Dog Walker Mysteries Book 1By Rene Roberts
© November 24, 2021, Pajama Therapy Books
ASIN: B09ML1C41V
Kindle Version, file size 1416 KB
Cozy mysteries are fast becoming a second favorite genre for me, mostly because of books like this one. Dognapping For Beginners is just that—a mystery that’s light enough to warrant a blanket, a cozy fire, and a hot cup of tea. Stories like this are the perfect way to spend a relaxing day.
Main character Nikki prefers the company of dogs to that of people, most of the time. Her crusty exterior is carefully cultivated to keep other humans at arm’s length. Her friends are few, and she likes it that way. But when she sees a chance to help a friend and save a badly mistreated dog at the same time, she snaps it up.
That’s the start of her troubles, but author Rene Roberts doesn’t stop there. She tightens the screws again and again, and while the stakes are high for Nikki – and Finn, the dog she rescues—Roberts keeps the story from slipping into thriller territory. The story is a perfect balance between stress-free reading, and enough tension to keep the reader turning pages. I loved it all and read the whole book in a day.
Scene descriptions are detailed enough to give a clear picture and set the mood and tone, but not so much that they are skippable. Nice! In addition, character development was handled well. Nikki has evolved in significant, but believable ways by the end of the story. I was left with hope for her plans and dreams, and a warm feeling for the others in her life. There is just a hint of romance, but nothing explicit. More prevalent was the feeling of growing camaraderie and friendship, support and community among the characters. Chosen family can be as tight and as essential as that of blood, and Nikki learns that by the last page of this book.
I will warn the reader that the entire story is based on a scene near the very beginning where Nikki rescues a young dog that has been severely abused. While the mistreatment doesn’t actually happen on the page, Roberts does briefly demonstrate the results, first when Nikki finds the poor dog, and again when she takes it to the vet the next morning. Softhearted animal-lover that I am, I cried—so be warned. It doesn’t last long, though, and it serves to emphasize that Roberts is an animal lover and advocate, and to connect the reader that much more deeply to Nikki and her rescued friend, Finn. The fact that Nikki’s dream is to create a dog rescue and rehab facility feeds the theme of Finn’s rescue and the constant thread of Finn’s importance throughout the book, so the scene and its consequences are also quite relevant to the story overall.
Dognapping for Beginners is a delightful, heart-warming read that will soften hearts and captivate animal lovers, as well as lovers of cozy mysteries. Most highly recommended.