In Dog We Trust (Cozy Dog Mystery): #1 in the Golden Retriever Mystery Series (Golden Retriever Mysteries)

THE START OF A BEAUTIFUL PARTNERSHIP—
A DETECTIVE DUO WITH HEART AND FUR
Steve’s ripe for a new relationship—divorced, over forty, and still dusting himself off from a lamentable sojourn in prison, an unusual experience for a professor, to say the least. (He really must do something about his hacking habit!)

Rochester’s a handsome, homeless, loveable golden retriever whom Steve had always found too big, too enthusiastic, and too shaggy.

But tragedy struck their neighborhood when someone murdered Caroline, Steve’s nice next-door neighbor, while she walked her best friend, Rochester. Steve’s the unlucky guy who finds her body and he just knows, despite their differences, that he has to take in the broken-hearted pooch.

Once they’re both properly rehomed, these two form a detective partnership that’ll make you sit up and beg for more. Eat your hearts out, Spade & Archer—pretty soon they’ve got a warm and fuzzy thing going. Big furry forthrightness—not to mention heart—meets tech-savvy craftiness as they work their case.

In Plakcy’s capable hands, watching these two fall in love (which of course is the most irresistible treat on offer here) is like watching a time-lapse film of a flower blooming— it doesn’t happen too fast, and it’s never cloying. Instead it’s slow and satisfying, magical to the point of jaw-dropping even while absolutely expected. You just know you could watch it over and over again.

Neither of the new partners knows about his own hidden talent, let alone the other guy’s. Rochester has no idea he has the potential to be the greatest doggy detective since Rex the Wonder Dog was a pup. But he’s got a job to do and he has to find a way to train Steve in the fine art of investigation. Unbeknownst to Steve, his life just changed radically—because a big furry mentor has just trotted into it.

Both want justice for Caroline, and Rochester’s way of expressing it is simply to sniff out one clue after another in the hope his two-legged colleague can piece them together. Steve’s way—when all’s said and done— is still to bend the law a little, with the help of Caroline’s contraband laptop. And also to follow Rochester’s trail of treats.

Fans of animal cozies—and all cozies!--will find pure gold here especially aficionados of mutt heroes from the aforementioned Rex through the immortal pooches created by Spencer Quinn, David Rosenfelt, Garth Stein, and Laurien Berenson. Lovers of canine classic films like TURNER AND HOOCH, BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA, and the immortal BENJI will also want to sit and stay awhile. Luckily, there’s a whole litter of cases out there.

Neil S. Plakcy is the author of the award-winning Mahu mystery series, and coeditor of Paws and Reflect: A Special Bond Between Man and Dog.