Another well written book that I cringed my way through. Puppy mills. I hate hearing/reading/seeing anything about puppy mills. If there was a place to donate that would guarantee a law with teeth to outlaw puppy mills...I would do without books for a year to give to the cause. I do not shop in pet stores that sell any kind of animal life...let alone dogs. I pass the word. But, it is not an enjoyable read, not matter how much other good stuff is in the story. Chunks of this book got skimmed as quickly as possible.

Normally Holly winter wouldn't be caught dead in a place like Puppy Luv -- a mall pet shop that's no doubt an outlet for the puppy mill industry and a hotbed of forged papers, broken promises and mistreated animals. But a hot tip on a malamute pup suddenly has Holly charging to the rescue and panting to put the owner out of business. Trouble is, she's not the only one who has a bone to pick with Diane Sweet. in a matter of hours the puppy love proprietress is gruesomely murdered. When Holly links the killing with the disappearance of another malamute -- an adorable live wire named Missy -- she digs up startling evidence that soon leads her into the fiercely competitive and deadly underworld of dog breeding. A place where her biggest fears are realized. And where her animal instincts are all that can save her. ( )

This was a so-so mystery story. The actual mystery seemed glossed over in favor of telling the reader about the evils of puppy mills. In fact, the tone of the book seemed a little too preachy for me. I wanted to read a light mystery, involving dogs. I did not need to be lectured to. I have read the previous 4 in the series, and this is by far the preachiest. ( )

This is one of those quick reads that you almost feel like reading over again because it goes by so fast. Holly Winter is a writer who has a column about dogs. In her spare time she trains, shows and is obsessed with Alaskan malamutes. Be prepared for overkill. Holly is extremely passionate about dogs of all kinds and loathes puppy mills. When she discovers a malamute for sale at a pet shop she just knows the dog came from a puppy mill. Only going to investigate the malamute, Holly gets caught up in a mystery when the owner of the pet shop is brutally murdered and the malamute goes missing. Holly is straight out of Murder, She Wrote as she tackles solving the crime by tangling with tough guys and other shady characters. ( )

The story was heavy on the issue of puppy mills and light on the murder mystery but an interesting story nevertheless. ( )

This is one of Conant's best books--the plot is intricate but believable. Although I enjoy her voice (her thoughts, perceptions, etc.), she's kind of preachy in this book about pet shops and puppy mills, but since it was written in 1993 I guess it's forgivable. ( )