5 comments about Bloodhounds (Soho Crime).

1. I would have loved to give this book 5 stars. In fact if I had not read Peter Lovesey's previous work I would have!
   I found this mystery interesting, fun, light and entertaining but the main protagonist Peter Diamond did not interest me the way Cribb has done in Lovesey's previous novels.
   Nevertheless this was a completely enjoyable read: the "locked room" portion of the mystery was simple, interesting and ingenious. It was well-explained and not ponderous and verbose like some of the not-so-great mysteries of John Dickson Carr.
   I am off to see what my second Diamond will be like. I think it will be "The Summons".



2. 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.



3. 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



4. 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.



5. 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 comments about Blind Bloodhound Justice (Bloodhound).

1. Virginia Lanier grabbed me by the lease, sent me with Jo Beth and her bloodhounds on many a search through territory I'd never experienced before and she returned me safely to Bloodhound Lane. I've read the 1st four in the series and can't wait for the next edition. May there be many many more. .



2. 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!




3. I started the Virginia Lanier series on the recommendations of the customer reviews. I wasn't disappointed. How interesting could a series be that spotlights the raising and using of bloodhounds in the field? I too wondered and happily found out. The only thing I can add to the other reviews is that after having bought all the books, I learned not to read them back to back. Although throughout the books, she earns the love and respect of not only current, but new friends and people she works with, her personal life is not always the most uplifting. Would I still recommend the series? -- it's not to be missed...



4. Just want to recommend this book, I actually enjoyed it more than the others. Well told, and after reading the other books in this series, you are really feeling like you know the characters and can identify with them. The very end is wonderful, and I can't wait to read the next.



5. is offended by Lanier's outdated, inaccurate, and incredibly ugly stereotyped depiction of a mentally disabled person as a vicious killer who is physically repulsive and morally corrupt. Mentally disabled people are far more likely to be the victims of crimes than they are to commit them, and they are no more prone to physical violence than the average person.

   Lanier's having come of age at a time when our society treated the handicapped as less than fully human does not excuse her for having perpetuated such a negative image. Unless she spent her adulthood in social isolation, surely Lanier had ample opportunities to observe people with a variety of handicaps, both mental and physical, going about their daily lives in much the same manner as she herself did.

   To resort to a nasty and downright false representation of the mentally disabled as a plot device suggests a serious lack of both imagination and knowledge on Lanier's part. I rather enjoy the other books in her "Bloodhound" series, which makes this offering all the more disappointing. I would like to think that Lanier came to realize that she had unfairly maligned the mentally disabled and regretted having fallen back on a such a negative stereotype instead of coming up with a more creative plotline.

   There are other flaws in "Blind Bloodhound Justice." The main story line wasn't much of a mystery this time, with the solution to the three-decades old murder jumping out at the reader almost immediately. A likeable character featured in previous books is done away with and then rarely mentioned again, much less mourned. Further, for a woman who lived in a southern state, Lanier seems surprisingly uninformed about the use and spelling of uniquely southern words such as "y'all" (used as a plural only, please, and written and pronounced as one syllable rather than two as in "you all"). And as always, many of the characters are described in Lanier's trademark stereotypes - though none quite as ugly and false as that of the mentally handicapped woman - which some readers may find at least tiresome if not actually offensive. Aside from an unexpected development concerning one of Jo Beth's dogs, this book in Lanier's series is, unfortunately, not worth adding to the reader's personal collection. Check this one out from the library.

5 comments about Ten Little Bloodhounds (Bloodhound).

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 A Brace of Bloodhounds (Bloodhound).

1. The intrepid Jo Beth Sidden and her lovable, talented bloodhounds continue their daring exploits in this third suspenseful mystery of the series. This time our heroes deal with the kidnapping of a child, a murderous judge who's carrying on nefarious deeds in the woods, a bank robbery perpetrated by two drunken locals, and a rampaging alligator. And, yes, psycho ex-husband Bubba is still around. Add dangerous treks through the Okefenokee Swamp and stakeouts in the forest, and you've got an absorbing, unputdownable thriller. Unconventional characters, exciting subplots, vivid descriptions, humor, Southern atmosphere and, above all, those irresistible canines make for a most enjoyable read.



2. This is *NOTE* the third 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 the basics.

   It took the first two books to teach me to REALLY not start them on a work night because no matter how hard I try I am NOT going to sleep until its done and it's hard to debug unix on four hours sleep. This time I managed to wait till friday night to read it, and did i mention these are a healthy sized book, the kind a serious reader who reads very fast needs. A thin or medium sized book I can read in a couple hours and is more like an appetizer to me, and you'll see me always score short story collections as 4 or less because there just isnt time to do a 5 story in one. While not a thick as 'Dune', all her books are a serious read and very satisfying to the mature bookaholic with a substantial habit going. Speaking of addiction, this is not the first but one of the cream of crop of books that makes me sigh that I can only read a few thousand words an hour , I scored six hundred with 100% retention in high school, 30 years ago and am several orders of magnitude faster now though I don't know exactly HOW fast. This kind of book makes you regret you cant IV it directly into your veins!

   The reason I call this a 'friday night only' book is that she achieves the kind of realism where the idea of having to get up in three hours for ten or twelves hours of work, even vigourous brainwork, is a vague and unimportant concept once you start reading. Virginnia Lanier's books are filled with such a wealth of information and such an interweaving of the elements that after reading 1, then 1 again, then a pause before I found 2, and read 1 and 2, then 2 again, that it was only a few weeks before I found 3, and then read 1, 2 and 3! And im VERY ADHD so I get bored easily, but not with these books. Like only a few authors Virginnia Lanier manages to hold onto several themes at the same time (like life) and weave them in together so well that anytime you hit a low point at one you hit a high point elsewhere and the book never lets you go without being artificially extravagent, which never works for me. The story has to hold together well for things to happen within the realm of possibility of the definition of the characters and the environment and these stories definitely do that.

   The main theme of this book is a murder. But what makes this a different murder mystery? One reoccurring theme that comes up is here is a mystery that has clear warning signs come up that a SMART woman would back off. However while Jo Beth is smart, she is both stubborn and ruthless in her way. There is just a point where she don't give a rat's behind and goes on anyway cause it's RIGHT, which is why I **LIKE*** the character. And no matter how compelling the story is otherwise I can't stand reading a story about someone I can't stand. Well, unless they are in a serious hailstorm of.. you know. But even then they can't be the main character or I just won't want to bother reading it. I know enough of THEM in real life.

   So anyway, this book the main theme is a murder, but there are many others and skillfully woven in. Like life, nothing else waits while you work on your biggest priority. The lightning just keeps coming. And sometimes Jo Beth has to bail her boat pretty hard in the rain, which makes me like her and the series MORE. I've had to do some serious bailing myself, more often then not in fact I've been bailing out more then one leak and so does Jo Beth. I like Jo Beth because she has made herself a sucess AGAINST all odds, not because things just worked out her way easy. Also because she is smartmouthed ... tough broad that is willing to take the consequences of speaking her piece, even if they can be fairly serious.

   Of course by the strict definition of success a lot of people would not think she is a sucess, she works dang hard, long hours and doesnt have fast cars or serious jewelry (funny, like me). She does have a house (at the edge of a swamp) but then she did have an inheritance I didn't. But Jo Beth has none of the icons of success in the current world, most especially a husband. To a lot of the world she is just more white trash. But **I** think she is a success and that is all the thinking that **I** care about even if I am just 'more shanty Irish'. And if Jo Beth and I both blew some chances because we just had to tell someone where to go, sure but we're still laughing at the look on his or her face years later, not crying cause I'm 'trapped' in my nice house and wasn't 'allowed to be myself'. Which is actually something Jo Beth had and walked away from. I never had it so I don't know if I'd meet the test and give it up, but then Jo Beth is fiction and I STILL really LIKE her. I don't know what kind of background Ms Lanier has, but she sure created a tough gal that this 'worked her way up alone from minimum wage' reader can appreciate without rolling her eyes at the lack of realism.




3. I hope nothing has happened to Virgina. this a great series. A new book would be great.



4. I just learned that my new favorite Author has died. I had just finished a Brace of Bloodhounds and was looking for the next installment. Mrs. Lanier died while I was reading this book. I was late in finding this great series and I will miss this character greatly. Thanks Mrs Lanier for a great series.



5. Ms. Lanier grabbed my attention with the very first book I read of hers in this wonderful series of mysteries starring her beloved bloodhounds. Her details of how they are trained could be boring, but she cleverly puts them into the story, showing why she picks a particular hound to do the tracking required in each case. Almost makes me want to own one of the wonderful breed. I couldn't wait until I could get my hands on the next book in the series, and now I have all of them. Hope she writes more very soon.

5 comments about Death in Bloodhound Red.

1. This is an incredible first book of a series, that sadly is behind a couple years. 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. Especially using the recommendations, its not that infrequent I get a new author 'can't put me down'er. However this was one of those I read through as fast as I can because of the tension and mystery, and then start right over again to read for the wealth of information and the beauty of the text.

   I can't think of anything this book doesn't have. There is a strong female protaganist, and one that hard to work her way from the ground up as well (as I did) that I really appreciate. As a now breeder and trainer of bloodhounds, Jo Beth is a complex character with sometimes warring qualitis, but one that acts consistently within the defined pesonality. The tension with the maniacal ex husband catches you quickly, but the mystery picks up and holds you as you go on. Additionally I love a book that provides some other new knowlege and this book is rife with knowlege about 'The South', the Okenofree swamp, and Bloodhounds. I've checked some of what I learned here with a friend who has been in the swamp and the South and it's been checking out. As an animal lover as well, you really get to love the bloodhounds and the knowlege of scent tracking and bloodhounds in particular is wide and varied.

   Yet Virginia Lanier sneaks the information in without any long boring solioquies. She always manages to get the right amount in to help you appreciate the story and does it in a way that goes with the story, like say explaining something to a new person, and then drives back to the plot before you could get bored. And she makes it fascinating. As I said earlier I was interested enough to talk to people till I found one that had been in the okenofee swamp, and I've got bloodhound research on my list of things to look into as well. As far as the south in concerned, I feel she does a good job of showing the pros and cons, the beauty and surface graciousness on the surface, and the misogeny and the racism underneath.




2. A Must read series - All of Viriginia Lanier's books. The characters come alive on each page. Her description of loving and smart bloodhounds will endear you to them forever. You can't wait to read what happens next. A true treasure of a character is Joe Beth, a woman detective and her bloodhounds.



3. "Death in Bloodhound Red" is the first in the Virginia Lanier "Bloodhound Series." It is a great book and so different from most mysteries that I am surprised that I had not heard of the series before.

   This is a series to buy all at once because once you start reading = you will not want to stop.

   "Death in Bloodhound Red" is difficult to classify even though it is a mystery. It is not a superficially light book and there are parts that will make you laugh and parts that are very somber.

   Jo Beth Sidden raises and trains bloodhounds and utilizes them for tracking in a small county in Georgia. Her life is rather interesting. Her deceased father became a famous artist when she was a teenager, while most of her childhood was spent in dire poverty. Her childhood though, is in many ways very mysterious.

   Yet by working continually, Jo Beth has built a kennel and bloodhoumd business. Businesses and law enforcement agencies hire her and her dogs to seek out drugs and criminals.

   Jo Beth is rather a tough woman because she has had to be. But she is working at addressing the vulnerabilities in her life and this dialogue is reflected as well. She is a very ardent feminist because she has had to confront countless prejuidices in her life of work.

   Virginia Lanier has topped my list for new authors.




4. The sub-genre of "dog mysteries" is not nearly as extensive as "cat mysteries" for reasons I will never understand. (After all, do cats really care what human beings do to each other? I don't think so.) In this specialized arena, Virgina Lanier's Bloodhound books are definately best in show. "Death in Bloodhound Red" is one of the best novels -- in or out of the mystery genre -- I've read in a long time. Yes, the plot is meandering and convoluted, the conversations are of a length only southerners can aspire to, and the language is as dense and atmospheric as the scent of jasmine on an early summer day. But what matters in the end is how completely Lanier manages to submerge us in the swampy world of southern Georgia and the wonderful profession of search-and-rescue with her beloved bloodhounds. If all the following books aren't always as over the top excellent as the first, who cares? They are all great and the bloodhounds get even more time on stage as the series goes on. What more could you want?



5. Virginia Lanier's bloodhound series opens pretty convincingly in this book which has enough plotting and subplotting to fill three books. We're introduced to feisty JoBeth Sidden, a near-thirtyish trainer of bloodhounds who also has her own company which does search and rescue operations for local police authorities. In this debut, JoBeth is involved with an abusive ex-husband; the mysterious will of her deceased artist father; a handsome new lawyer in town; escaped criminals; missing children; a handsome private investigator; and lots more. JoBeth is even framed for the attempted murder of aforementined Bubba, her ex! While it takes a little patience to get into this book, once you do, you'll find yourself rewarded. Lanier has a flair for Southern life, and her characters are sharply drawn and developed.
   I'm looking forward to further adventures with JoBeth and her hounds!

5 comments about A Bloodhound To Die For.

1. Ms. Lanier's mysteries, starring her training kennel of bloodhounds, continue to fascinate and delight me. Whether Ms. Lanier actually owns bloodhounds or just loves the breed, she shows in every word and chapter her admiration for these noble animals. Her description of the training and then the tracking with said animals is so detailed that I feel I could almost take part in the training and tracking, but in addition, the story lines are so much fun to follow. I find myself huffing, puffing and sweating right along with the handlers as they search for a lost human, or are tracking a wanted criminal. Great reads! Hope she continues to write more books every year.



2. I have only recently stumbled upon Virginia Lanier's books, and I am hooked. Actually, I have just finished reading them all, and they are excellent. She writes with drama, suspense, humor...all of the excellent characteristics of a great novel. Add to that, characters (human,canine, and, yes, feline!) that you just love to read about, and you have a winner.



3. An excellent story line that holds your interest throught out the book. If you read this one, you will want to read the entire series about Jo Beth Siden and her bloodhound experiences.



4. 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.



5. 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.

5 comments about The House on Bloodhound Lane (Bloodhound).

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 Bloodhounds (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals).

1. This book has everything you need to know about the Bloodhound breed. It shows pictures of how to take care of your Bloodhound ect.... I bought this book to learn more about the breed and to train my Bloodhound to track game, and it has worked perfectly for my needs. The only thing they don't really mention in this book is how serious the ear problem is for Bloodhounds. My Bloodhound for example needs her ears cleaned about every 3 days. If you don't clean their ears that often they will get a really bad ear infection and the only way to get it out is surgery, around $500.00 worth. They are a very high maintenance animal but are well worth the effort.



2. 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.

   ..




3. 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.



4. 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.



5. 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 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. L.A Meyer has done it again. I love the Bloody Jack series. I teach high school English, and this series, by far, has been my absolute favorite, not the mention a favorite of many students. I cannot wait until Mississippi Jack is released.



2. Wow! I just finished this book and I must say that it was great! The full package, really, with humor from about all the characters, a bit of action and although you know what's going to happen(pretty much) from the bookflap summary it keeps you wondering. ALSO, I don't believe this should be read by a 12 year old, more like late 13 year old for some of the content.
   This is good stuff and I suggest it greatly! And, thankfully, the new installment of the series comes in September(Though I wish it was sooner).



3. My kids and I have thoroughly enjoyed the Adventures of the ingenious Jacky Faber and so I delved into the Bloodhound anticipating the same fast paced action, clever escapades and witty narrative. All three of us were disappointed. The narrative lagged and the detour into memories in London didn't help create suspense. One felt that Mr. Meyer was trying to add filler.
   The thing that was most disconcerting for me was the dramatic increase in lewd sexual descriptions:Jacky's daily strip tease acts for the crew, continuous allusions to Sammy Nettles sexual behavior with the captain, then Jacky's encounter with him and finally her "solution" with Clarissa in order to divert suspicion. There was far more sexual content in this book. One began to feel like Jacky herself had become burlesque. In the previous stories, I felt like she liked to flirt but the nature of the exploits on the Bloodhound was lacking in good taste.
   I see that book 5 is already out. I hope that Mr. Meyer reverts back to his original formula of witty narrative and fast paced action because Jacky truly is a fabulous little heroine.



4. This was a very exciting book that really makes you hungry for the next one. I would definately recommend it!!



5. I have been in love with this series and its heroine since I first picked up the paperback of "Bloody Jack" and saw the incredible string of rave reviews on the back.
   
   "In the Belly of the Bloodhound" takes on the issue of slavery from a totally new slant and still ties in with the series. Better yet, in this book, Meyer brings his villainness, Clarissa Worthington Howe, into full and sharp relief. Clarissa is not your cardboard cut-out villain but a real, flesh-and-blood, stab-you-in-the-back-with-a-smile, uppercrust snob who makes the perfect foil for our Jacky -- and still turns out to be undeniably human and worthy in her own right.
   
   The characters in this book, in particular, are very well drawn.
   
   Bravo!

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