01/25/2021
In Munier’s gripping third mystery featuring former military MP Mercy Carr and her sniffer dog, Elvis (after 2020’s Blind Search), George Rucker, who murdered Mercy’s grandfather, Sheriff Red O’Sullivan, has escaped from a Vermont prison, and the authorities are afraid he may be coming after Red’s widow. Meanwhile, Red’s former deputy, August Pitts, is dying. August asks to speak with Mercy about the case that was worrying her grandfather just before his murder: a woman’s disappearance in 1999. To complicate matters, a young wildlife biologist and filmmaker from the University of Vermont has been found dead in the snowy woods, naked except for his socks. Are these seemingly disparate cases connected in some way? With Elvis at her side, Mercy pursues her suspects through the dangerously frigid countryside, occasionally accepting the help of game warden Troy Warner and his dog, Susie Bear. Munier combines a complex plot with well-defined characters, both human and canine, as she keeps readers guessing. This action- and emotion-packed novel will hold a special appeal for dog lovers. (Mar.)
Praise for The Hiding Place:
"I love books where the story and the characters grow out of the place that they're set, and that couldn't be more true of The Hiding Place, which delivers a satisfying, twisty plot, an entertaining ensemble of locals and, of course, a pair of intelligent and heroic dogs." —Ann Cleeves, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Vera and Shetland series
"Mercy Carr lives in a winter world of snow, ice, and tangled relationships, but one love is clear—her rescue dog Elvis owns her heart and a chunk of her past. While the weather may be cold, the action is hot and Paula Munier delivers a very satisfying mystery with strong emotional anchors. This is a book mystery and dog lovers will adore. Highly recommended." —Carolyn Haines, USA Today bestselling author of the Sarah Booth Delaney mysteries
"I don’t know the last time a mystery made me sob, but Paula Munier managed it with The Hiding Place...It’s frightening at times, but it’s also emotional. Munier is going to have to up her game to top this outstanding mystery." —Lesa's Book Critiques blog
"[The] characters of both Mercy and Elvis are quickly developing into classics." —Aunt Agatha's Bookstore
"With solid characters and two working dogs who are ready to search for the bad guys as well as the missing persons, this is a good mystery series for the dog lover." —Parkersburg News and Sentinel
"The sequel to Blind Search is a riveting, fast-paced story of family and small-town secrets. Tension builds quickly in the emotional story involving unforgettable working dogs and the people who love them." —Library Journal (starred review)
"[The] mysteries and thrilling chases compound, culminating in a lengthy, frightening scene that will keep readers gripped. Munier unobtrusively paints vivid pictures of both rural Vermont and family life as her exciting story unfolds." —Booklist
"Munier combines a complex plot with well-defined characters, both human and canine, as she keeps readers guessing. This action- and emotion-packed novel will hold a special appeal for dog lovers." —Publishers Weekly
"Another exciting, complex, dog-centric mystery that explores the heroine’s inner strength and power to love." —Kirkus
"Twisty and tense, with occasional heroics by the dogs, The Hiding Place is a satisfying entry in this series" —Shelf Awareness
Praise for Blind Search:
"There’s so much to praise here: Munier’s deep knowledge of the culture of hunting (especially the bow-and-arrow variety); her brisk, incisive characterizations; the way she maintains a taut line of suspense throughout; and, best of all, her portrayals of wounded yet still courageous pairs of humans and dogs. A not-to-be-missed K-9 mystery." —Booklist
"Munier’s affection for the dogs she depicts, as well as Henry’s sweet bond with them, will warm hearts. Readers will look forward to the irresistible Mercy and Elvis’s next adventure." —Publishers Weekly
"'Blind Search' reads like a treatise on how to craft a thriller bursting at the seams with converging subplots without ever moving us to throw up our hands in exasperation. Indeed, we’re too busy using our fingers to turn the pages." —John Land for Providence Journal
Praise for A Borrowing of Bones:
"Munier’s perfectly paced tale crackles with fast-paced dialogue and elegant descriptions that would make the likes of John Hart and James Lee Burke proud. But it’s her writing about animals, dogs in particular, that truly sparkles and distinguishes her from the pack." —Jon Land, Booktrib
"Comparisons may be made between Munier's debut mystery and Margaret Mizushima's Timber Creek K-9 mysteries. A stronger read-alike is Julia Spencer Fleming's mysteries featuring Rev. Clare Fergusson, another female veteran. The believable dogs, the touches of humor, the independent, determined Mercy, and well-crafted characters will bring readers back." —Library Journal (starred review and debut of the month)
"The portrayal of working dogs will appeal to fans of David Rosenfelt and Margaret Mizushima. The blend of lovingly detailed setting and lively characters, both human and canine, makes this a series to watch." —Publishers Weekly
★ 03/01/2021
Military veteran Mercy Carr and Vermont game warden Troy Warner have tracked killers before with their dogs, Elvis and Susie Bear, but their investigation of fast-developing cases now is hampered by the falling-out between them. A dying man asks Mercy to look for Beth Kilgore, who disappeared 20 years earlier. Does that case tie to the shooting of Mercy's grandfather when he was sheriff? It may, since law enforcement tells the family that the man who killed her grandfather has escaped from prison and might be heading home, looking for Patience, Mercy's grandmother. Mercy doesn't have time to get answers before Elvis saves Mercy and Patience from a bomb that explodes at the door. Troy is investigating the murder of a wildlife biologist, but the head of the Major Crime Unit asks him to work with Mercy. Now Mercy, Troy, and their dogs have a cold case, a murder investigation, and the problem of protecting Mercy's uncooperative grandmother. Then Elvis's first military handler shows up, wanting to claim the dog that she has bonded with since the death of her fiancé in Afghanistan. VERDICT The sequel to Blind Search is a riveting, fast-paced story of family and small-town secrets. Tension builds quickly in the emotional story involving unforgettable working dogs and the people who love them.—Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN
2020-12-26
A case from the past creates trouble for the family of a murdered sheriff.
Mercy Carr returned from Afghanistan broken in spirit after the death of her fiance but determined to rebuild her life. She and game warden Troy Warner had formed a deep attachment, but it was marred by the sudden return of the wife Mercy thought he’d divorced. When Mercy and Elvis, her retired bomb dog, visit August Pitt, her late grandfather Red’s dying deputy, he begs her to find someone named Beth Kilgore, giving her boxes filled with the files of a long-cold case. Back home, Troy and his tracking dog, Susie Bear, find the body of a missing wildlife biologist. Blindsided when Elvis’ original handler wants the dog back, Mercy refuses, but the man doesn’t give up. The next blow is the prison escape of George Rucker, the real estate developer who killed Red. After her grandmother’s house is bombed, Mercy and Troy investigate the bombing and take over Pitt’s hunt for Beth. A search of Rucker’s remote unsold properties reveals a skeleton in a barrel. The kidnapping of Mercy’s grandmother results in a frantic search, dangerous interactions in frozen woods with unknown killers, and the realization that those old cases are very much tied to the present.
Another exciting, complex, dog-centric mystery that explores the heroine’s inner strength and power to love.
Narrator Kathleen McInerney becomes the intrepid, steely-voiced Mercy Carr, former MP, as she and her ex-military sniffer dog, Elvis, investigate the disappearance of Beth Kilgore 20 years earlier. At the same time, she also teams up with Vermont game warden Troy Warner and his search-and-rescue dog, Susie Bear, to hunt down the escaped convict who murdered her grandmother’s husband. McInerney delivers this mystery with creative voicings that range from scratchy-voiced elderly women to deep-voiced outdoorsmen. There are few New England accents despite the story being set in the rugged White Mountains. Carr and Warner have their hands full with eager tracker dogs, a multitude of secrets, and lots of misdirection as they search for the missing prisoner whose trail intersects with the missing Beth Kilgore. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine