Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Aloha to Diane Kelly and PAW ENFORCEMENT - Book Review

18404165

I won an autographed copy of PAW ENFORCEMENT from Free Book Friday (link).  This is the first book in a new "cozy mystery" series from Diane Kelly, accountant turned author:


Introducing police officer Megan Luz and her loyal K-9 partner Brigit—two Fort Worth cops who are worth their weight in kibble.

SHE’S ON A SHORT LEASH.

Officer Luz is lucky she still has a job after tasering a male colleague where it counts the most. Sure, he had it coming—which is why the police chief is giving Megan a second chance. The catch? Her new partner can’t carry a gun, can’t drive a cruiser, and can’t recite the Miranda Rights. Because her new partner is a big furry police dog. Sothat’s what the chief meant when he called Megan’s partner a real b*tch…

WILL FATE THROW HER A BONE?

With Brigit out on the beat, Megan is writing up enough tickets to wallpaper the whole station. But when a bomb goes off at the mall’s food court, it’s up to Megan and Brigit to start digging—and sniffing—for clues. With the help of dead-sexy bomb-squad expert Seth Rutledge and his own canine partner named Blast, Megan finds herself in a desperate race to collar a killer. Will justice be served—or will she end up in the doghouse?


"Readers should be prepared for a laugh fest. Diane Kelly is first class."—Night Owl Romance

A dog enjoys the surf at Kailua Beach

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. - Roger Caras

Diane Kelly starts her new series K9 with a bang, or rather, kaboom with a bomber running loose in Fort Worth.  Enter Officer Megan Lux, a new recruit to the Fort Worth Police Department.   After tasering her foul mouthed partner, she is reassigned to work with Sergeant Brigit, an extraordinary rescue dog who outpaces the male dogs on the force.   Reluctant to take on a canine partner, Megan comes to appreciate Brigit's abilities after she discovers the first bomb. 

Kelly employs humor to delve deeper into Megan's psyche. She's the oldest of five children of a "Catholic family living in a Protestant's house".  Megan understands her parents were too overwhelmed with younger children to offer emotional support as she struggled with stuttering.  In turn, this caused Megan to turn to books, museums, NPR, and the Animal Planet (actually, the cable show was Brigit's idea).   Yet Megan is a champion baton twirler from marching band - a talent that enables her to catch criminals with her police baton (as guns scare her).   Kudos to Kelly for creating a multi-layered heroine in both Megan and Brigit.   Kelly hinted that soldier-turned-fireman Seth Rutledge is also multi-layered.   No doubt his emotional baggage will interfere their budding romance in future books in this series.    

The plot unfolds from three perspectives (each POV unfolds in its own chapter) - Megan's first person POV, the Rattler's first person POV, and the third person point of view for what Brigit must be thinking.   I would have preferred if Brigit was able to share from her first dog POV.   Overall, PAW ENFORCEMENT was an engaging read that I could not put down.  

I look forward to the next adventure of Megan and Brigit!

Dogs enjoy the "salt flats" of Pearl Harbor

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

1.  What is your experience with dogs?  We've always cohabited with cats, but I have cared for several dogs when neighbors are away.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, June 28, 10 pm in Baltimore.  

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 29.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Diane and her books at dianekelly.com.

Paw and Order
Coming in December ...

23 comments:

  1. I miss my dogs.....especially my Magic. But now I'm a cat lady!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've never had a dog. I don't dislike them, but I'm more a cat person.

    Marcy Shuler

    ReplyDelete
  3. We never had any dogs or cats.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We have -nice big dog
    Kimh

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have had dogs since I was a baby. I have an 11 year old Yorkie-Chihuahua right now.

    ReplyDelete
  6. We have always had cats too, or rather they had us.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I don't have much experience with dogs, we never had any pets growing up. The closest experience is the dog my aunt had that went cray-cray at the doorbell and ran people over lol

    ReplyDelete
  8. Over the past 30 years, we've had 3 dogs, 2 Welsie Terries and a Cocker Spaniel... pistols all three of them!

    ReplyDelete
  9. We always had dogs until my youngest was born. She is allergic. We had a state police dog as well.

    ReplyDelete
  10. We had a beautiful shih Tzu named Cenya, she was a wonderful pet, we had many years of enjoyment with her, she would make your day always.
    We have fostered puppy mill dogs, unfortunately with little success. They are such damaged little souls and are hard to come around.

    ReplyDelete
  11. love dogs!!! I've always had at least one since I was a kid :) Thanks so much for sharing!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Many many dogs over the years, all rescues. And yes, a cat, bird, turtle and other needy animals have been part of the circus. All loving and appreciative.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've had two wonderful dogs. The first was a beagle, Lucy, a touch high strung, but we didn't have kids yet so she was our baby. Our second was a rescue, Shadow, and truly the most loving dog. She let our kids learn how to stand up by grabbing her fur and she never complained.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have no pets - had a dog when my daughter was small.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I had a dog when I was little growing up but I've never had a dog of my own as an adult. I have had rats and hamsters as pets.

    ReplyDelete
  16. We had a dog as our kids were growing up but currently have two cats. Our daughter has two dogs who I call our grandpuppies.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I've always loved dogs; Haven't been around cats very much - too many in the family are allergic.

    ReplyDelete
  18. My father raised beagles when I was a kid, but haven't ever had a dog as a pet. I did have cats when my daughter was still at home. Now we are petless.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I adore dogs-- animals in general-- but I've recently discovered I am allergic to them. *Sad face*

    ReplyDelete
  20. I never had any pet dogs when I was growing up, just hamsters because my sister and I suffer from allergies. I have to say I just love dogs from afar!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Had no dogs growing up. When I was young tho, our family took care of a cute beagle name Skippy for a week. I missed him when he had to go back to his owner.

    My son does have a well behaved dog in Colorado and we enjoy visiting her.

    patoct

    ReplyDelete
  22. Had the best dog Sandy since 2001. She passed away two weeks ago today. It has been very sad not having her with us anymore. She was the most loving and wonderful companion for all those years.

    ReplyDelete