Richard M. (algernon99) - , reviewed on 6/12/2008 + 418 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 4

I was OK with this book until the last 20 pages. The author avoided all the traps that most dog/pet books fall into that make them unpalatable to me, which include the attitude that dogs or pets are the MOST IMPORTANT things in the world and that they are people, too. To my way of thinking, that's nonsense.

So Delilah has a healthy attitude about dogs and cats, which is refreshing. She's feisty and spunky and little and old and British, all of which make a cozy mystery fun. (This one even has an actual tea cozy in it!) There's a good mystery plot with believable events. Until the ending, that is.

Oh, the ending. Of course, we end up with the formulaic necessity of having our hero, Delilah, in imminent danger of her life. What happens next is--again, to my way of thinking--ludicrous. Silly. No one in their right mind would believe that could happen. It's about as likely as having an errant paratrooper (who was aiming to land in a ballpark at the beginning of a game) drop in through the ceiling holding a handgun so he could rescue the damsel in distress. Well, maybe not quite that unlikely, but unlikely, nevertheless. (That's not what happens.)

The writing is good, the characters are believable and likeable, and the attitude about animals is bearable. Too bad the plot went so silly at the end.

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