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37 ratings | 23 reviews | avg rating:4.54

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Susan Holmes

Goodreads Author

Website

http://dogmysteries.com/

Twitter

dogmysteries

Genre

Mystery, Fiction, Suspense

Influences

Mary Higgins Clark, Karen Robards, Sharon Sala,
Tony Hillerman

Member Since

March 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/mysterywriter

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Susan Holmes penned her first story at the age of four. Despite the brevity (three pages of crayoned text) and the title (“Three Bears Visit New York City”) her father gave it the same careful consideration he gave to C. F. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower series. When he finished the story he announced, “You are going to be a writer.”

To be a writer, of course, one must also be a reader. In the pre-digital world that meant a trip to the local library (a very long walk across town, requiring an escort/bodyguard in the form of her older brother) where a new world awaited. By the fifth grade she’d progressed to Shakespeare, an experience that came in handy when she was stationed in England at the start of her military career. For the next twenty Susan Holmes penned her first story at the age of four. Despite the brevity (three pages of crayoned text) and the title (“Three Bears Visit New York City”) her father gave it the same careful consideration he gave to C. F. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower series. When he finished the story he announced, “You are going to be a writer.”

To be a writer, of course, one must also be a reader. In the pre-digital world that meant a trip to the local library (a very long walk across town, requiring an escort/bodyguard in the form of her older brother) where a new world awaited. By the fifth grade she’d progressed to Shakespeare, an experience that came in handy when she was stationed in England at the start of her military career. For the next twenty years, she wrote stories about the lands and the people she met around the world.

She spent much of her military years writing and editing all sorts of materials, tailoring the voice and content to the target audience. She produced the books Quality Approach and the Process Improvement Guide as part of the Air Force’s Total Quality initiatives. That proved great training when she moved into academic publishing and then into poetry and fiction. Today, she lives in northwest Arkansas where she works as a writer, editor, and college professor.

Her third book, Deadly Ties is the first in the Waterside Kennels mystery series. The series is set in northwest Arkansas using both real and fictional settings. In pursuit of authentic material for the series, she joined Search and Rescue exercises, ventured deep into caves, and followed the trail of Ozark legends. Technical details came from experts in the fields of bioarcheology, forensic anthropology, and even fire sciences. She worked closely with dog trainers, kennel owners, and veterinarians to create an environment that dog lovers are sure to recognize and appreciate.

Susan is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Dog Writers Association of America. Find her blog at http://dogmysteries.com.

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Susan Holmes’s books

Average rating: 4.23 · 105 ratings · 23 reviews · 2 distinct works

	Deadly Ties 4.23 avg rating — 105 ratings — published 2013 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	[The Wrath of Shiva: An Anita Ray Mystery: Volume 2 (The Anita Ray Mystery Series)] [Author: Oleksiw, Susan] [September, 2014] 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Susan Holmes's Blog

A Cozy Halloween Mystery

What do you get when you mix mystery, fantasy, and humor with an eclectic cast of characters and assorted suspects in a tale of two murders four decades apart? Answer: The Alchemist of All Hallows Eve! (This is the tenth in The Accidental Alchemist mystery series.) *** Meet eternally young alchemist Zoe Faust, her …

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Susan is Currently Reading

Susan is currently reading

Hill Folks: A History of Arkansas Ozarkers and Their Image

by Brooks Blevins

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Mar 01, 2014 02:22PM

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Susan Holmes wrote a new blog post A Cozy Halloween Mystery What do you get when you mix mystery, fantasy, and humor with an eclectic cast of characters and assorted suspects in a tale of two murders four decad Read more of this blog post »
Sep 30, 2026 02:45AM · like

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Cozy Mysteries : Cozy Audiobooks?	19	189	Feb 28, 2015 04:39PM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Romantic Suspense (90's - I think) - Heroine is a dog trainer who goes on an undercover mission with a government agent of some sort. [s]	23	72	Sep 11, 2016 04:26PM

Susan’s Quotes

“This is what you must be like. Grow wherever life puts you down.”
― Ben Okri, The Famished Road

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Cozy Mysteries — 25203 members — last activity 16 minutes ago
For those who love a good cozy mystery while curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee/tea/cocoa and maybe a dog/cat next to them. Please be kind ...more

Goodreads Authors/Readers — 57772 members — last activity 27 minutes ago
This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more

Making Connections — 14987 members — last activity Oct 04, 2026 04:07PM
Read, Review, and Make Connections

Cozy Mystery Corner — 5266 members — last activity 13 minutes ago
Cozy Mystery Lovers! If you enjoy lighthearted cozy mysteries, please join us to read the featured monthly books, play some games, and participate in ...more

The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group — 32971 members — last activity 39 minutes ago
“It was a dark and stormy night. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled across the sky. Rain spattered a mysterious, hooded stranger who peered over the ...more

UK Amazon Kindle Forum — 6727 members — last activity 3 hours, 0 min ago
Where every hour is happy hour.

Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers — 27416 members — last activity 7 hours, 12 min ago
Welcome! Join us for our monthly group reads. We read Crime stories, Mysteries, & Thrillers. ...more

Books, Blogs, Authors and More — 3734 members — last activity Sep 28, 2026 01:12PM
Need a place to advertise your blog, promote your books, or discuss books? You can do that here. Need a place to just relax and chat? You can do that ...more

Write About Dogs! — 144 members — last activity Apr 02, 2026 09:12PM
This is a group for people who write about dogs and people who read about them. Training books, memoirs, fiction, and any other woofy, waggy, shaggy, ...more

The Life of a Book Addict — 12118 members — last activity 1 hour, 5 min ago
We now read at "On the Same Page." ...more

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