Barking up the Wrong Tree by Janice Thompson

Barking up the Wrong Tree by Janice Thompson
Series: Book three in the Gone to the Dogs mystery series by Thompson and Y’Barbo
Publisher: Barbour Fiction on January 1, 2023

REVIEW BY VERA DAY

This is the third book in the Gone to the Dogs mystery series, but it works perfectly well as a standalone. 

There are so many things I loved about this cozy mystery! Kristin is a Texas veterinarian and the protagonist. She’s smart, kind, and wants to do right by her Christian ethics. Her love interest, Tyler, is another veterinarian. There are lots of dogs, some cats, too, and a whole lot of people who care about animals.

The mystery is a dognapping. I was expecting the usual cozy-style murder mystery with a dead body that turns up in a strange or goofy place, so a dognapping was a nice change. I did guess the whodunit, but darn if I could prove it before Kristin did.

The characters from the veterinary office are adorable and funny and sweet. I enjoyed cheering them on. The villainous characters are scheming and rotten, but Kristin tries to look at them through God’s eyes. It isn’t easy, and it doesn’t always work out. Her extended family, the Keller clan, are hilarious in a Southern-humor kind of way, and they’re the kind of friendly, sensible folk anyone would like to share genes with. Kristin anticipates a visit from her relatives:

I could almost picture it now. No doubt the whole Keller clan would arrive in style in Dad’s 2003 Ford pickup, the one with the missing front bumper and smashed-in driver’s side door that refused to open.

Not that he ever let it bother him. Daddy just crawled in from the passenger side and shimmied to his place behind the wheel, no problemo.

-Janice Thompson, Barking up the Wrong Tree

The subplot in this mystery is a romance (or two or three). Just enough sweet fun to enhance the story.

The dialogue at times drifts into “as you know, Bob” type of dialogue, and it’s a bit chatty, too. Other than that one little complaint, I devoured the story and had a blast reading it.

I’m looking forward to reading more from Janice Thompson and more from this series. Barking up the Wrong Tree earns four fun fish from me!

I purchased the Kindle version of Barking up the Wrong Tree from Amazon.