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A Dog and His Girl Mysteries #2
Dead Man's Best Friend
The second exciting installment of A Dog and His Girl Mysteries!
Cassie's mom, an exemplary officer and model of integrity, is suspended from the force pending an investigation--and won't say why. It's an awkward situation for the police, for the town, for the mayor, and especially for Cassie. Having her mom (who is dealing with her stress by micromanaging her family) home 24/7 is seriously cramping her style. To get her out of their hair, Cassie and Dodge take the case. They've got to clear Chief Sullivan's name, save her reputation, and get her back to work before she drives them all nuts.
The girl/dog detective duo has no idea what they are getting into. A "borrowed" police file reveals that Cassie's mom is being accused of negligence in ordering a raid that ended in the death of an officer. Cassie can't believe her mom would make that kind of mistake. But even harder to swallow is that fact that the officer who died was Dodge's first partner and the chief's brother in law...
Cassie's mom, an exemplary officer and model of integrity, is suspended from the force pending an investigation--and won't say why. It's an awkward situation for the police, for the town, for the mayor, and especially for Cassie. Having her mom (who is dealing with her stress by micromanaging her family) home 24/7 is seriously cramping her style. To get her out of their hair, Cassie and Dodge take the case. They've got to clear Chief Sullivan's name, save her reputation, and get her back to work before she drives them all nuts.
The girl/dog detective duo has no idea what they are getting into. A "borrowed" police file reveals that Cassie's mom is being accused of negligence in ordering a raid that ended in the death of an officer. Cassie can't believe her mom would make that kind of mistake. But even harder to swallow is that fact that the officer who died was Dodge's first partner and the chief's brother in law...
208 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 2013
About the author
Jane B. Mason
123 books102 followers Jane B. Mason grew up in a large family in northern Minnesota. She has written books for kids of all ages under many names and on many subjects, among them ghosts, Jedi, detective duos, princesses, twins, mean girls, and slam books.
Jane has lived in the midwest and on both coasts, but appears to have settled in Oakland, California, and writes almost every day at either a friend's dining room table or a little studio in her back yard, where she has a purple loveseat, a whole lotta books, and an odd selection of trinkets she has unwittingly been collecting since she was a child.
Jane has lived in the midwest and on both coasts, but appears to have settled in Oakland, California, and writes almost every day at either a friend's dining room table or a little studio in her back yard, where she has a purple loveseat, a whole lotta books, and an odd selection of trinkets she has unwittingly been collecting since she was a child.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 6, 2013
Very enjoyable reading, in fact, I was hooked at the first page and read it in one sitting. I admit that I'll read just about anything about dogs but I don't recommend all of them. I'm always happy to find a well-written children's book involving a dog: this one has a good story, realistic emotions, realistic danger, and nothing too unbelievable (the main canine character's initiative is a bit far-fetched but at that point in the book I really wanted to believe).
There are the obligatory positive teachings but they're not too heavy-handed: no one is completely good or bad, first impressions aren't always accurate, packs/families help each other, how one's talents can be really helpful to others, how dishonesty--even for a good reason--can be perceived by others, and how unpleasant people can sometimes become less unpleasant when we show them kindness.
What I thought most instructive for the juvenile reader--besides being well-written and not insulting to them--were different examples of how people deal with stress with believable scenes of tension in a family and between friends. Also helpful were realistic examples of dogs expressing emotions (shock, tension, defensiveness).
There are the obligatory positive teachings but they're not too heavy-handed: no one is completely good or bad, first impressions aren't always accurate, packs/families help each other, how one's talents can be really helpful to others, how dishonesty--even for a good reason--can be perceived by others, and how unpleasant people can sometimes become less unpleasant when we show them kindness.
What I thought most instructive for the juvenile reader--besides being well-written and not insulting to them--were different examples of how people deal with stress with believable scenes of tension in a family and between friends. Also helpful were realistic examples of dogs expressing emotions (shock, tension, defensiveness).
July 17, 2013
I enjoyed the first book in this series, and I liked this one even more. The story is told from the point if view of both Dodge (the dog) and Cassie (the girl), and it works surprisingly well. Dodge offers up a bit of humor and a different side to the story. Cassie is an adventurous and intelligent protagonist that is fun to read about.
The authors seem to have hit their stride with this second book. The characters are believable and the story draws the reader in. The mystery is well planned and nicely paced. It's a quick read that is perfect for kids ages 8 and up. This is precisely the type of book I loved as a kid, and the kind of book I'll be giving to my own children.
Content: Clean
My blog: Books for Kids
The authors seem to have hit their stride with this second book. The characters are believable and the story draws the reader in. The mystery is well planned and nicely paced. It's a quick read that is perfect for kids ages 8 and up. This is precisely the type of book I loved as a kid, and the kind of book I'll be giving to my own children.
Content: Clean
My blog: Books for Kids
October 1, 2013
Continue to adore this girl and dog detective duo. It is paws-down the best straight-to-paperback series I have read. I already have book three checked out!
October 3, 2016
humorous, thrilling, and thought-provoking! awesome!
October 27, 2013
I would give it three stars as a read-aloud.
This is a mystery involving a girl sleuth (Cassie), a police dog (Dodge) and a disgraced police chief (Cassie's mother). They are all working to solve the murder of Cassie's uncle, and to clear the police chief's good name.
The story is told from Cassie and Dodge's point of view, in alternating chapters. This is a fun element, especially since Dodge borrows the voice and scenarios from hard-boiled detective novels. He's all about protocol and facts...but can't help giving a juicy cheeseburger a second look. This humor will be more apparent to the suggested reader (grades 4-6), if this book is used as a read-aloud.
Likeable heroes and villains, a good pace and mystery, and just a touch of danger to appeal to the suggested reader.
This is a mystery involving a girl sleuth (Cassie), a police dog (Dodge) and a disgraced police chief (Cassie's mother). They are all working to solve the murder of Cassie's uncle, and to clear the police chief's good name.
The story is told from Cassie and Dodge's point of view, in alternating chapters. This is a fun element, especially since Dodge borrows the voice and scenarios from hard-boiled detective novels. He's all about protocol and facts...but can't help giving a juicy cheeseburger a second look. This humor will be more apparent to the suggested reader (grades 4-6), if this book is used as a read-aloud.
Likeable heroes and villains, a good pace and mystery, and just a touch of danger to appeal to the suggested reader.
March 11, 2015
I loved the first one, but this one is even better -- so much plotty goodness for a fourth-grade story. The doggy POV is well done, and the author does a good job telling the story alternating between his and Cassie's voices. I hope there will be more than three of these =)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews