary confusion. Some of the terminology is quite different, but there is a dictionary in the back, along with a few other things that are quite helpful when it comes to keeping things straight. The cast of characters is quite colorful, and very interesting, particularly when Dogs, mages, thieves, and the Rogue not only live in the same lodgings, but also dine frequently together and intertwine themselves in each others lives as they do. It's easy to see that despite what they all do for a living, they all care and respect each other as friends.
   
   There are some aspects of the story that could become a little much for younger readers and I think I should state that Beka may only be 16 or 17, but in her time, that is classified as an adult. She deals with adult situations: there is crime, gambling, adult relationships, and violence, but nothing is told in explicit detail or anything like that. This is a story that I could totally recommend for almost anyone, male or female, teenager or adult. Either way, it is a good story and I, for one, am eagerly waiting for the next book, MASTIFF.
   
   Reviewed by: Samantha Clanton, aka "Harlequin Twilight"



5. These CD's are a great way to enjoy this well written book. The reader is excellent and the plot is a mixture of humor and mystery.