Saturday, July 28, 2018

Aloha to Diane Kelly and THE LONG PAW OF THE LAW (Paw Enforcement Book 7) - ARC Review

37638022

Texas police officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner Brigit have come a long way, baby.

A BUNDLE OF JOY. A DOG-EAT-DOG WORLD. . .

One night, while on duty with her four-legged crime-fighting companion, Meg gets an urgent call from her boyfriend Seth, who works for the Fort Worth fire department. A baby girl has turned up at the station with only two clues to her identity: One is a peace-sign symbol stitched into her blanket. The other is a word, written in string: help.

Megan follows every loose thread and, along with Brigit, ends up on a twisted path that leads to the People of Peace compound, the site of a religious sect on the outskirts of the city. Its leader, Father Emmanuel, keeps his followers on a short leash—and his enemies even closer. Could this be the abandoned baby’s original home? And if so, why was she cast out? Now that Megan and Brigit are on the case, the secrets of this reclusive cult are bound to be dug up. . .

Diane Kelly is back with The Long Paw of the Law, the seventh installment in her drool-worthy Paw Enforcement series.

Fort Worth Police K-9 (link)

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. - Buddha

Fort Worth Police Officer Megan Luz and her shelter dog-turned-canine partner, Brigit, returns in the seventh book of  the Paw Enforcement series from St. Martin's Press.  Kelly's unique story telling creates a new sub genre that falls somewhere between cozy mystery and romantic suspense.  Megan tackles "ripped from the headlines" crime while juggling a budding romance with Seth, an explosive expert with the Fort Worth Fire Department.  BTW, Seth's K9 parenter, Blast, is the Beta dog to Brigit's Alpha Dog - who doesn't love it when the tables are turned?

The book blurb is an accurate recap of the action in THE LONG PAW OF THE LAW.  Rather than share how Megan discovers the truth with Divine Intervention, I would like to focus this review on how Kelly has created a "I can't put this down" story.  She rotates the POV in each chapter - Megan's first person POV, Brigit's third person POV (mostly focused on food), and the villain's third person's POV.  This method gave me a wider perspective of the action on the page.  Indeed, I read this book within 48 hours because I wanted to know there was a happy ending.  Just remember, Kelly is a romance author. 

Kelly treated readers to a subplot regarding ongoing petty crime in an affluent neighborhood - kudos to Megan for thinking outside the box to solve it!  Likewise, I learned more about Seth's cranky grandfather, Vietnam Veterans, car shows, and roller derby.  These "extras" further contribute to the "community feeling" that shines through the entire series.  Meg has a talent to solve crime, putting her on track to become a detective. But Kelly's subtle references to American life - fulfilling and challenging - creates a heartwarming read that makes me root for the multicultural characters in her books. 

THE LONG PAW OF THE LAW can be read as a stand alone book.  Yet I recommend reading the series in order to follow how Megan matures as an officer and catches the eye of Seth.  

I received an ARC of THE LONG PAW OF THE LAW from Kelly at the RWA Annual Convention in Denver.  The book is available October 30, 2018 from St. Martin's Press.


Miramont Castle
Manitou Springs Historical Society (link)

I have RWA swag for one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about dogs - do you have a favorite breed? color? name?
While I am a cat servant (as is Megan's roommate, Frankie), I enjoy meeting dogs out and about.  We spotted numerous dogs in Colorado Springs during our preconference sightseeing, including Chuck at the Miramont Castle.  Above is a vintage image of the castle.

2.  Comments are open through Sunday, August 5, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Monday, August 6.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

184041652185366923014649

282206532611463331450842




26 comments:

  1. Although I have cats now, we've had two wonderful ones. Our first was a beagle, Lucy, and our second was a rescue and mixed breed, Shadow. Our second dog was the sweetest thing ever!

    ReplyDelete
  2. My husband was a K9 officer when he was with the state police. I like German Shepherds but labs are my favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  3. When I was in my twenties....my dad inherited a poodle....he named her Cheri and would sing to her.....she went everywhere with him....we all loved her but she would only cuddle up on my dad's lap.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love all kind of dogs - Golden Retrievers have wonderful dispositions - I love the videos that pop up on Facebook with dogs, especially the reunions.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Never had a dog as a pet, but I love Golden Retrievers and Chocolate Labs.

    ReplyDelete
  6. No absolute favourite breed. I do have a soft spot for a mongrel.

    ReplyDelete
  7. love many types of dogs

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am a cat person, but do have a dachshund running around. He’s not too bad. Lol

    ReplyDelete
  9. Need expert CV proofreading services in Ireland? Trust CVWritingServices.ie for thorough proofreading to ensure your CV is polished and error-free. Our skilled team enhances the quality of your CV, giving you an edge in the competitive job market. CV proofreading .

    ReplyDelete
  10. So it is interesting and very good written and see what they think about other people

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hello, after reading this amazing post i am too glad to share my experience here with mates.

    ReplyDelete

  12. Thank you for letting me know the good content. It would be nice to let people know. I want you to visit my site, too.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I think a lot of articles related to are disappearing someday. That's why it's very hard to find, but I'm very fortunate to read your writing. When you come to my site, I have collected articles related to.

    ReplyDelete

  14. Thanks in favor of sharing such a nice idea, paragraph is good, thats why i have read it fully.

    ReplyDelete

  15. Thankyou for this wonderful article. I regularly read your article, all are very amazing

    ReplyDelete
  16. It’s exceptionally useful and you are clearly extremely proficient around there

    ReplyDelete
  17. That’s a brilliant story you posted. I will come back to read some more.

    ReplyDelete
  18. It is perfect time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy

    ReplyDelete
  19. I enjoyed browsing this weblog posts. Hoping you write again very soon!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Please keep us up to data like this. Thanks for sharing and Keep on writing.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hello very nice article!! Excellent & Wonderful. I’ll bookmark this website.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I am interested in this area Great site that know some community forums. Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  23. That is a great tip especially to those new to the blogosphere.

    ReplyDelete