The Dog Who Knew Too Much

Rachel Alexander & Dash #2

by Carol Lea Benjamin

"Mystery fans should hope that This Dog for Hire is only the first of a large litter". -- John LutzCarol Lea Benjamin's second Rachel and Dash mystery, set again in New York's Greenwich Village, fulfills all the promise of the first. Hired to investigate the suicide of a young woman whose family needs to find some understanding of why their daughter died, Rachel not only moves into the dead woman's apartment, but very much into her life as a student of the martial arts. From the dojo where she studied to the health clubs and restaurants that dot the Village, Rachel begins to develop the picture of a young woman with too much to offer to too many. Accompanied by Dashiell, her pit bull, Rachel's search for answers leads her through a maze of riddles worthy of a Zen master, and depends as much on human nature as on the nature of a popular breed of dog.

"Carol Lea Benjamin is as good at writing mysteries as she is at writing about dogs. The writing is as gritty and edgy as the location, with a good dollop of humor thrown in". -- Laurien Berenson, author of Underdog

"A spirited debut, written with enough flair to make it appealing to more than just dog lovers. And Benjamin writes with a wit nearly as sharp as Dash's teeth". -- Publishers Weekly

"Not nearly as arch as most dog or cat mysteries...the descriptions ring true...you will find Benjamin's work first-rate". -- Cleveland Plain Dealer

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Dogs, Animals, Crime, Cozy Mystery, Detective

207 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

A noted dog trainer and former detective, Carol Lea Benjamin is the author of books on canine behavior and training as well as the Rachel Alexander and Dash mystery series. She has been honored by the International Association of Canine Professionals with her election to their Hall of Fame. Ms. Benjamin lives in Greenwich Village with her husband and their dogs.

Reviews

[Mike Finn]

I read and enjoyed the first Rachel Alexander and Dash Mystery, ‘This Dog For Hire’(1996) six years ago. I’d meant to carry on with the series, but for some obscure reason, the rest of the series wasn’t available in the UK as an audiobook. I picked up 'The Dog Who Knew Too Much' (1997) when it was released in the UK as an audiobook in 2025. I'm glad I did. It was great entertainment. Dina Pearlman was the perfect narrator for this, and she performed it with gusto.

Although this might appear to be a cosy mystery (Cute title, dog trainer turned unlicensed PI as the heroine, Pit Bull called Dashiell as her 'partner'), 'The Dog Who Knew Too Much' doesn't set out to amuse or even to make the reader comfortable. The death at the centre of the story is a tragedy for everybody touched by it. Their grief, guilt and anger are real and powerful. 

The people in the story are vividly drawn. The dialogue felt authentic, especially when Rachel was meeting with David and Marsha Jacobs, which, given that they were the parents of the young woman who may or may not have committed suicide, was heart-wrenching. 

The suspect pool, assuming a crime had been committed, was small, but the characters were diverse, and more than one of them had something to conceal. 

The practice of Tai Chi was so well described that it made me want to seek out a class so I could learn to slip into that disciplined meditation on motion. 

What I liked most about the book was the journey it took Rachel on. She chooses to investigate the death by literally living in the dead woman's shoes. She lives in her condo, wears her clothes and attends her Tai Chi studio. As she does this, she reflects on her own experience of grief, loss and betrayal. I learned as much about Rachel as I did about the people she was investigating. 

The mystery was a good one, but it's the people whom I'll remember.

[Janice]

This is the second book in the Rachel Alexander and Dash mystery series.

Rachel is called in to investigate the apparent suicide of a tai chi teacher. Apparently this involves Rachel stepping totally into this other woman's life, sleeping in her apartment, wearing her clothes and jewelry, and stepping into her spot as apprentice to the main teacher at the tai chi studio where Lisa (the dead woman) trained.

I thought all that was a little creepy, honestly. I kinda didn't buy how fast she progressed in tai chi and various other physical pursuits she undertakes. But maybe that's because I've never been very athletic, and the one time I tried a tai chi class, I learned S-O S-L-O-O-O-O-W-L-Y that I never really mastered even the basics. :(

And then, when she had her answers, she just ... drops it all. Ok. Ooookay.

It just seemed weird to me, in an uncomfortable way. And Rachel really doesn't seem to care for Akitas. (Full disclosure: I owned an Akita in the 80s. She was A Good Dog.)

Not really bad, but not my favorite so far. And yes, I read the 1st, 2nd, and 7th books pretty much back to back in about 4 days.

[C.J. Prince]

I picked up the first three books in this series at Half Price Books in Seattle, one of my favorite stops. The first book offered some character disappointments but in book two, I found P.I. Rachel Alexander had found her niche.

As she researches the murder of a dead woman, she assumes her identity, wearing her clothes, perfume, scarf and begins to study Tai Chi. She is an incredibly fast learner in the ancient Chinese martial art (my personal observation) and becomes the favored student as was the murdered woman.

Yes, there is something a bit creepy about this which makes it all the more intriguing when the former boyfriend shows up.

Always in Carol Lea Benjamin's books, there is great character development of the dogs.

I like series and watching characters evolve. I look forward to reading more in this series.

[Shomeret]

I wanted to read it for the Tai Chi content which was mildly interesting to me. It was being taught from a Zen Buddhist perspective. As I understand it, Tai Chi is Taoist which is far more ancient than Buddhism. Someone who is interested in the melding of Tai Chi and Zen Buddhism might rate this book more highly than I did.

Based on the title and the fact that the author is a dog trainer, I expected the book to be more centrally about dogs than it turned out to be. So I can't recommend it to people who love dog mysteries.

[Devi]

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book in the series. Often seemed the author was trying to make the story more complicated than it needed to be.

[Bruce Retallack]

There is a dog in this story. Two in fact. And that always appeals to me. In this case, however, the dogs ar, well, just dogs. Lovely enough, but they really have nothing to do with solving the mystery and hardly deserve co-billing.
That of course, isn't really a big problem. What is a big problem is the interminable, detailed, and repetitive explanation about tai chi. I'm sure it's a wonderful practice, but I bought a mystery novel, don't you know. Also, our heroine's decision to wear the victim's clothes and jewelry and sleep in her bed is a tad creepy, as far as I'm concerned.
Just not my cup of tea all around.

[Donna]

I'm liking this series but not loving it yet. The dog aspect is understated which I like. Dash is just a dog--he doesn't talk, doesn't detect on his own--he's a companion. The plot was good but the tai chi angle was a bit overdone. The oddest part to me and what knocked it down one star was Rachel wearing the victim's clothing and jewelry and sleeping in her bed--just weird and creepy and unnecessary. I'm in for the next book though.

[Raucous]

I typically don't read much mystery but this one was recommended to me because of the Tai Chi angle. The Tai Chi in the book felt surprisingly authentic as, of course, did the dog training aspects. Good boy! I was a bit put off by the way that the main character manipulated the suspects as part of her investigation and some of the coincidental meetings were hard to believe (this is NYC!), but that may just be me not knowing the genre or the city. Overall I still really enjoyed the book.

[Toni Maddi]

I liked the titles of this series, I mean, who can resist a book called "The Long Good Boy"? I read the first book and liked it enough to get the second one. Unfortunately, it didn't hold my interest. I finished it just to see who the killer was. I almost stopped at page 158 where the author used "jive" instead of "jibe". Seriously? Her Editor didn't even catch the error? I

[Pamela]

This was so bad on so many levels. First of all, the way the MC moves into the victim’s, her cousin’s, life—wearing her clothes, living in her apartment, etc—is beyond creepy. Then, while borrowing her cousin’s life and supposedly being a detective, she doesn’t bother to go through the her mail or listen to phone messages. In addition, the writing is clunky and clumsy.

Just. Plain. Bad.

[Gaenolee]

Great Female NYC mystery

I thoroughly enjoyed this, as a woman married to a N'Yawkah, as a Tai Chi teacher, and as a big mystery lover. My main quibble is as to WHICH version of Tai Chi they were doing.

[Lois Johnson]

Excellent book

Wow. This was my first book of Ms. Benjamin but certainly not my last. Carol Lea has the ability to draw you into the story. I felt as if I were actually there. Excellent author.

[Karel]

Another Enjoyable Cozy Mystery with a Dog Companion

I enjoyed this book very much. The characters are interesting as the dogs are very protective! The plot is well-written and moves you along quickly as you really want to know what the truth is. A good, quick read!

[Cheekyxika]

Like many others, I thought her moving into the dead woman’s apartment and wearing all her clothes and jewelry quite creepy and weird.

I found the portrayal of Asian American Paul Wilcox to be quite offensive.

[Margie Peterson]

Set in Greenwich Village, this is a sensitive, psychological mystery of what could drive an only child to suicide. The private eye and pit bull make an incredible team. I even learn about Tai Chih in this story.

[Bernice]

I enjoyed the second in the series, characters are developing further, not as much about dogs but interesting info on tai chi. I will read book 3

[Karen]

Another lovely peek inside the Village and this time, the world of tai chi, with some dogs added.

[Connie Mollo]

A slow moving mystery. I don’t know if the dog was too helpful in solving mystery but he was a nice diversion.

[Sharon Davies]

Cute mystery. Liked all the dog references. Discovery of the killer was a bit abrupt and ended quickly.

[Pam]

Story dragged a little

[Dee]

Interesting mystery that kept me guessing. The protagonist Rachel Alexander, digressed too much for my taste about irrelevant things.

[Lisa Wright]

A clever, well-written, whodunit for dog lovers and, this one, for tai chi practitioners.

[Ted Hinkle]

Pet detective mystery

I enjoyed the flow of the mystery, interesting characters. I thought Dash would play a more integral part in the story. Fun, quick read.

[Jan C]

I enjoy this series but the cut of the book was really irritating. I felt that there were bad margins and the print went too close to the edge of the page and I think some pages may have started to come loose. I know it is a paperback but still, there should be some standards.

Rachel uses her pit bull Dashiell in her private detective work. And I have to say I would like to see a pit bull (or any other dog, for that matter) bring me a Kleenex, a trick he repeatedly performs in this book.

Here, neighbors of her aunt want her to look into their daughter's suicide. They don't believe she threw herself out of a window like the police said. Problem is - she left a note - "I'm sorry. Lisa." Who is it to? What is she sorry for? Throwing herself out the window? Or something much more mundane?

Lisa, the daughter, was into t'ai chi ... heavily into it. And the window she went through was at the t'ai chi school. Rachel immerses herself into Lisa's former life. And I have to admit I found this a bit ncreepy. She was wearing the dead girl's clothes, sleeping in her bed, seeing her ex-boyfriend. I understand that she wanted to get into her head ... but it just seemed a little creepy.

These books are light mysteries, heavy on the dog aspect, and they are fairly quick to read. Generally fairly enjoyable.

But I did learn a fair amount about t'ai chi. Too much discipline for me, I fear.

[Roberta]

Oddly reminds me of Agatha Cristie's Miss Marple books in the way that Miss Marple didn't really "detect" so much as she went around poking her nose into other people's business like picking at a scab until it starts bleeding. The other similarity is that in many Miss Marple books there are so many good suspects that I can't always remember a week later who ultimately turned out to be the murderer.

The gimmick in this series is that Rachel Alexander's assistant is Dash, an American pit bull. What I like is that Dash is that he does not solve crimes on his own, he does not talk (or even communicate psychically) and he does not have a sarcastic cat side-kick. He is a regular dog who was rescued from an abusive situation by Rachel and is now trained to assist her in various ways, protect her in certain situations and he is also a certified therapy dog. The "special guest dog" in this book is an akita.

This book appeared to be better edited than the first one since I noticed fewer misspelled words. The cover artist gave up trying to get the pit bull right and chose instead to show the akita in the dark so we can't see it too well but, from what I can see, I'm not impressed.

[Phillis]

This is book 2 in the Rachel Alexander and Dash Mysteries. I enjoyed the first one. I don't feel this was as good. But it is a second book and I won't judge the author yet. I still have a few more Rachel and Dash books to read. This storyline is about a well to do, have everything, and knows where she is going young woman who supposedly commits suicide by defenestration. Her family hire Rachel to find out what really happened. Racel litterally puts herself in the girls shoes to see if she really did kill herself and if not who did and why. These books not only have Rachel and her dog Dashiell, but there is always another dog involved.

[Sharla]

I read this series the first time when they came out, this one in 1997. I liked the series a lot and decided to give it a reread. Now I remember why I gave this one three stars instead of four. It's a good mystery, suspenseful and well-plotted, the usual interesting characters. There is an excellent sense of place, puts you right in the setting. All that said, sometimes an author's personal opinions about irrelevant events or subjects can step all over a book and in my opinion that's what happened here.

[Margaret]

First time reading this series - not bad but not great, so not sure if I'd read any others. This detective's approach kind of seemed to be detection by becoming the murdered victim, which oddly others did not question. Found it unlikely that her dog would be so readily accepted everywhere although I thought his playful habit of pulling kleenexes out of the box was endearing (and helpful at one point to her). Kind of liked the somewhat mystical t'ai chi angle to the story.

[Snap]

I almost gave this book 4 stars. Really enjoyed this one. I'm also having a good time searching for these books. Rachel is hired by a couple to find out why their intelligent, beautiful daughter studying to be a Zen priest, committed suicide. Rachel resembles Lisa (the dead girl) and she walks into Lisa's life ... wearing her clothes, living in her apartment, taking Tai-Chi, getting to know all of the people in Lisa's life. Was Lisa's death an accident, suicide or murder?

[Kathleen O'Nan]

My first book of 2016 was this fun read. This is the 2nd in the series featuring P.I. Rachel Alexander and her "partner," the pit bull named Dash. She does make this dog very personable as well as the Akita that is featured in this particular tale. Decent story, decent detecting. I'll continue with the series.