Book Review

Tracking Game by Margaret Mizushima [Book Review]

Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: Tracking Game

Author: Margaret Mizushima

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publish Date: November 12, 2019

Genre: Crime & Detective

Series: Timber Creek K-9 Mystery #5

My Rating: 4/5

Tracking Game by Margaret Mizushima

BOOK BLURB

Two brutal murders, a menacing band of poachers, and a fearsome creature on the loose in the mountains plunge Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo into a sinister vortex.

An explosion outside a community dance sends Mattie Cobb and Cole Walker reeling into the night, where they discover a burning van and beside it the body of outfitter Nate Fletcher. But the explosion didn’t kill Nate–it was two gunshots to the heart.

The investigation leads them to the home of rancher Doyle Redman, whose daughter is Nate’s widow, and the object of one of their suspect’s affection. But before they can make an arrest, they receive an emergency call from a man who’s been shot in the mountains. Mattie and Robo rush to the scene, only to be confronted by the ominous growl of a wild predator.

As new players emerge on the scene, Mattie begins to understand the true danger that’s enveloping Timber Creek. They journey into the cold, misty mountains to track the animal–but discover something even more deadly in Tracking Game, the fifth installment in Margaret Mizushima’s Timber Creek K-9 mysteries.


Tracking Game by Margaret Mizushima

MY REVIEW

Tracking Game is the fifth book in the Timber Creek K-9 mystery series by Margaret Mizushima. Mattie is a police officer in a small Colorado town. Her partner is police dog Robo. In this book, Mattie and Robo investigate two murders.

The novel starts with a bang when an explosion leads to a burning van containing the body of a local outfitter. The police are led to the deceased man’s wife and her family, who are local ranchers. When another local man is killed, the list of suspects grows. In addition to the dead bodies, there is a dangerous wild animal on the loose.

Tracking Game is part of a series, but it can be read as a standalone. I’ve read one other book in this series, but plan on going back and reading the others. The books I’ve read have been solid mysteries with engaging characters.

An exciting mystery with a little adventure and romance. Good for fans of crime fiction and books featuring dogs as characters.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the Timber Creek K-9 series:
  1. Killing Trail
  2. Stalking Ground
  3. Hunting Hour
  4. Burning Ridge
  5. Tracking Game
  6. Hanging Falls
  7. Striking Range
  8. Standing Dead
Book Review

Burning Ridge by Margaret Mizushima [Book Review]

Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.


BOOK INFO

Title: Burning Ridge

Author: Margaret Mizushima

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publish Date: September 11, 2018

Genre: Crime & Detective

Series: Timber Creek K-9 Mystery #4

My Rating: 4/5

Burning Ridge by Margaret Mizushima

BOOK BLURB

On a rugged Colorado mountain ridge, Mattie Cobb and her police dog partner Robo make a grisly discovery—and become the targets of a ruthless killer.

Colorado’s Redstone Ridge is a place of extraordinary beauty, but this rugged mountain wilderness harbors a horrifying secret. When a charred body is discovered in a shallow grave on the ridge, officer Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo are called in to spearhead the investigation. But this is no ordinary crime—and it soon becomes clear that Mattie has a close personal connection to the dead man.

Joined by local veterinarian Cole Walker, the pair scours the mountaintop for evidence and makes another gruesome discovery: the skeletonized remains of two adults and a child. And then, the unthinkable happens. Could Mattie become the next victim in the murderer’s deadly game?

A deranged killer torments Mattie with a litany of dark secrets that call into question her very identity. As a towering blaze races across the ridge, Cole and Robo search desperately for her—but time is running out in Margaret Mizushima’s fourth spine-tingling Timber Creek K-9 mystery, Burning Ridge.


Burning Ridge by Margaret Mizushima

MY REVIEW

Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner, Robo, are called to work the case of a burned body found in the wilderness. As Mattie and other officers search for evidence, they also discover three additional bodies. To complicate matters, Mattie soon discovers she has a connection to the burned dead man.

Burning Ridge it the fourth book in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series by Margaret Mizushima. I have not read any of the other books in this series, but Burning Ridge is easily read as a standalone.

Mattie works as a police officer in a small town. She is a hard-working officer, and close to the local community. With a good heart, Mattie wants to help those she believes to need a little more in their lives, but she is also cautious and wary of strangers and new developments in town. As a bonus, she is seeing the charming local veterinarian, Cole.

A solid mystery. Realistic characters. Plenty of action, and a little romance. A lighter, less graphic crime fiction read. Engaging and suspenseful.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the Timber Creek K-9 series:
  1. Killing Trail
  2. Stalking Ground
  3. Hunting Hour
  4. Burning Ridge
  5. Tracking Game
  6. Hanging Falls
  7. Striking Range
  8. Standing Dead