Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In Mizushima's entertaining seventh Timber Creek K-9 mystery (after 2020's Hanging Falls), Deputy Mattie Cobb is at last on the verge of interviewing John Cobb, the chief suspect in her father's murder 30 years earlier, in the Colorado state prison where he's serving time for a recent attempt to kill her and other crimes. Before she can do so, Cobb, who also abducted Mattie at age two and gave her his last name, is found dead in his cell. A book of Timber Creek County hiking trails in the cell has handwritten Xs along one trail. Curious about their significance, Mattie decides to visit the spots indicated. The discovery of the body of a teenager who just gave birth interrupts Mattie's quest, and she surmises that the killer may have taken the victim's newborn baby. Her investigations lead her and her valiant German shepherd partner, Robo, into the snowy wilderness and a thrilling face-off with a devious killer. Jolly visits to the office of Mattie's veterinarian boyfriend, Cole Walker, provide relief from the grim detective work. Series fans will hope Mattie returns soon. Agent: Terrie Wolf, AKA Literary Management. (Sept.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
In the continuing search for answers to her father's murder, Timber Creek sheriff's deputy Mattie Cobb plans to meet with a Colorado state prison inmate, but he's found dead in his cell on the day of their planned interview. He leaves Maddie a possible clue, in a map to Timber Creek and the surrounding wilderness. Mattie, her K-9 partner Robo, and cold case detective Jim Hauck follow the clue into the mountains, trying to beat a blizzard. They find only one of the prisoner's stashes before Mattie is called away to the scene of a murder--a young mother has been found dead at a campground, and there's no sign of her newborn. The sheriff's department brings in everyone to search, fearing the baby will be found frozen. As they comb the mountains, one of their own is the victim of a hit-and-run, and the blizzard traps Mattie's boyfriend, veterinarian Cole Walker, with a desperate man connected to the cold case and the missing infant. The man sets a trap for Mattie and Robo that leads to a dramatic chase on a mountain trail. VERDICT Mizushima's follow-up to Hanging Falls still leaves questions about Mattie's past. The tension and drama of this series installment will satisfy fans of K-9 partners and solid police procedurals.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A veteran K-9 cop hunts a serial killer in the rugged mountains of Colorado. The unsolved murder of her father, Douglas Wray, has haunted Deputy Mattie Cobb for decades. San Diego cold case detective Jim Hauck, who's been investigating the crime, meets her and her K-9 partner, Robo, at a Colorado prison to question inmate John Cobb, a prime suspect as well as a villain so prominent in Mattie's early life that, until recently, she'd thought he was her uncle. Cole Parker, Mattie's veterinarian boyfriend, can't be on hand to lend his support because he's back home in Timber Creek delivering Sassy's German shepherd puppies, sired by Robo. The delivery goes well; Mattie's visit, not so much. Cobb's been found dead in his cell, leaving behind a book with dog-eared pages as well as maps with markings. The sweeter happenings at Cole's clinic play out in counterpoint to Mattie's quest; Hauck suspects there's a link between Cobb's death and that of Mattie's father, and Mattie sees the things Cobb has left behind as so many potential clues. While exploring a cave that Cobb's map led her to, Mattie gets a call about the discovery of a body nearby. Mizushima's subdued voice perfectly matches her heroine's methodical, unruffled approach, building suspense as it presents the complex backstory with clarity. Forensics and the wilderness setting figure prominently in the probe. The identity of the victim will surprise many readers as the determined sleuth chases someone now identified as a serial killer. The subtlety of this seventh Timber Creek K-9 mystery suggests the best of Scandinavian noir, with a nod to animal lovers. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
