Finding Riley by Dan Walsh

Finding Riley by Dan Walsh
Series: The Forever Home Series Book Two
Publisher: Bainbridge Press, October 1, 2016

REVIEW BY JOAN HALL

I’ve enjoyed several of Dan Walsh’s suspense stories, and being an animal lover, I was eager to try his Forever Home series.

Riley is a high-spirited canine who travels with his family for a December vacation in Florida. When they stop in a remote area, Riley breaks free of his leash and escapes into the woods. As it turned out his young owner, Jeffery, didn’t fasten the leash correctly.

John is a homeless person who has come to live in a camp with his friend Alfred. A few days later, Riley wanders into the area where John lives, and they become fast friends.

But as you can imagine, young Jeffrey is heartbroken over losing his beloved Riley.

“We can’t see Riley, and we don’t know where he is. But God sees everything. He knows right where Riley is at this very moment. Maybe we should hold hands and pray for God to protect him, and somehow bring him back to us safe and sound.”

Dan Walsh, Finding Riley

John begins to call the dog Smiley and his entire demeanor changes. On the advice of Jenny, another homeless person who has worked in animal shelters, John takes “Smiley” to a local shelter to be scanned for a microchip to see if his family can be located.

I had mixed emotions. While I was saddened for Jeffrey, I also recognized the bond John had formed with Riley and my heart went out to him. Part of the story is told from Riley’s perspective, and I think the author did a great job of imagining how our pets react to certain things.

I won’t provide any spoilers, but I’ll say I teared up at the end. The story takes place around Christmas, but it is suitable for reading any time of the year.

Four and a half fish for this one.

I purchased the Kindle version of Finding Riley through Amazon.