Aloha to Diane Kelly and PAW AND ORDER - Review and Giveaway

PAW AND ORDER is Book 2 in the K9 series ...

Police officer Megan Luz and her loyal K-9 partner Brigit are back on the beat—and under the gun—when the local rodeo show goes to the dogs…

OUT OF THE DOGHOUSE 

After capturing the notorious Fort Worth "Tunabomber," Megan and Brigit are practically celebrities. Which is why the police chief lassoed them into doing rodeo duty —mostly as a public relations stunt for the department. Megan’s not a fan of calf roping, bull riding, or goat milking contests. But when a thief appears to be working the circuit, her trusty K-9 partner starts sniffing for clues…

INTO THE FIRE HYDRANT

The culprit is "Robin Hood," a young Texas golddigger who steals from the rich to give to the poor—namely, herself. With Brigit hot on the trail, Megan has to juggle her on-again off-again reputation in the FWPD with her on-again off-again relationship with sexy bomb-squader Seth Rutledge. This time, Megan is determined to rope in her suspect and her man…before chaos, and/or her trusted furry partner, is unleashed.

Trusty on Dog Beach
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog. - Dwight Eisenhower

In the case of Brigit, she has both size and fight.  Rescued from a shelter, she appreciates her handler, Officer Megan Luz, and especially loves her shoes.  Brigit finds the rodeo enticing with smelly animals and noisy children dangling corn dogs and pretzels (which she eats when no parent is looking).  The junk food sustains her when she is directed by Megan to chase a suspect - a task she is happy to complete.

Kelly employs an unique method to share the story of Megan, Brigit, and even the suspect, Robin Hood - the chapters alternate with Megan's first person POV, Brigit's third person perspective, and Robin's first person POV.  Kelly's innovative narrative offers a complete picture of how the petty crime at the rodeo spins out of control.  I commend Kelly for diving into Robin's psyche so she is not simply the villain, but a victim too.

Kelly gives us a glimpse of Megan's psyche, too.  Shy from childhood stuttering, Megan found solace in baton twirling - a talent that comes in handy as a police officer.   Kelly probes Megan's feelings for both Seth (the hunky fireman with emotional baggage) and Clint (the cocky officer from the mounted police).   While Kelly keeps it lighthearted and sweet natured, she hints that not everything is black or white, right or wrong.  Brigit sums it up best,  

Brigit was glad she wasn't a human.  Their sexual relationships were far too complex.  When dogs wanted to hump, they humped, pure and simple.  No regrets afterward, no guilt, no tears if he didn't call.  No walk of shame though really, a dog didn't mind any kind of walk, shameful or not.

I read the first book, PAW ENFORCEMENT, giving me the background of the characters in PAW AND ORDER.  Yet Kelly seamlessly reintroduced the characters in PAW AND ORDER so it can be read as a stand alone novel.

Recommended read for fans of canine sleuths, flawed characters, and a compelling story.

I purchased PAW AND ORDER as I enjoyed PAW ENFORCEMENT.

For Linda, I thought of Sandy throughout this book.  I know she would have bonded with Brigit.

A dog enjoys Pearl Harbor at sunset 

I am giving away a book choice from convention stash to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about rodeos.   I've never been to one but I have been to the state fair with smelly animals.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, January 24, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, January 25.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Check out my review of PAW ENFORCEMENT, Book 1, at this link.