Review: A Delightful Read -- (Not Only for Dog-lovers)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 26, 2014
A refreshingly pleasant and captivating bit of storytelling! It is set in late Victorian times and regals us with great prose, with clever dialogue,  and a few subtle references to Sherlock Holmes ("221 Barker Street"; "the dog did nothing in the night-time…"), Poirot (little grey cells), to keep us on our toes! Not to forget the romantic angle to keep us reading for more!An independently wealthy Metropolitan Police ("the Yard") Inspector, his nephew and our hero Snuffles, the inspector's spaniel, are our immediate dramatis personae; to these we must add the fair Isobel, the american heiress temporary estranged from her father visiting family in England.The stories are mostly narrated by the dog; lest this turn you off, the narrative is witty, intelligent and interestingly adorned with twists and originality. The dog speaks english -- but of course only we and the nephew know this… He also speaks cat and various other animal languages -- competencies that contribute to his mystery solving.The mysteries are well though out in Christie / Doyle tradition; as in the latter, there is just as much pleasure to be gained from the story as there is from the narrative and dialogues.The character descriptions are subtle and the author lets us deduce who / what they are, rather than shove it down our throat; a refreshing departure from mediocrity, indeed! We want to read more about them, more of their mystery solving, and tmor about the budding romance...May we hope for more than just this dozen? Maybe a score if not more!