‘Paw of the Jungle’ by Diane Kelly

Overall Rating: Highly Recommended (How I Rate Books)

Personal Rating: Fun Crime Novel

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Genres: Crime Fiction, Mystery, Police Procedural, Cozy Mystery, Paw Enforcement

Similar books:

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Previous books by the author/in the series I’ve reviewed:

• The Long Paw of the Law

I was given this book for free for the purpose of review.

This is book 8 in an 8 book series. I read book 7 and liked it and gave it a good review, so the author solicited me to read this. I decided to give it a whirl.

This book is about a police dog handler and her dog-partner, in their attempt to solve a series of animal thefts from a local zoo. Megan the detective is a fun character to be around, both serious but with a generous heart. Brigit her police dog is equal parts silly and professional.

I had fun reading this! My favorite part of this story is the author’s narrative voice. This is a Police Procedural, but the prose is so lovely and friendly that it reads almost like a Cozy Mystery.

My second favorite part is the author’s knowledge of Texas law. As a police procedural, the author relies upon her knowledge of the law to make a compelling plot. Her knowledge of Texas exotic animal trafficking laws added a depth of seriousness to the storytelling.

This is a crime novel, not a mystery novel. What’s the difference? We (the reader) know who the criminal was early on. There was no mystery, just a police officer and her dog trying to solve the crime we’re already aware of. This was a bit of a problem, because it reduced the tension slightly.

Overall I had good fun reading this. Check out the series if you’re curious.