I can’t believe it’s been 10 months since I picked up a copy of Blake Mara’s Dog Park Detectives. The characters and storyline stuck in my head, it felt like a recent read. I was excited therefore to find a new instalment published. In the previous novel, we met the group of dog owners that all make use of the same dog walking park in the East End neighbourhood. While their conversations mostly centred around their respective dogs, they were drawn together to solve the mystery when a body is found in the dog park.
When one of the dog owners, Yaz, finds a body sat on a park bench, on her regular morning run, the group are once again pulled into the action.
The chicken bone lodged in the victim’s throat points towards the new fast food takeaway that’s opened in the neighbourhood and brought with it nothing but trouble. Intimidating clientele leave the neighbours afraid and unsafe, and inconsistencies about the council allowing another takeaway to open in the area raise questions that the pack want answers to. Louise and her beloved dachshund Klaus find themselves drawn into the mystery, as one of their pack is arrested for the murder.
Cosy mysteries are usually set in idyllic country villages so it’s refreshing to see a mystery set in the inner city. The characters feel like old friends, flaws and all, and I adore the canine cast. The mystery feels modern and relatable, and I’m intrigued as to where the pack will lead us next.
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