Driven to Death (Finch & Fischer Mysteries #5), by J. New

 

It's always interesting to meet a new series and characters. I loved the intro description of the sights and sounds our main character, Penny, who is walking her feisty Jack Russel, Fischer, experiences as they walk. I felt at one time like I should be able to put down my hand to my own dog and feel the damp warmness on her from the sun described, not to mention hear the snuffles from Fischer as he darts about from one delicious scent to the next. I walked my own dog this morning and smiled at some of the similar behavior. Dogs will be dogs. Unlike my dog, thank goodness, Fischer also has the disturbing trait of finding bodies, in this case business man Robert Reynolds.

Who killed him? Given that the death occurred during a large crowd at the shoot site, a sorta combo protest against the blood sport of grouse hunting and a gaggle of besotted pop rock fans trailing their idol Max Damage (yes, that's his stage name) who couldn't care less that he's there to take part in the hunt and there are plenty of suspects and twists and turns before Penny figures it all out...or does she? Why does Max keep running into things? What helpful bits of info will Penny pick up chatting with her usual mobile library customers? What a great job, btw. Why would someone kill Robert anyway? How many shots were there in the chaos of the red smoke bomb confuses everyone, well, except for Fischer. Does it even matter? If not, how to explain more dead grouse than shots heard? And, oh, lots more questions, twists, and turns.

I won't detail the plot any further as others will. Instead, I'll simply say that after a slow start for me, it gradually pulled me in. Not unusual when one jumps blindly into a series on the fifth book, so much of that is on me. I do wish there had been a bit more insight into her prior cases aside from learning that's where she first encountered now beau Detective Inspector John Monroe and ran into trouble investigating in the past. She's also vegetarian and though her love of animals is obvious, I'd have liked to have learned more about how that came about. I was glad to see she realized Fischer is a canine, ie meat eater, however, and didn't keep him to a strict veggie diet. She obviously is both smart and caring, which show in multiple ways as the story progresses. Heck, she even knows how to top off the oil in her mobile library van, not to mention do some basic leak repairs, so she's no helpless female. Love her ultimate helper, btw. 

Bottom line, despite minor quibbles, I enjoyed the book and will read more of the series. I liked Penny and John, and, oh, loved Fischer, and am looking forward to seeing where their relationship goes. Thanks to the author and publisher for introducing me to this series. I'm looking forward to getting to know all the characters better.