Detective Trigger and the Ruby Collar

Detective Trigger #1

by M.A. Owens

He’s on the trail of a crooked cat. Can our doggy detective make this crime their last meow?

Four-legged private eye Trigger wishes someone would throw him a bone. Without a case to solve, the quick-witted Chihuahua is stuck digging for leftovers in a city run by criminals. So he thinks his luck has changed when a classy purebred dame hires him to find a priceless stolen collar.

With his client insisting that an infamous master thief took the jewel-studded accessory, Trigger sniffs around for clues. But what he digs up is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take down the city’s wicked feline kingpin…

Can Trigger restore law and order, or is he barking up the wrong tree?

Detective Trigger and the Ruby Collar is the first book in a best-selling middle-grade mystery series. If you and your child like clever animals, stories about private eyes, and canine heroes, then you’ll both love M.A. Owens’ hairy whodunit.

Genres: Middle Grade, Animals, Mystery

224 pages, Paperback

Published August 18, 2019

About the author

M.A. Owens lives in rural Virginia with his wife, daughter, and a whole bunch of dogs and cats. When not writing you may find him reading, sucked into a computer game, or lost in the Appalachian wilderness.

Reviews

[Anston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detective Trigger and the Ruby Collar. Read 2-3. Reviewed 2-4

M.A. Owens has caught my attention. 90% of the books I try went into the trash bin. M.A. Owens was not in that 90%.

TWIST - I loved the twist. The mystery with dogs and kittens was fascinating. Unoriginal and good. Fantastic for kitten and dog fans who love mysteries!

SUSPENSE - The amount of tension helped. I loved what was happening—traitors all over the place that you wouldn’t suspect.

CHARACTERS - I loved the characters, especially the main character: Trigger. They were well-developed, and the personality matched.

PLOT - I loved the story; with Mr. B (main antagonist), it was catching. I wanted to know what was going to happen. Was it Mr. B? Was it the maid?

MYSTERY - The mystery was very well planned. I liked how the reader could play along and try to solve it themselves.

COURT - I loved the court part in the last chapters. The author made it in a way that I could understand how the court worked.

RATING OUT OF 100 - 90. Why not 95? The dogs and kittens jumbled me a bit, but otherwise, it was terrific. And no book can be perfect. I highly recommend this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let’s be honest here, the cover caught my eye. I love dogs. A detective in a world with dogs and cats instead of people? Yes, please.


A classy female dog hires detective Trigger to look for her missing priceless collar. The search does not go easy and after quite a bumpy ride, he finds himself presented with an opportunity to take down the city’s biggest feline criminal.


The atmosphere is interestingly enough a bit grimmer than I expected and it works like a charm to set the tone of the story, making it feel a bit like a pulp fiction private eye book. It never gets too dark though, this is still a fun book about cats and dogs. I would actually have liked a little more fun or even some comedy regarding the people all being cats and dogs, but that is just a minor gripe and a personal preference.


While I do believe the plot could have benefitted from being a bit more straight-forward as there were quite a few plot-threads to follow, all the separate plot-threads are thankfully kept pretty simple, with the occasional twist of course.


Quite an interesting and enjoyable detective story with cats and dogs.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, the cover is what drew me in and I really enjoyed the characters and their storylines. I look forward to reading more in this series and other works from this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Loralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful!

This is a book whose target audience is young kids. But honestly, adults would like it just as much. Especially if they’re dog lovers. Trigger is a one-eyed chihuahua in a city populated by anthropomorphic dogs and cats. He’s a private detective trying to navigate through corruption, big cat mob bosses, and his own overdue rent. It had the feel and style of those old gum shoe detective stories, complete with the dramatic entrance of a damsel in distress into the protagonist’s dusty office at the beginning. I enjoyed the back and forth between the protagonist and others, and the tongue in cheek humor. Overall, a fun book.

[Kym · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this fun private eye story for middle grade readers, all the characters are dogs and cats, and the narrative is a tongue-in-cheek nod to the classic hard-nosed detectives seen in television and movie portrayals.

Detective Trigger is a ex-police chihuahua with a humorously cynical outlook on life and crime. He knows that the notoriously powerful crime boss in the city, Mr. B, has the mayor and a lot of police under his thumb, and he figures there's not much anyone can do about it. He's just doing the best he can with the small cases that come his way. So when a dame from the better part of town hires him to find a stolen family heirloom, he initially thinks it's a simple case and pretty easy money, but things get . . . interesting pretty quickly.

Trigger's investigation leads him to a string of burglaries in the swankiest section of the city and into all kinds of dangerous situations. He gets a little help along the way from a master thief, a couple of the remaining good guys on the police force, and some surprising allies. Throw in a bit of luck, and Trigger's own quick wits and sardonic commentary, and this is a detective story with a great balance of suspense and humor. It may be intended for middle grade readers, but as an adult I was entertained from beginning to end.

There is some violence, as you might expect in a private eye versus ruthless crime boss story, but it has a comic book flavor to it because it's cats and dogs fighting it out.

It's extremely well written, and is entertaining for adults as well as kids, and I am looking forward to Trigger's further adventures.

**I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.**

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Hey, that was a pretty good book! I wasn't sure what to expect from a chihuahua detective, but I ended up really enjoying this first book in the series. The style of the book reminded me of some of the old hardnosed/pulp fiction novels, with talk of foxy dames coming into your office, with the worn detective just trying to fight the system. Except the detective is a one-eyed chihuahua and that totally cracks me up. There is quite a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor that adds to the atmosphere and had me laughing at times. The world is one where cats and dogs live uneasily next to each other, are there are politics involved in different districts about who runs what. There's also a mob-style boss who runs the show in one of the districts and there are a few (very few) police with integrity who are still trying to do the right thing. There were a few minor editing issues I noticed with the book, but otherwise, it reads just fine. I think this would be great for middle school kids and above, but I also enjoyed it quite a bit.

Special thanks to #MAOwens, #BookSirens, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sharon Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than cats and Dogs!

This book was a really nice change from what I usually read. I am recommending this to my grandchildren for nice summer reading. I just purchased the entire series I want to see what Det. Trigger is up to next.

[Loralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book whose target audience is young kids. But honestly, adults would like it just as much. Especially if they’re dog lovers. Trigger is a one-eyes chihuahua in a city populated by anthropomorphic dogs and cats. He’s a private detective trying to navigate through corruption, big cat mob bosses, and his own overdue rent. It had the feel and style of those old gum shoe detective stories, complete with the dramatic entrance of a damsel in distress into the protagonist’s dusty office at the beginning. I enjoyed the back and forth between the protagonist and others, and the tongue in cheek humor. Overall, a fun book.

[Sylvie Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice and funny book, adults will like it too!!!

4 stars because it would be great if Mr Owens had included a quizz at the end of this book, as it is part of a series, and I find it has everything to become a nice learning tool. In this time of confinement having a great book, that would be interesting for all generations in the family, plus becoming a learning experience for all it would be awesome. It would be nice to discuss during our Internet family get together.

This is what I call a multi generations one, a rare find! I almost didn't get this book due to the age rate 8-18yrs for a Senior it is a bit of a downside. But after reading reviews on Amazon and the book being a Free Kindle edition I decided to give it a chance. I'm a big fan of detective's story, if there is an animal involved the better, beside it was only 222 pages, so a short read for me.

The best part is that isn't written in the Cozy mystery style where pets are playing a part in the human's investigation. No we find ourselves in a world where the animals are the only inhabitants, not a sci-fi one either. The story is interesting and full of intrigues, truly well written, the plot does make sense, the characters are plausible and fit in the story perfectly, the suspense is keeping you turning page, as it is quite captivating.

I've been an avid reader since I 1st learned to read at age 4, 61 years ago. In grade 5 I started volunteering at the school's library, kept doing it any library I could, while having a demanding career, that often forced me to travel. But the one constant in my life has always been my love or reading, and helping others discover that a good book, is often the only true friend you have, to help you escape to a better world if only for a few moments. We presently have 3 generations of avid readers in the family, + a very promising 4th one, and of course we all try to "infect" others with the reading bug 👍👍👍

So I'll be following you Mr. M.A. Owens your writing style is worth it, and quite refreshing. Now do think about adding a questionnaire at the end, and having your books translated.... a VIP team of readers ....

[Remy G · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first entry of author M.A. Owens’ Detective Trigger series opens with the one-eyed Chihuahua private investigator, Trigger, into whose office another member of his breed, Lily, reporting the thievery of the eponymous ruby collar. In the meantime, a beagle named Rico wants to hire Trigger as well to take down a cat named Mr. B. Afterward, someone vandalizes the grocery store of a cat named Clive, who gives Trigger his backstory. Furthermore, Trigger is behind on his rent, with the owner of his office’s building, the pug Charlie, demanding he become current on his rent, which the detective is able to satisfy after acquiring some income.

The series occurs in a world inhabited strictly by dogs and cats, with the latter initially being inequal, and while they had since received equal rights, they’re still wary of canines, definitely a reflection of real-life society. Trigger gets into several fights with various dogs and cats throughout the book, occasionally blacking out, whilst seeking the ruby collar. He visits various suspects and witnesses as well, with a feline named Sugarplum aiding him during his investigation. The identity of Mr. B ultimately comes to light, and the story climaxes with a trial during its concluding chapters.

All in all, this was a fairly enjoyable beginning to the Detective Trigger series, with fairly-short chapters that make it easily readable in small chunks. There’s also indication as to what the species and breeds of dogs are, although more often than not those of the cats are a bit ambiguous. Reminders as to the species and breeds would have been welcome as well, since the book doesn’t have the capability for readers to highlight names and get more information about them. Regardless, the mystery of who exactly usurped the titular ruby collar ultimately receives resolution, and I would definitely continue reading this series.

[Nira Ramachandran · Rating 4 out of 5]

The adventures of hard-boiled private investigators, likes of Sam Spade have fascinated readers over the decades. Battle scarred yet ruggedly handsome, quick with their fists, but with a soft spot for damsels in distress, private detectives have a universal appeal. And Detective Trigger is no exception. But he has one special quality that sets him apart- He is a tiny, one-eyed Chihuahua. With a ramshackle office in a rundown building in the Black District, the squalid, poorest section of Arc City, this ex-police officer, Trigger, is struggling to eke out a living, when a beautiful, classy Chihuahua girl, steps in and hires him to find her missing ruby collar. Desperate to pay his rent, Trigger grabs the offer. The suspect is Master-thief Rico. It never rains but it pours. A little later, in steps the untraceable Rico, the Beagle master-thief, who offers him yet another assignment: to take down the mysterious Mister B, who runs the City with his wealth and muscle power. His is the hand behind every business, every nightclub, movie theatre and casino, and he controls almost every policedog in both the Black District and upscale Adria, a fenced off, heavily guarded rich dog and cat haven. In return, Rico promises him the “Ruby Collar” and a substantive fee. Then follow a series of adventures, tracking down the master criminal. An enjoyable read with special “Doggie” touches, like the most popular restaurant in Adria offering only milk, strawberries and raw fish on its menu, cats being treated as second rate citizens, not allowed to join the police force or to vote, the sneaky Bad Kitty, who can knock you out with a precise “pawchop”. A book to enjoy, and there are more adventures to follow.

[Johanna]

This had really nice atmosphere, where we have a private detective trying to fight against the corruption - that familiar story from many books & movies before. I liked our MC, who had really good & big heart.

This story was entertaining, but also a bit confusing. There were happening so many things and there were twist after twist. I still liked this more than disliked. I think the second one would be easier to read because then some things & characters are already familiar and you know better what to wait for. I was waiting for more hilarious story, representing differences between cats & dogs. This wasn't what I expected this to be, but I enjoyed nevertheless.

[Gary Challand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Always reading deep mysteries and action adventure types, this was a nice pleasant read. I will read the other Trigger novels as well. Good stuff, I recommend this book for anyone looking for a light hearted romp.

[Lyn Moffett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute little story about talking cats and dogs in their own business being extorted by the hard cheese Mr B , who is slippier than an eel an never gets his hands dirty, till one day he makes a mistake. Read on to find out what happens.

[sharath]

A very valuable and generous story

The story was well written, the words were heart touching, there was a nice way of making us feel as the character thats why I give it a 5 star rating

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

👍👍

The complexity yet innocence found within a children's book will always amaze me. This read was quick and easy, but utterly powerful at the same time. I love reading to my children, especially when it's something meaningful and worthwhile.

[Danielle Zuto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes

Entertaining from beginning to end! I can't state one thing I dislike about this!!
It's just yes, that's my answer.

[Luke]

This is what happens when you let your kid share your Kindle library.

[Rhiannon Rickets -Dellar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have DNF’d this book ( Did Not Finish) as I couldn’t get into the book. From what I did read the characters and plot are good and the concept of character being animals is good.