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Dogsbody Inc. |
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D ogsbody Inc. byL.L. Thrasher Write Way Publishing 271 pages, 1999 ISBN 188173652 Reviewed by PJ Nunn Read our review of Charlie's Web (2000) by the same author Zach Smith, world-weary private detective, is in the right place at the right time more often than not. When he heads across town to meet his sister Carrie, his timing couldn’t be worse. Shouldering his way through a crowd of anti-abortion demonstrators, he looks up to find Dr. Irene Sandhoff headed straight for him. A moment later, he’s on the ground, bleeding from a gunshot wound. Unfortunately, the bullet that passed through his shoulder wasn’t stopped by his interception and Dr. Irene Sandhoff is dead. Writing it off as bad luck, Zach is returning client calls from his hospital room later that day and soon looking for a missing juvenile. He’s not too surprised when the parents that hired him decide they no longer need his services. It happens. When the tires on his car are slashed to ribbons, he shrugs that off, too. PIs aren’t always popular. But when his office is vandalized, his vehicle assaulted by a man with a baseball bat, and a snitch is shot down in his office doorway, he has to wonder. Was the bullet really meant for Irene or was Zach the target all along? Phil, local police chief and old friend, doesn’t offer much encouragement, yet Zach wants answers. When a search of Irene’s home reveals some questionable medical documents, he’s more confused than ever. Is it possible there are two killers with two targets in mind? Zach’s investigation has somebody riled, but who? When Phil gets shot driving Zach’s Cherokee, pieces start to fall into place. The question is – can Zach find the killer before the killer finds him? In DOGSBODY INC, LL Thrasher offers an old fashioned mystery with believable characters and a seamless plot. Thrasher does an excellent job of developing Zach, with insight into the vulnerabilities inherent in the psyche of a middle-aged detective trying to make sense out of chaos. Unafraid to approach a sensitive topic, she handles it with grace and aplomb. The second in the series, readers will close the book wanting more. |
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