Dogs Don't Lie by Clea Simon

Pru Marlowe talks to animals and they talk to her.  No, really!

This is another Poisoned Pen Press book that I downloaded from Net Galley for review.  It will be published in hardcover, trade paperback, and large print.  Publication is scheduled for April 5, 2011.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  It's a bit like a cozy mystery with animals involved, so it had two facets to it that increased my enjoyment.

Pru has come home because her mother was ill and needed care, and stayed on after her death.   She needed to get out of the big city and come somewhere all the voices in her head wouldn't overwhelm her.  She didn't always "hear" animals talk, so it was a shock when she suddenly started to hear them in her mind.

She works as an animal behaviorist and that's how she met Charles and his dog, Lily.  Lily is a pitbull that was being abused, and Charles is learning how to gain her trust and help her recover from the abuse.

When Pru goes for yet another morning lesson with them, she finds Charles on the floor dead and the dog's mouth covered in blood.  She knows the dog didn't kill him, but how is she going to prove that to the local police who believe all pitbulls are killers?

Trying to get clues from the animals is a bit challenging because animals think about things from their perspective, not ours.  But with a piece of information from here and there, from humans and animals, and with some reseach into Charles' past, she finally gets closer to the killer.  Unfortunately, the killer is getting closer to her, too...

As usual, Poisoned Pen Press has picked another author that writes a good story.  The plot isn't obvious, Pru's interaction with animals is authentic (even if they don't talk to you), and the story moves at a good pace.

The mystery and the animals spoke to me, maybe they will to you, too.  Make a note on your TBR list to pick this one up when it comes out in April.  Happy reading!