Lie Down with Dogs by Liz Milliron
Series Name: Laurel Highlands Mystery #5
Genre: Traditional
Release: August 9, 2022
Trooper Jim Duncan’s first day with the Criminal Investigation Division starts off with a bang when he is called to a murder scene with a badly decomposed body. After he finds an abused greyhound in the victim’s garage, the simple homicide becomes more complicated. Why would anyone want an unreliable racetrack employee dead, especially when greyhound racing is illegal in Pennsylvania?
Assistant public defender Sally Castle is facing her own career change. When she accepts a position with an old law school friend, her first case seems to be one that is exactly what she wants to do. Then she learns the greyhound adoption group her client may have embezzled from has ties to the shooting victim. What else is her client hiding?
Jim and Sally work their respective investigations, which may or may not be related. Along the way, they learn important lessons about themselves, those they work with, and the people they protect. But can they complete their tasks without falling prey to a killer?
Dru’s Short Musing:
This is another fine example of a well-written drama that captured my attention from the first page to its conclusion.
A murdered man, greyhound dogs, and embezzlement all play a role in the story being told as Duncan starts a new job and Sally’s role has changed. The author set the stage for a dynamic tale where the plight of greyhounds is in the background but are the focus of what is happening between the pages. The mystery was expertly provided with a few suspects and red herrings that had me guessing until all the pieces fell into place. With visually descriptive narrative and engaging dialogue, I was able to put myself in the middle of all the action as I watched this all play out as the author intended. The pacing was on par with how well this story was being told and I devoured the last few chapters as I had to know who was doing what to whom and why. Overall, I enjoyed the latest adventures with Jim and Sally and look forward to more of their stories.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the author.