Review by Booklist Review
Dr. Lewis Wilkins is dead before the novel begins. No great loss. His colleagues thought him difficult, his neighbors found him superior, his family has no trouble keeping grief under control. Still, shrugs series hero Samuel Craddock, police chief of tiny Jarrett Creek, Texas, Wilkins' murder must be investigated. The amiable Craddock, middle-aged and decidedly unflashy, goes about his investigation in a manner series fans know and love: he just talks to people, confident that the answers lie in the web of small-town relationships. But not this time. The doctor was a not-one-of-us kind of guy, forcing Craddock to pry. As he moves through interviews and through many cinnamon rolls and pimento sandwiches he uncovers a disturbing level of violence lurking beneath the small-town exterior, along with some high-stakes desperation gambling. Craddock is aided by a pup he rescued from the murder scene and who accompanies him from squad car to office to interview. The little guy's job he does it well is to soften the edges of a surprisingly brutal yet expertly told tale.--Crinklaw, Don Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In Shames's enjoyable seventh Samuel Craddock mystery (after 2017's An Unsettling Crime for Samuel Craddock), the Jarrett Creek, Tex., police chief investigates the killing of Lewis Wilkins, a San Antonio doctor who owns a local vacation home. When area pets begin to disappear and Craddock discovers evidence that Wilkins's death was murder by canine, he suspects the existence of a dogfighting ring, but a ruinous lawsuit, a troubled family, and the deceased's habit of cheating at high-stakes gambling provide alternate motives for the doctor's death. Meanwhile, Craddock's personal life grows complicated when Thanksgiving festivities bring a reunion between his romantic interest, Ellen Forester, and her ex-husband and a charming new woman into the police chief's life. Craddock's discovery of an abandoned puppy offers readers insight into his softer side. Readers new to the series will find themselves quickly at home in Jarrett Creek. Agent: Janet Reid, FinePrint Literary Management. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
With one officer visiting family, and another out sick, Chief Samuel Craddock of Jarrett Creek, TX, catches most of the calls over Thanksgiving, including one about a missing husband. Dr. Lewis Wilkins has been gone for more than a day when two young boys stumble across a body in the woods that appears to have been attacked by dogs. As Craddock questions neighbors and local residents, two stories emerge. There are rumors of dog fights in the area, and pet dogs have disappeared. There are odd stories about the victim as well. He lost a malpractice suit and his practice, and he's a heavy gambler. Who could have wanted him dead? VERDICT Macavity Award-winning author Shames's (A Killing at Cotton Hill) riveting mystery is as -issues-oriented as others in the series; his lawman protagonist is believable and realistic, and the strong sense of place should appeal to fans of Bill Crider's mysteries.-Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A small-town chief of police acquires a dog en route to solving a vicious case of murder.Samuel Craddock, who's come out of retirement to run the local police department on a shoestring, finds his resources stretched when Margaret Wilkins reports her husband missing. Dr. Lewis Wilkins, last seen leaving the couple's vacation home on Jarrett Creek Lake, told his wife he was going fishing. When Craddock interviews Dooley Phillips, a friend of Wilkins' who owns a local marina and claims to have no clue where he could be, Craddock thinks he's lying. Craddock's also uneasy over a number of cases of dognapped pets and the rumor that there's a dogfighting ring in the area that may be using them as bait. He has to wonder if the rumor is true when Wilkins' badly mauled body is discovered in the woods. At first it seems he was attacked by feral dogs, but dogs surely didn't tie him up before they attacked. While searching the woods, Craddock stumbles upon a starving puppy whose mother he finds dead, and he goes from temporary dogsitter to devoted pet owner. He learns that Wilkins' life was a complicated one. He lost a major malpractice suit that left his family in financial trouble. Both his children are angry with their parents, and his wife seems oddly indifferent to his fate. He never did any fishing, but he did own a cabin cruiser he won in a poker game that Dooley somehow never mentioned. When Craddock finally finds Wilkins' missing vehicle, it contains a handgun and $200,000 in cash. Is the money from gambling on dogfights? Craddock's one childhood experience at a dogfight has given him a visceral hatred for the cruelty involved. Although he's warned that it's dangerous to meddle, he continues to hunt for answers.Shames has created an endearing hero with an old-fashioned sense of honor. Although his latest is less puzzling than its most recent predecessor (An Unsettling Crime for Samuel Craddock, 2017), it's still an enjoyable, often disturbing read. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
