Review: Black Dog a killer?
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 5, 2013
I started reading this story and finished it in one sitting. Therearetwo types of novels that I enjoy the most: mysteries and the paranormal.  This book offered me both and as such, I got  double the enjoyment from one read.  The investigative reporter, a young woman named Marcie, is contacted by a fan of her Paranormal Investigation column who alludes to a possible story that might be right up Marcie's alley ie the death of a local businessman turned scammer after he reportedly saw the fabled Black Dog while on a hike at a local peak.  Although Marcie is a paranormal investigator she approaches this case with an open mind to ensure that her story has validity.  Soon after arriving, events occur that cause Marcie to doubt whether the Black Dog Myth is actually true and the cause of this man's death.  She begins to suspect that the death was in fact, a murder, and sets out to investigate this possibility. This inevitably leads to trouble.  She has a partner who is very new to the field and at times they don't quite agree on the methodology that Marcie uses in getting her information.Although this was not a very complex mystery, it was still quite enjoyable especially as a light read. I enjoyed the quick pace and the author's approach to the dynamics between Marcie and her new assistant that was foisted upon her by her boss.  I've not read any of the prior books in this series therefore I felt at a slight disadvantage surrounding the past history between Marcie and Amanda, the main editor for the magazine. I believe that this factored into my only complaint. I just couldn't get into  the chapters that dealt with Amanda's insecurities toward marriage. I felt that Amanda's love life was a distraction from the real story. Perhaps if I had read prior novels, I would have appreciated the news about Amanda a bit more. Nevertheless, despite this one distraction, I enjoyed the novel and might be persuaded to read another in this series. The book was well edited and fortunately also spellchecked! That is always a bonus.So is the Black Dog Myth true? I will leave that to you to discover yourself as I would never dream of revealing any of the plot in my review. I would recommend this novel to fans of mysteries and the paranormal.