A DETECTIVE DUO WITH HEART AND FUR

Steve’s ripe for a new relationship—divorced, over forty, and still dusting himself off from a lamentable sojourn in prison. (He really must do something about his hacking habit!)

Tragedy strikes his neighborhood when someone murders Steve’s nice next-door neighbor, while she walks her best friend, Rochester. Steve’s the unlucky guy who finds her body and he knows, despite their differences, that he has to take in the broken-hearted pooch.

Once they’re both properly rehomed, these two form a detective partnership that’ll make you sit up and beg for more. Eat your hearts out, Spade & Archer—pretty soon they’ve got a warm and fuzzy thing going. Big furry forthrightness—not to mention heart—meets tech-savvy craftiness as they work their case.

In Plakcy’s capable hands, watching these two fall in love (which of course is the most irresistible treat on offer here) is like watching a time-lapse film of a flower blooming— it doesn’t happen too fast, and it’s never cloying. Instead it’s slow and satisfying, magical to the point of jaw-dropping even while absolutely expected. You just know you could watch it over and over again.

Both want justice for Caroline, and Rochester’s way of expressing it is simply to sniff out one clue after another in the hope his two-legged colleague can piece them together. Steve’s way—when all’s said and done— is still to bend the law a little, with the help of Caroline’s contraband laptop. And also to follow Rochester’s trail of treats.

Fans of animal cozies—and all cozies!--will find pure gold here especially aficionados of mutt heroes created by Spencer Quinn, David Rosenfelt, Garth Stein, and Laurien Berenson. Readers will want to sit and stay awhile. Luckily, there’s a whole litter of cases out there.

Kelly Libatique