A Bloodhound to Die For

Jo Beth Sidden "Bloodhound" Mystery #6

by Virginia Lanier

Having ended her relationship with her violent husband, dog trainer and amateur detective Jo Beth Sidden finds herself on the trails of an escaped convict and an elderly woman who has wandered into the Okefenokee Swamp.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Dogs, Cozy Mystery, Animals, Mystery Thriller

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

An author who penned the popular "Bloodhound" series of mystery books and published her first book at age 65.

Her first book, Death in Bloodhound Red, released in April of 1995, was nominated for three literary awards: the Agatha, the Anthony, and the Macavity for the "Best First Mystery Novel in 1995."

Series:
* Jo Beth Sidden "Bloodhound" Mystery

Reviews

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sixth and final book in Virginia Lanier's bloodhound series. The author died after this book was written, and perhaps she intended this to be the final book, as she ties up some loose ends in the story with this entry. I found this a lighter read than the others in the series, with little mystery, and no murder or threats to life and limb for Jo Beth this time around. But at the same time, I still enjoyed reading of the working relationships, and the friendships, that filled the life of this main character, Jo Beth, as she continues to work her beloved bloodhounds in the field. Working closely with her friend, and off and on love interest, Hank the sheriff, Jo Beth uses her bloodhounds to track an elderly lady who suffers from dementia, but is prone to wander off into the Okefenokee Swamp.
And she is also called upon to track Jimmy Joe Lane, an escaped convict, whose only major crime is that he keeps escaping and fleeing. Tracking him takes her once again deep into the swamp. The most engaging part of these stories is Jo Beth's love for her dogs, and how she and her staff train, care for and relate to these dogs.
This book has been on my to-read list for a number of years. It was published in 2004, and it was probably not too long after that that I purchased a used copy. The challenge presented in the group A Book for All Seasons, to read a book long on one's teetering pile, finally gave me the push I needed to get to this one.

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last installment of this series had me laughing out loud at the outlandish convict and his "budding" romance/love for Jo Beth. What a great book to end the series. Wish there were more to be had as I would love to read about the exploits of Jo Beth and her beloved bloodhounds.

[Nan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is sad - reading the last of the bloodhound books. Perhaps Ms Lanier suspected it would be, since she seemed to wrap up many of the ongoing questions - still - will sure miss more of these great stories. This one was even much better than the last. The books all have several story lines, so move along so well. You fall in love with the bloodhounds and all the characters are ones you could meet on any given day. Read all six - you will enjoy for sure!

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll miss Jo Beth, Wayne, Hank, and Bobby Lee. I'm so glad I found the series before my library system retired it.

[Anne, Unfinished Woman · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT

Sadly, this is the last installment of the series. Jo Beth is plagued by a man who has developed an obsession with her. He wants to marry her. He tells his family that he has a relationship with her, that they have been communicating for a long time, and he has the letters to prove it. He gets her to come to the prison from which he plans to escape soon. He is a repeat offender/escaper and has been in prison multiple times, the years piling up. She tells him he is nuts and goes about her business. However, Jimmy Joe Lane has no intention of giving up. He devises a way to get her to listen seriously. He kidnaps Bobby Lee, her beloved pet bloodhound. She has gone to his family to try to get their assistance, but they believe Jimmy and are prepared to ruin her if she does not marry him. They have the ceremony already planned. Other members of the family help by spiking her Frostie with rubbing alcoho;, and her nearly dying.

Additionally, Jo Beth has to reconcile her fear of using Bobby Lee on dangerous jobs. He is unhappy when he is left behind and doesn't understand. She eventually finds the tunnel to a bunker from their house and gets to Jimmy. They come to the agreement she will never use dogs to search for him in the future, she will support a new verse to the ballad that has been written for him, and the police come to arrest him, once again.

This series could have gone on and on for me. Each installment introduces new cultural issues of the South, and fascinating rescues. I will miss it.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This was a wonderful end to a series I’ve loved. There was action, adventure, peril, and a hospital scene. Plus dogs dogs dogs!!

The protagonist really isn’t that nice sometimes. She’s very loyal and does a lot of volunteer work but if she doesn’t like someone, on a one to one basis, she’s frequently a total bitch and quite immature.

But she’s real. And at least twice she referred to herself as a feminist. I’m sad that the author is no longer with us and there will be no more books, but this felt like the end of the series, not aborted in the middle.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alas!
This is the last book of the series!
I got really ticked at Jo Beth (the main character) in this book .. and I was not the only one! ... but I did like the HEA ending.
Good news: I get to read the three stories I missed (as soon as I can get my hands on them :)

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, this author sets me right there on the ranch and in the town in Georgia.

What a great writer. I am so sad that this was her last book before she passed away.

I will for sure miss her books and will always want more.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a particularly challenging mystery to figure out, but cute enough.

[Lynn Broxmeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of hers ive read. Wont be the last

[Karen Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book and a perfect end to the series!!

[Not Even A Mouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first bloodhound book and it’s a very cute story. I love the quirky humor.

[Brenda Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably my favorite of the series. It was suspenseful, heartwarming and intriguing.

[bobby · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was given to me as a gag gift last Christmas, and I only read it because I needed something easy and mindless to read between Emerson essays. That said, this book is a great reminder why I don’t usually dip my toes into the scummy pond of James Patterson-style crap fiction. This is a book written for people who don’t like to think when they read, the kind of book Twilight readers “graduate” to when they think they’ve grown up.

There's terrible prose, unlikable characters, and a plot that adds and then forgets at least one element each chapter. Unnecessary side-characters show up all the time to mention their problems and then go away when they're not needed anymore. Jo Beth's motivation changes, on several occasions, in a single page without any real explanation why. Lanier consistently assumes her readers aren't intelligent enough to understand straightforward human interactions, so she explains them for us in the next sentence. When Jasmine is going to go confront her terrible mama, Jo Beth gives her sage advice:

"'Don't get hurt,' I said, emphasizing each word carefully. Jasmine knew I wasn't referring to physical injury."

Thank you for letting us in on that masterful wordplay, Virginia. I had no idea you meant don't get hurt emotionally. This might seem like a middling criticism, but it happens all the time. By the end of the book, I was screaming "I GET IT" at the book whenever the narrator saw fit to explain something that didn't need to be explained.

I also can't understand how not one of the many, many five star reviews for this book missed (along with all of the crackerjack Southern law-enforcement characters) how they could have just used Bobby Lee's scent off of his collar and leash to track him and get to Jimmy Joe instead of wasting a week and several chapters looking for a shred of Jimmy Joe's clothing! When you spend the last quarter of the book consistently asking "why don't they just do this obvious thing instead of their ridiculous bullshit," it tends to distract from the narrative.

Finally, I will say that on an unintentionally humorous note, the inclusion of the line "Go to hell, Hank...no one tells me what to do with my bloodhounds" ranks right up there with "I am sick of these MOTHERFUCKING snakes on this MOTHERFUCKING plane!" It was the highlight of a truly awful book.

[Candice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Typical of Lanier's writing style; a fast read, mildly entertaining, although there were long verbose spaces of cheap, romance shtick that made me want to puke as a woman. Her depictions of the heroine as either tomboyish and "one of the guys" or dressing like a prostitute just 'cuz was unoriginal and sad. Each book was a repeat of the one before. The only redeeming quality were the dogs and when she put them to work. The caveat to the dog scenes is that Lanier's familiarity with the southern pine woods was obviously remiss. It was evident the woman may have lived in the woods but never ventured into them. Where she could have given credence to the novel, she either twisted it or fabricated it. Should've done more research into animal behavior and swamp, pine wildlife.

This one, like the others, is not worth keeping or rereading. Wished I had borrowed them instead of buying them. Fortunately they don't waste any space on my shelves as I gave or traded the books away.

[Katherine Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Virginia Lanier is beloved. I like the protagonist (mostly sort of), but man, I did not like the writing. The amount of exposition in this book is ridiculous. On the other hand, it worked for what I was using it for. I am playing with the idea of doing search and rescue or using dogs to find lost pets. Anyway, according to a fantastic website I found on dogs (sorry, can't remember right now which one), this book was recommended for its description of search and rescue. Those scenes were fantastic and so useful. She made it sound gritty and uncomfortable, and I still want to do it. Her discussion and descriptions of dogs was very good.

[Alissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the protagonist in this series, and even though I'm not a big dog lover, I found the bloodhound training to be fascinating.
I was sad this was the last in the series, since the author died and I really wanted to read more about Jo Beth.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the last book in this series because the author died. But it neatly wraps all parts of the story up. This was a great mystery series and it is sad to know it has ended with this satisfying piece.

[Deborah D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the final book in the series since Ms Lanier passed away after this one was written.

I truly wish there could be more, but I am not sure who could do justice to the passion for bloodhound skills, adventure and wildly diverse characters!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good mystery from the late Virginia Lanier and her adventures for searching missing people with the bloodhounds. One of her finest before she passed away a few years ago.

[Terrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying conclusion to the series.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this author started writing late in life and there aren't too many books in her series. It was a really good, fun book.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Hank, Bobby Lee comes into his own, Jasmine solves an old problem.

[Lindsey Smith]

Good series also very light

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fabulous ending to a wonderful series. As a bloodhound mama I thoroughly enjoyed the way she depicted this beautiful breed of dog. Sad that this was the last book.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love happy endings.

[Jiaparker1997gmail.Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK. It was the final book in the series before the author died, will miss her.

[Leslie Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series and hated it when the author died. But she wrapped it all up in this last book quite satisfactorily.

[Lj · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series and wish there were more - very fun