The Deadly Dog Show by Jerry Last

This is the latest installment in the Roger and Suzanne Bowman Mysteries. This time they are somewhat closer to home though. Roger has been asked to investigate shady goings on at dog shows by the CEO of the AKC (American Kennel Club). They are lent a prizewinning dog, and Bruce gets to step out of his Nanny role and extend his skills as a dog handler. Suddenly, though, they find themselves knee deep in murder, drugs, stalkers and attempted drivebys. Have Roger and Suzanne got too close to the truth? Can they solve the mystery so some sort of normality can resume?

This is the latest of the Roger and Suzanne Mysteries and also the longest. This is necessary though as there is a lot of story and ground to cover. Once again, although it is the latest in the series it does work well as a standalone with no previous knowledge of the books before it, but to get a sense of the characters I would recommend reading them in order. This time the world of Dog Shows is at the forefront. It is an interesting subject, one I am interested in, and so got into the story right away. The pace was unrelenting, and I found myself page turning like a mad woman. The whodunnit aspect was well played out, and I was quite surprised when the culprit was revealed - the mark of a good thriller in my mind. Well done Jerry, another belter! Here's hoping there are more.