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A Dog Lover's Mystery #8
Black Ribbon
IT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN TO A DOG....
Canine-loving detective Holly Winter is a columnist for Dog's Life magazine. She thinks a week at Waggin' Tail, a camp for canines in the scenic Maine woods, will be a vacation in pet heaven. So does Rowdy, her champion malamute--especially when there are pooches galore: mixed breeds, Pekes, cairn terriers, Labradors, shelties, and a gorgeous mastiff pup. But upon Holly's arrival at the camp, things swiftly go to the dogs. Instead of the advertised gourmet food, there's olive loaf and soggy pudding. The human campers are given to nasty back-stabbing. And Holly receives a black-edged card consoling her for the loss of her dog. Is this someone's sick idea of a joke?
Suddenly Waggin' Tail seems like the summer camp from hell. Then a dog owner turns up dead in a freak accident. The probable cause? The victim's own dog! Holly suspects a four-footed frame-up and with Rowdy sets out to find the real culprit. She's on the scent and closing fast--which makes her the perfect target for a killer whose bite is definitely worse than his bark.
Canine-loving detective Holly Winter is a columnist for Dog's Life magazine. She thinks a week at Waggin' Tail, a camp for canines in the scenic Maine woods, will be a vacation in pet heaven. So does Rowdy, her champion malamute--especially when there are pooches galore: mixed breeds, Pekes, cairn terriers, Labradors, shelties, and a gorgeous mastiff pup. But upon Holly's arrival at the camp, things swiftly go to the dogs. Instead of the advertised gourmet food, there's olive loaf and soggy pudding. The human campers are given to nasty back-stabbing. And Holly receives a black-edged card consoling her for the loss of her dog. Is this someone's sick idea of a joke?
Suddenly Waggin' Tail seems like the summer camp from hell. Then a dog owner turns up dead in a freak accident. The probable cause? The victim's own dog! Holly suspects a four-footed frame-up and with Rowdy sets out to find the real culprit. She's on the scent and closing fast--which makes her the perfect target for a killer whose bite is definitely worse than his bark.
287 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1994
About the author
Susan Conant
47 books147 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
(1)mysteries
Mother of author Jessica Park aka Jessica Conant-Park
The photo is of Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant, daughter and mother.
(1)mysteries
Mother of author Jessica Park aka Jessica Conant-Park
The photo is of Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant, daughter and mother.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 14, 2010
I can’t help but compare this author to Laurien Berenson, whose masterful mysteries about dog show enthusiast and amateur sleuth Melanie Travis are favorites of mine in the cozy mystery category. This author doesn’t even come close, alas.
As the book opens, dog trainer and amateur sleuth Holly Winter has been given the assignment to cover the opening of a new camp designed to give dog handlers and their dogs an opportunity to both relax and learn new skills during the week. The owner of the camp is a friend of Holly’s editor, and Holly has been assigned to cover the opening for the magazine where she freelances.
Things at the Waggin’ Tail camp seem to be going relatively well enough. It’s a nice little camp in a picturesque part of Maine, and while there are wrinkles and minor problems with the facilities, they can be chalked up to first-year issues.
But minutes after Holly and her Alaskan Malamute, Rowdy, have settled into their new cabin, Holly finds a sympathy note expressing sorrow for the loss of her dog. She is shaken by the note, as anyone might be, but attributes its presence to a mistake—a note sent thoughtfully by someone to the wrong cabin.
But other campers start getting sympathy notes as well, and one camper finds a stack of brochures from a funeral home that advertises coffins for human babies that are just right for pets, too.
Sounds like an auspicious beginning, right? Indeed, it is; the problem is the book moves rather painfully and slowly after that through a long series of experiences where you are introduced to other campers. One of them is a hateful shrew of a woman whose negativity and bitterness poison the entire camp. You’re nearly three quarters of the way through the book when the murder Holly must solve eventually happens—and that’s way, way too far down. The publisher could have successfully edited 30 percent of this book out at least and actually helped it.
Furthermore, this author’s ability to weave dog show facts among the plot is far less successful than Laurien Berenson. Berenson makes it seem so effortless, seamless, and easy—weaving facts about breeding and showing dogs amongst the details of her plot. With this author, it’s almost as if you’re forced to sit through a series of commercials before getting back to the plot; only in this case, the parenthetical information deals with dog shows, judges, obedience trials, and more. It’s more jargon than you get from Laurien Berenson, and quite frankly, I found it much harder to relate to Holly Winter and care about whether she succeeded than I did Berenson’s Melanie Travis. The exception to that is a rather suspenseful experience where Holly is nearly drowned by a late-night assailant who lures her into the lake.
Worse yet, the major villain in this book, the woman who is ultimately murdered, is so over the top it feels as if you’ve tuned into Disney’s sequel to 101 Dalmatians. Yes, kids, Cruela DeVille is back in the form of bitter, cantankerous Eva Spitteler, whose negativity is so blatant that by the time she’s murdered, you wonder whether you could have gotten into the book somehow to do it yourself. The villain babe’s characterization is so ridiculously flat and uncomplicated and yes, exaggerated that you actually find yourself hoping she’s the one who dies, and soon. Alas, you’re stuck with her for some three quarters of the book. Unfortunately, her profanity detracts from the book as well, and only after she dies does the profanity lessen while the book's interest index grows. The bottom line is, I’m not going to remember this plot 10 minutes after I’ve put the final bit of punctuation on this review. The other book by this author, Gaits of Heaven, is actually a better one.
As the book opens, dog trainer and amateur sleuth Holly Winter has been given the assignment to cover the opening of a new camp designed to give dog handlers and their dogs an opportunity to both relax and learn new skills during the week. The owner of the camp is a friend of Holly’s editor, and Holly has been assigned to cover the opening for the magazine where she freelances.
Things at the Waggin’ Tail camp seem to be going relatively well enough. It’s a nice little camp in a picturesque part of Maine, and while there are wrinkles and minor problems with the facilities, they can be chalked up to first-year issues.
But minutes after Holly and her Alaskan Malamute, Rowdy, have settled into their new cabin, Holly finds a sympathy note expressing sorrow for the loss of her dog. She is shaken by the note, as anyone might be, but attributes its presence to a mistake—a note sent thoughtfully by someone to the wrong cabin.
But other campers start getting sympathy notes as well, and one camper finds a stack of brochures from a funeral home that advertises coffins for human babies that are just right for pets, too.
Sounds like an auspicious beginning, right? Indeed, it is; the problem is the book moves rather painfully and slowly after that through a long series of experiences where you are introduced to other campers. One of them is a hateful shrew of a woman whose negativity and bitterness poison the entire camp. You’re nearly three quarters of the way through the book when the murder Holly must solve eventually happens—and that’s way, way too far down. The publisher could have successfully edited 30 percent of this book out at least and actually helped it.
Furthermore, this author’s ability to weave dog show facts among the plot is far less successful than Laurien Berenson. Berenson makes it seem so effortless, seamless, and easy—weaving facts about breeding and showing dogs amongst the details of her plot. With this author, it’s almost as if you’re forced to sit through a series of commercials before getting back to the plot; only in this case, the parenthetical information deals with dog shows, judges, obedience trials, and more. It’s more jargon than you get from Laurien Berenson, and quite frankly, I found it much harder to relate to Holly Winter and care about whether she succeeded than I did Berenson’s Melanie Travis. The exception to that is a rather suspenseful experience where Holly is nearly drowned by a late-night assailant who lures her into the lake.
Worse yet, the major villain in this book, the woman who is ultimately murdered, is so over the top it feels as if you’ve tuned into Disney’s sequel to 101 Dalmatians. Yes, kids, Cruela DeVille is back in the form of bitter, cantankerous Eva Spitteler, whose negativity is so blatant that by the time she’s murdered, you wonder whether you could have gotten into the book somehow to do it yourself. The villain babe’s characterization is so ridiculously flat and uncomplicated and yes, exaggerated that you actually find yourself hoping she’s the one who dies, and soon. Alas, you’re stuck with her for some three quarters of the book. Unfortunately, her profanity detracts from the book as well, and only after she dies does the profanity lessen while the book's interest index grows. The bottom line is, I’m not going to remember this plot 10 minutes after I’ve put the final bit of punctuation on this review. The other book by this author, Gaits of Heaven, is actually a better one.
September 26, 2022
Interesting addition to this series. Conant spends a lot of time on long run on sentences that just go on and on about things that have nothing to do with solving the mystery.
November 9, 2011
I couldn't finish this book. It has way too much dog show description for the average reader. The appeal is very limited and I am glad it was a library book so it didn't cost anything.
May 5, 2023
Not a favorite for several reasons.
The author appeared to think that in telling her story it was imperative to impart also the information about what raising and showing dogs is all about. ALL the information. Where one name or two of an industry journal would do, she listed a dozen. Where an explanation of dog show scoring was called for, she listed each facet of dog shows and the rules governing and how they differ. About 3/4 of the way through I started skipping the industry filler in order to concentrate on the actual story.
Unfortunately the victim was labeled so from the get go. Not one redeeming quality was possessed by her. The author made her obnoxious, boring, conniving, a bad dresser, a loud mouth and worst of all a bad dog handler. Apparently the reader was supposed to wish her dead along with the main character by the time the murder succeeded.
Lastly, after the attempt on the main character’s life, the fallout and denouement were so hurried, superficial and unrealistic, it really bothered me.
Still it was readable despite the above.
The author appeared to think that in telling her story it was imperative to impart also the information about what raising and showing dogs is all about. ALL the information. Where one name or two of an industry journal would do, she listed a dozen. Where an explanation of dog show scoring was called for, she listed each facet of dog shows and the rules governing and how they differ. About 3/4 of the way through I started skipping the industry filler in order to concentrate on the actual story.
Unfortunately the victim was labeled so from the get go. Not one redeeming quality was possessed by her. The author made her obnoxious, boring, conniving, a bad dresser, a loud mouth and worst of all a bad dog handler. Apparently the reader was supposed to wish her dead along with the main character by the time the murder succeeded.
Lastly, after the attempt on the main character’s life, the fallout and denouement were so hurried, superficial and unrealistic, it really bothered me.
Still it was readable despite the above.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2018
Ok this was my all time favorite book in high school. I hadn't read it in 16 or 17 years so i was worried it wouldn't quite hold up to my memory but WOW it was good. Actually reading it now as an adult was even better- I'm ~ the same age as the protagonist and we BOTH are dog magazine writers which .... was something I didn't remember.
This book is filled with intense and deep dog details /humor/ dog sport commentary and it was pretty much everything I want from a cheesy novel. but if you don't deeply love dogs this book might bore you. However it probably is solidly in my top 10 favorite books of all time.
negatives:
some fatphobia
some ageplay-phobic subtle comments about one of the couples at camp
This book is filled with intense and deep dog details /humor/ dog sport commentary and it was pretty much everything I want from a cheesy novel. but if you don't deeply love dogs this book might bore you. However it probably is solidly in my top 10 favorite books of all time.
negatives:
some fatphobia
some ageplay-phobic subtle comments about one of the couples at camp
December 26, 2017
I gave this book a valient go. I picked it randomly to broaden my collection. I have read about half way through and all I have achieved was learning about dog show rules, and that people in the story a very petty. The story is about three days in and nothing is happening. No characher seems to have any purpose except to annoy other characters. I can't find the mystery in it and it has lost my interest.
September 27, 2017
I've read Susan Conant's Mal mysteries in the past & liked them for their breezy, entertainment-lite escapism. However, this book gave me the distinct impression the author was being paid by the word. There's certainly no mystery here.
January 30, 2017
I usually like these little mysteries a lot more, but this one felt like a recitation of AKC rules and regulations with tiny snippets of actual storyline interspersed.
January 25, 2018
It's been a while since I read this series, but this book was the one where the author's enchantment with show dog and breeder people clearly started to wane.
February 15, 2024
A truly good read. Not a single cringe factor for me personally. In fact, I could not wait for the rotten person to get killed. I love it when the person who dies is awful. I am so glad no dogs were endangered even for a second. This is a favourite of Conant's so far.
Canine-loving detective Holly Winter is a columnist for Dog's Life magazine. She thinks a week at Waggin' Tail, a camp for canines in the scenic Maine woods, will be a vacation in pet heaven. So does Rowdy, her champion malamute--especially when there are pooches galore: mixed breeds, Pekes, cairn terriers, Labradors, shelties, and a gorgeous mastiff pup. But upon Holly's arrival at the camp, things swiftly go to the dogs. Instead of the advertised gourmet food, there's olive loaf and soggy pudding. The human campers are given to nasty back-stabbing. And Holly receives a black-edged card consoling her for the loss of her dog. Is this someone's sick idea of a joke?
Suddenly Waggin' Tail seems like the summer camp from hell. Then a dog owner turns up dead in a freak accident. The probable cause? The victim's own dog! Holly suspects a four-footed frame-up and with Rowdy sets out to find the real culprit. She's on the scent and closing fast--which makes her the perfect target for a killer whose bite is definitely worse than his bark.
Canine-loving detective Holly Winter is a columnist for Dog's Life magazine. She thinks a week at Waggin' Tail, a camp for canines in the scenic Maine woods, will be a vacation in pet heaven. So does Rowdy, her champion malamute--especially when there are pooches galore: mixed breeds, Pekes, cairn terriers, Labradors, shelties, and a gorgeous mastiff pup. But upon Holly's arrival at the camp, things swiftly go to the dogs. Instead of the advertised gourmet food, there's olive loaf and soggy pudding. The human campers are given to nasty back-stabbing. And Holly receives a black-edged card consoling her for the loss of her dog. Is this someone's sick idea of a joke?
Suddenly Waggin' Tail seems like the summer camp from hell. Then a dog owner turns up dead in a freak accident. The probable cause? The victim's own dog! Holly suspects a four-footed frame-up and with Rowdy sets out to find the real culprit. She's on the scent and closing fast--which makes her the perfect target for a killer whose bite is definitely worse than his bark.
August 10, 2010
I've read other books by this author but years ago because our local bookstore stopped carrying her books. I don't recall her other books being as rooted in the dog show world as this one, and those roots really limit the audience who I could imagine reading through to the end. As someone who has watched the Westminster Dog Show for nearly 20 years and watches many other professional dog-related programs, I know a good bit about showing dogs and what goes into it, but the dog-show-speak was often well over my head.
In terms of storyline, there was a lot of backstory before the actual 'mystery' alluded to in the description occurs, leaving maybe half the book to flesh out the whole thing. I found it to be a weak 'mystery' overall, and the resolution was so rooted in 'dog show' that unless you could pick up subtle and specific clues earlier in the book, there was no way to come up with the 'why', and even after the author spelled it out, I still didn't really 'get' it.
In terms of storyline, there was a lot of backstory before the actual 'mystery' alluded to in the description occurs, leaving maybe half the book to flesh out the whole thing. I found it to be a weak 'mystery' overall, and the resolution was so rooted in 'dog show' that unless you could pick up subtle and specific clues earlier in the book, there was no way to come up with the 'why', and even after the author spelled it out, I still didn't really 'get' it.
March 18, 2008
This was actually the first of the series, that I read, and I found it highly amusing, and very intriguing- with lots of dog world -related tidbits that were recognizable and added to the entertainment.
I was pleased when a friend informed me of Conant's dog/detective series. Growing up with a grandmother who devoured every "The Cat Who..." story, which never interested me, I have long wanted dog-themed books of same.
The author does not disappoint. The books are witty, informational, and quick-reads, without being too predictable.
I was pleased when a friend informed me of Conant's dog/detective series. Growing up with a grandmother who devoured every "The Cat Who..." story, which never interested me, I have long wanted dog-themed books of same.
The author does not disappoint. The books are witty, informational, and quick-reads, without being too predictable.
January 22, 2013
This is another enjoyable mystery in the slightly nutty setting of dog show folks. This one is set at a summer dog camp, which sounds like loads of fun. Most of the book is about the activities, participants and dogs, with the murder of a participant showing up in chapter 21. I am going to find out if there is such a camp in western WA, sounds like terrific fun. Since I have done a little agility I was pleased to have a good understanding of the lethal equipment. Class members used to have to help disassemble and store the equipment, and now it came in handy!
December 17, 2015
There were a lot of references to AKC rules and regulations that might be overkill for some, but I found it interesting that there are differences in rules for the different types of judges. The murder came a bit late and the final "solution" want as satisfying as in other books but I read these books because of the relationship between Holly and her malamutes, Rowdy and Kimi. Being a multiple dog parent, I can empathize with her love and fears for her fur kid. in that respect this book was fulfilling.
Read
October 2, 2015This book didn't even rate one star. Says that this is a "dog lover's mystery" and yet the author and the narrator clearly hate dogs (although they claim to love them, their actions betray them). It takes forever for someone to finally die and the mystery to properly begin. There's also a long, embarrassing rant against Elizabeth Marshal Thomas. Has an unsatisfactory ending. This is the only one of the series I read and will not bother with any more.
November 20, 2007
This is the latest one in this series I have completed. It's a fun read, and it did keep me guessing on 'who-did-it' to a point. I don't find the characters in this series as engaging as in others (The Cat Who..., Laurien Berenson series) but the lead character, Holly, is smart and interesting and since the series is set in Cambridge, and New England in general, it's a nice touch of home for me.
February 14, 2015
In the 8th installment of Susan Conant's Dog Lovers Mystery series, Black Ribbon, Holly Winter, Rowdy and Kimi return to another dog-loving mystery. When Holly and Rowdy enjoyed some time on Waggin' Tail Camp, she received a sympathy card about her other Alaskan Malamute, Kimi. Now it was up to her to find it, if it was some sick joke, or was her dog really in jeopardy?
December 10, 2018
Like usual... lots of dog stuff means high rating for me!
This is one of my favorites in the series because I love the amount of dog things. However, I always feel a little frustrated because the murder is so... random. No one would actually do that.
This is one of my favorites in the series because I love the amount of dog things. However, I always feel a little frustrated because the murder is so... random. No one would actually do that.
April 23, 2016
Enjoyed the book. The author is a bit wordy, and some of the dog information is compacted a bit (no dog learns agility weaves in 10 minutes!!!, like that's going to happen.), but the story is good, and I liked the characters.
November 2, 2014
This was long on details of dog shows and light on mystery and entertainment. The murder didn't happen until page 200. I think even a dog show enthusiast would find this one difficult to slog through. I've got the next in the series and i'm not sure I'm ready to open it up and give it a try.
November 2, 2009
Another doggy mystery. In this one, the murder as almost near the end. Again, learned lots about showing dogs and show dogs.
March 23, 2011
Yes, I love dogs - animals really but this is for the intensive dog lovers. I struggled to keep up with the dog terms used throughout the book but if you are into "Show Dogs" you might enjoy it.
March 31, 2011
good thing I saw a dog show so I could visualize breeds and handling, culprit got away
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews