Hounds Abound
| Hounds Abound | |
| A Pet Rescue Mystery [3] | |
| Linda O. Johnston | |
| Berkley (2012) | |
| Rating: | ★★★☆☆ |
| Tags: | Mystery |
Saving animals and solving murders seem to go paw in paw for shelter manager and amateur sleuth Lauren Vancouver. But this time, mixed up in a murder that may close a much-needed new shelter, she's perhaps too quick to catch the scent of the killer...
For Lauren, Save Them All, the newest no-kill shelter in Los Angeles, is just what the vet ordered: a place for handicapped kitties and senior spaniels to find a loving home and a second chance. There's just one problem. Its charming owner, Bella Frankovick, is now suspected of murdering her ex-husband, a powerful and animal-hating cosmetic surgeon. And it's up to Lauren to use her bulldog grip on the case to rescue Save Them All and decide Bella's fate, while keeping herself and her own critters safe from an unleashed killer ...
“Lauren Vancouver is a likable, efficient amateur sleuth, passionate about her work and smart about how she goes about her investigation.”
—Mysterious Reviews
Praise for
Beaglemania
The first Pet Rescue Mystery
“Gutsy Lauren Vancouver easily wins over the hearts of animals in need—as well as readers … [Vancouver is] an ardent advocate for homeless pets.”
—Rebecca M. Hale,
New York Times
bestselling author of
How to Moon a Cat
and
Adrift in St. John
“Animal lovers will delight in a new series filled with rescued dogs and cats needing loving homes. Lauren Vancouver is a determined heroine who will solve the intriguing mystery at her private shelter.”
—Leann Sweeney, author of the Cats in Trouble Mysteries
Praise for Linda O. Johnston’s
Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries
“Humorous, cleverly constructed.”
—
Midwest Book Review
“A brilliantly entertaining new puppy caper, a doggie-filled who-done-it … Johnston’s novel is a real pedigree!”
—Dorothy Cannell
“A fabulous series.”
—
The Best Reviews
“Animal lovers will adore this series for the mystery as well as the animals.”
—
CA Reviews
“An incredible writer who creates believable, intelligent characters … [A] fun-filled, suspenseful story line that contains intrigue, mystery, murder, lots and lots of animals, and humor.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“Fast and fun.”
—
New Mystery Reader Magazine
“The author has done a great job of making the reader care about the animals. Plus their personalities really shine through.”
—
Mystery Lovers Corner
“Johnston’s ability to blend pet love, mystery, and romance into one well-wrapped package makes this a summer treat for mystery and pet lovers alike.”
—
Front Street Reviews
“Exciting … Johnston is a creative storyteller who not only writes a fascinating mystery but also creates a deep character study.”
—
Books ‘n’ Bytes
Berkley Prime Crime titles by Linda O. Johnston
Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries
SIT, STAY, SLAY
FINE-FEATHERED DEATH
THE FRIGHT OF THE IGUANA
NEVER SAY STY
FELINE FATALE
Pet Rescue Mysteries
THE MORE THE TERRIER
HOUNDS ABOUND
Abound
LINDA O. JOHNSTON
BERKLEY PRIME CRIME, NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author
Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / April 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Linda O. Johnston.
Cover illustration by Jennifer Taylor/Paperdog Studio.
Cover design by Rita Frangie.
Interior text design by Laura K. Corless.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 978-1-101-56145-4
BERKLEY
®
PRIME CRIME
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
PEARSON
This book is dedicated to all the pets out there who need good and loving homes, particularly those who are older or who have special needs.
I also want to thank, and dedicate this book to, the many, many people who care about homeless animals. I have been delighted and amazed to see how many selfless animal lovers there are, and I’m proud I’ve gotten to meet some of them both in person and online via blogs and Facebook. Kudos and hugs to you all.
As always, I thank and dedicate this book to my husband, Fred, who encourages me no matter what my endeavors.
Chapter 1
It’s not always easy to be a pet rescuer.
I find it particularly hard when I go to a high-kill shelter to save animals in immediate danger because of lack of space. I have to pick and choose those I think are most adoptable. That almost always includes young dogs and cats in good health.
It too often excludes seniors, and those with infirmities, no matter how adorable or endangered they are. Or how sad it makes me to leave them behind.
That was one reason I was so excited about where I was headed that September day.
The other was that I was spending a while in the company of my dearest friend, Dr. Carlie Stellan, an excellent veterinarian who travels a lot thanks to the TV show she
hosts on the Longevity Vision Channel,
Pet Fitness
. That makes me value our time together even more.
I’m Lauren Vancouver, director of HotRescues, a wonderful no-kill pet shelter in LA’s San Fernando Valley. I love animals and would do anything I can to save as many as possible.
As a result, I was delighted about our upcoming visit.
Carlie and I had just arrived at our destination and gotten out of my car. “This must be the place,” she quipped as we walked up the wide paved path toward the two-story boxy building in front of us. It resembled a huge, remodeled stable. Over the door hung a large sign that read
SAVE THEM ALL SANCTUARY
and was decorated with cartoonish dogs and cats.
Yes, our destination was the new animal shelter that was already nicknamed “Save’Em.” We had come to Shadow Hills, in the northeast part of Los Angeles, to visit—and to make our own evaluation about whether Save’Em, which had only opened a few weeks ago, was as outstanding a facility as this kind of shelter needs to be.
As Carlie reached for the elongated handle on the glass door, it opened. “Hi!” said the smiling girl who stood inside holding the door so that we could enter. The thin teenager wore a red shirt that proclaimed she was a volunteer. “I’m Peggy. Bella’s in the office. Come in.” That would be Bella Frankovick, who had just opened this very special pet shelter.