Killing Trail: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Margaret Mizushima

When they find blood on the porch, they know something bad happened at this cabin.  When her police dog finds another dog in the bushes who has been shot, they wonder if that is where the blood came from.  Then they find what the dog was trying to dig up...

Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published December 15th.

The young girl in the grave was the owner of the dog and a student at the local high school.  Mattie asks a lot of questions but doesn't get a lot of answers.  She was a good student, a good girl and had no enemies.  So who killed her?  You'll be surprised.  It's a real good thing Mattie has Robo with her.

The author does a good job of twisting her tale and adding odd bits that look like something but are something else.  I enjoyed the interaction between Mattie and her dog, Robo.  I think might be some romantic feelings beginning between the local vet and Mattie.  I also liked how the author showed Mattie that one of the cops she was suspicious about really wasn't a bad guy.  The bad guy was a bit of a shock.

The story moves well, has some dangerous moments, and kept me reading.  I'm already ready for the next book in this series.  I hope Mattie is around for a long time.