A Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery, Book 1
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Date Published: March 22, 2023
Narrator: Alyssa Baumann
Run Time: 11 hours, 4 minutes
“An action-packed adventure blended smoothly with mystery and hope…. The character development is well done and complete…. The plot twists…are smooth and deliberate. Carter did an excellent job of making the story feel authentic and realistic through dialogue and rich imagery. It was well-written, and engaging and the narrator was the right fit!…. Alyssa Baumann captured and projected the personality of Veronica perfectly. She is very adept at projecting emotions and situations in a clear and intense manner. The excitement and energy she brought to the book were spot-on.” — AudioBookReviewer
SYNOPSIS:
The debut book in the Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery series opens with escalating suspense and intensifies into a resilient fight for survival. With its engaging combination of canine and human personalities, thrilling plot, and gorgeous Colorado backdrop, Dogged Pursuit will appeal to dog lovers, outdoors enthusiasts, and mystery lovers alike.
Veronica Kildare cannot believe her luck–being shot at, again, by the bad guys. The sound, the feel of the bullet, and the hatred resonate for more than just the transitory moment of impact. She has relocated to a new state, but brutality has rampaged into this life as well. As the survivor of a senseless act of violence in her former life, Veronica struggles to recover from the lingering physical and emotional scars by working as a dog handler near Boulder, Colorado. Empowered by her intense bond with her search and rescue and drug detection dog, Leda, she finally begins to shake off the pain of her past. Then Veronica is drawn into the puzzling search for a scientist who has vanished near Rocky Mountain National Park.
Dr. Randy Jeffers has inexplicably disappeared on the eve of his testimony in the high-profile murder trial of a pro basketball player and the police are baffled. As Veronica and Leda traverse rugged Roosevelt National Forest in a desperate search testing the limits of their abilities, it is not initially clear who has targeted Dr. Jeffers, or why. But it becomes shockingly obvious that someone will stop at nothing to silence him forever. The kidnappers with murder on their mind have guns, but Veronica has Leda and her own blossoming resilience as her weapons in their struggle for survival.
REVIEW:
4 stars!
Great start to this new K-9 mystery series!
Dogged Pursuit is the first novel in author Tracy Carter’s new Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery series, and it is a wonderfully detailed mystery and a dog-filled and entertaining debut. A strong female protagonist and her much-loved and highly-talented tracking dog lead readers into the mountainous terrain of the Colorado countryside on search and rescue missions, including one for a renowned scientist slated to testify in an upcoming, high-profile murder case.
I really enjoyed the characters introduced in the novel and look forward to seeing them again in future adventures, especially the main characters Veronica Kildare, her father, Bob, and their newly-welcomed employee and friend, Michael Fletcher. Veronica has a tragic past, and her recent move to just outside Boulder, Colorado, is a life-saving second chance. Her backstory is slowly revealed over the course of the novel, beginning with broad hints that kept me coming back to hear the rest of her story. Her actions in extending her new life to the orphan, Michael, and the scared little dog, Coco, were heartwarming and inspiring.
Of course, there is a plethora of dogs in the story, and the relationship between Veronica and her rescue dog, Leda, is amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the details of Leda’s tracking and drug detection sweeps and all the information presented about dog training and Veronica’s fledgling business, Dogged Pursuit. I even liked hearing about Bob’s articles and product testing!
The plot is intriguing and has several unique features, such as the identification of the unusual helicopter seen flying over the Rocky Mountain National Park early in the story. Missing witnesses have been the subject of many previous mysteries, but the author really delivered some fresh twists that made the story feel above and beyond the ordinary. I was engrossed watching it all unfold.
I experienced Dogged Pursuit as an audiobook narrated by new-to-me narrator Alyssa Baumann, and I was never disappointed. I thought she did a beautiful job as she altered her voice to portray the different characters rather than do a straight read-aloud of the material. The various voices were consistent and recognizable for each individual character, and I especially thought her rendering of male characters was convincing.
I recommend DOGGED PURSUIT to mystery series readers who enjoy dog-centric or dog-themed stories.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tracy Carter graduated from the University of Glasgow, Scotland with a master’s degree in history. Her lengthy career as a legal assistant has included stints at international law firms and prosecutors’ offices, followed by jobs as the horse identifier at two thoroughbred racetracks — all while training dogs in obedience and rally. She lives near Cleveland, Ohio, with her husband and Llewellin Setter (aka the diva).
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