100 Books Like Tracking a Killer

This story (and series) features pets in a retirement village where the protagonist, Charlotte, is technically too young to be there but remains because her grandmother raised her there. The neighbor’s dog unearths a skeleton in her backyard.

How it got there is the mystery to be solved. Charlotte’s pet serves as the litmus test for possible suitors. It’s a fun read. 

The mystery in this story is about the murder that happened years ago and three strangers who are drawn together in a small Georgia town. Memories come racing back to the residents in town when the woman who served prison time for the murder returns. The town is trying to survive and has lots of challenges.

Cody, the pet of Emily’s parents, is a link to them and a comfort to her. This is also the first story in a series. It makes you question everything and everyone in the small town. 

This book is the hysterical tale of two friends who started a business flipping houses after their divorces. Pam and Jan have three children between them and a Chinese Crested, toothless rescue dog named Moxie who goes everywhere with them.

The dog is hairless and infirmed but well-loved. When a body is found behind a closet wall, the real fun ensues. It’s laugh-out-loud fun, and Moxie is in the middle of it. 

This story is set at a Florida upscale resort where Millie Wentworth is the assistant general manager and discovers one of her guests dead in his penthouse suite. She has little faith in local law enforcement’s ability to solve the crime, so she takes it on herself with the help of her grandmother, Lulu, and Lulu’s dog, a Welsh corgi named Spud, and her friends.

There are lots of suspects loaded with motives. There are more stories in this series as well. 

Rescue Dogs is one part true crime, one part instructions on bringing home a rescue dog, and one part get-your-butt-off-the-couch-and-help. While the book focused on purebred dogs from puppy mills and commercial breeders, many of the same issues arise when you bring home any shelter pet. It wasn't always easy to listen to the stories of animal abuse that occur all too often in purebred breeding operations, but Pete’s devotion and his ability to put the big-picture before his emotions were admirable. If we intend to move the needle on stopping the killing of adoptable dogs in this country, we need more of that attitude.

What I loved most about this book, though, was Pete's attitude toward the individual animal. He urges the reader to look beyond breed to the dog as an individual. To love the dog not because of the way he looks or his pedigree, which he… show more.

I had to read this book backwards, or rather check the end before I could read it at all, and spoiler alert, it has a happy ending. 

It’s the heart-rending story of how journalist Kate Spicer adopted the wonderful Wolfie, who became her beloved companion in everything that she did, and how, while staying with her brother he ran away.

It’s the story of her desperate search to find him and about how kind people can be as they helped her scour London for the missing Wolfie.

It’s an absolute nail-bailer, and I loved it.

This story has a great combination of romance and suspense and action. You gotta love Sam, who's just trying to keep his family's rescue organization going and has such strong loyalty toward his family. And Nora's courageous and feisty, just trying to survive from a dangerous situation. Carmen’s books are low on the explicit and violence/gore scale, which is perfect when you want to go on a ride without all of the extraneous cursing and whatnot. 

This book is about a former service beagle named Stella who has PTSD. Stella was trained to sniff out chemicals used in explosives, but after a traumatic event, she struggled with anxiety and retired from service. With the help of an expert dog trainer, Stella learns to manage her fears and discovers that she can use her powerful nose to help her new owner, Cloe, who has epilepsy.

Like Black Beauty, Stella is told from the point of view of the animal, in this case, the beagle. I loved Stella’s voice. Seeing the world through Stella’s eyes was a truly unique and compelling experience. Readers empathize and connect with Stella in a powerful way. In addition, my brother suffered from a seizure disorder, so Cloe’s story resonated with me.

I think so many of us can relate to the day-to-day life of Charlie, a single mom just trying to make it one more week. Charlie is charming with the perfect level of quirky.

One of the things I love about small-town romance is how the community comes into play. I love that his book has an amazing balance of that as well as a steamy romance between Charlie and Reid.

This dog story is one that kept me on the edge of my seat! I recommend it because it is well written as well as educational. It shows just how stressful losing a beloved pet can be and the desperation by family members to find their lost dog. The book details how a skittish little Beagle named Poppy escaped from his home in Southern California and how his guardian, a volunteer rescuer, received help from other lost dog rescuers that ultimately helped her to capture the scared little dog.