Contact email: mesreads AT gmail.com
###Winner Announcement Posts are linked here.###

GIVEAWAYS ARE NOW LOCATED ON THEIR OWN PAGE - CLICK ON TAB ABOVE; Giveaways also linked on right sidebar.
Showing posts with label Paula Munier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paula Munier. Show all posts

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Audio Book Review: Blind Search by Paula Munier

I enjoy the dog characters in this mystery series.
Blind Search
Written by Paula Munier
Narrated by Kathleen McInerney


Run Time 12h 10min
Release Date: November 5, 2019
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genres: Crime Fiction & Mysteries, Mysteries & Thrillers, Police Procedurals
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.0


Publisher Description
Former Army MP Mercy Carr and her retired bomb-sniffing dog Elvis are back in Blind Search, the sequel to the critically acclaimed A Borrowing of Bones. It’s October, hunting season in the Green Mountains—and the Vermont wilderness has never been more beautiful or more dangerous. Especially for nine-year-old Henry, who’s lost in the woods. Again. Only this time he sees something terrible. When a young woman is found shot through the heart with a fatal arrow, Mercy thinks that something is murder. But Henry, a math genius whose autism often silences him when he should speak up most, is not talking. Now there’s a murderer hiding among the hunters in the forest—and Mercy and Elvis must team up with their crime-solving friends, game warden Troy Warner and search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear, to find the killer—before the killer finds Henry. When an early season blizzard hits the mountains, cutting them off from the rest of the world, the race is on to solve the crime, apprehend the murderer, and keep the boy safe until the snowplows get through.Inspired by the true search-and-rescue case of an autistic boy who got lost in the Vermont wilderness, Paula Munier’s mystery is a compelling roller coaster ride through the worst of winter—and human nature.


Review:

Mercy and her bomb-sniffing Malinois, Elvis, are still enjoying the Vermont mountains while continuing to train and rehab through their PTSD. This time they are called upon to find a nine-year-old boy who wanders into the woods. Game Warden Troy and his search-and-rescue Newfoundland, Susie Bear, join in the search. Susie Bear is trained for ‘blind search’ which means searching by smell in the air rather than foot tracks. When the dogs find Henry, he is huddled under a table and clearly frightened. Henry is clearly a child with autism who doesn’t speak normally but he does latch onto the dogs. He wanders in the woods where his memory helps so he isn’t lost, although the adults think he is.

While Henry was out in the woods, a woman who was to join a hunting party at the nearby ski lodge, is found with an arrow in her heart. The hunting group has gathered to discuss the redevelopment of the lodge and not everyone agrees on the resort goals. The shot that killed the woman might have been a hunting accident, but that is unlikely. Because of Henry’s reaction, and willingness to stay with the dogs, Mercy and Elvis are hired to protect the boy.

Mercy and Troy don’t exactly trust the local homicide detective to solve the murder and, of course, they are told to stay clear. Mercy is only a civilian and has no authority to pursue the mystery, but that won’t stop her especially after she has an SUV trying to force her off the mountain roads. Meanwhile, Troy and Susie Bear are busy tracking some poachers who may also be drug or arm dealers and could be suspects. While the mystery pushes to a conclusion, Mercy and Troy’s relationship runs into a major obstacle.

I enjoyed the dogs and Henry as additional characters. I was a bit frustrated that Henry’s autism was never identified as such during the book. Henry’s father seemed clueless and Mercy seemed to handle the boy better than the doctor. The condition was quite clear, and I don’t understand why it was never named in the story.

I enjoyed the developing relationship between Mercy and Troy in the first book, Borrowing of Bones. I did think that Mercy may have overreacted a bit at the situation with Troy at the conclusion of this book. I will be interested to see how the author handles that in the next books. The story has short comings (Mercy’s investigation interference and Elvis’s disobedience), and a few repetitive phrases, but I enjoyed the overall story and recommend it to fans of K-9 dogs. I suggest starting with book one to get to know the characters and their backgrounds.

Audio notes:
I found the narration by Kathleen McInerney to be comfortable. The voice distinctions could be better but they work sufficiently. The narration is clear and easy to follow. I am glad I had the story on audio.

Source: March 2021 Chirp purchase $3.99. This qualifies for 2023TBR, 2023Audiobook, and 2023Alphabet goals.

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Audible Book Review: A Borrowing of Bones, a Mercy Carr Mystery by Paula Munier

This is a good mystery with the plus of dogs.
A Borrowing of Bones
A Mercy Carr Mystery
By: Paula Munier
Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney

A Borrowing of Bones Audiobook By Paula Munier cover art

Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins
Release date: 09-11-18
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Police Procedure, Search Dogs, Women Sleuth
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.


Publisher's Summary
The first in a gripping new series by Paula Munier, A Borrowing of Bones is full of complex twists, introducing a wonderful new voice for mystery listeners and dog lovers alike.
Grief and guilt are the ghosts that haunt you when you survive what others do not....
After their last deployment, when she got shot, her fiancĂ©, Martinez, got killed, and his bomb-sniffing dog, Elvis, got depressed, soldier Mercy Carr and Elvis were both sent home, her late lover’s last words ringing in her ears: “Take care of my partner.”
Together, the two former military police - one 29-year-old two-legged female with wounds deeper than skin and one handsome five-year-old four-legged Malinois with canine PTSD - march off their grief mile after mile in the beautiful remote Vermont wilderness.
Even on the Fourth of July weekend, when all of Northshire celebrates with fun and frolic and fireworks, it’s just another walk in the woods for Mercy and Elvis - until the dog alerts to explosives and they find a squalling baby abandoned near a shallow grave filled with what appear to be human bones.
US Game Warden Troy Warner and his search-and-rescue Newfoundland, Susie Bear, respond to Mercy’s 9-1-1 call, and the four must work together to track down a missing mother, solve a cold-case murder, and keep the citizens of Northshire safe on potentially the most incendiary Independence Day since the American Revolution.
It’s a call to action Mercy and Elvis cannot ignore, no matter what the cost.
©2018 Paula Munier (P)2018 Macmillan Audio


Review:
Mercy was a military police investigator but was sent home after being wounded. Her fiancé, a dog handler, was killed and Mercy fought to take home his traumatized dog, Elvis, who suffers from PTSD. They have been keeping to themselves and taking long walks in the Vermont wilderness. On the July Fourth weekend they stumble upon a crying baby and a shallow grave.

US Game Warden Troy Warner and his search and rescue dog Susie Bear, arrive in response to the 911 call. They begin to track the missing mother and Warner begins to investigate the cold case death. The local detective is antagonistic to both Warner and Mercy. He treats the Game Warden with disdain and wants them both away from his case.

Technically Mercy has no basis to continue involvement in the investigations, but she won’t back off, especially after the baby disappears from the hospital and the teen mother and baby show up at her home only to be scared off. Bit by bit the investigation by Warner and Mercy leads to a potential domestic terrorism threat that could cause community deaths. They are in a race against time and even the dogs are being threatened as a result of their persistent efforts.

I enjoyed these characters, their dogs and their interactions. The dogs quickly become friends and slowly Warner and Mercy develop a friendship. I felt there were some shortcomings of the book such as not treating the issue of PTSD seriously enough and the fact that Mercy kept pushing into the investigation with no authority. Still, I found the book entertaining and will be listening to more in the series. I recommend this to mystery, crime thriller fans who like search dogs.

Audio Notes: Kathleen McInerney delivers fitting energy but didn’t have strong voices, especially for the male characters. I think a stronger narrator might have added more. I am glad I got the audio version as it goes faster for me than reading.

Source: 8/28/2022 Audible August Credit. This qualifies for 2022Audiobook goal.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails