Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
Blind Bloodhound Justice
Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Virginia Lanier
Class/Genre: Mystery Dogs
Series: Jo Beth Sidden # 4
Harper, July 1998,$23.00, 288
Thirty years ago in Dunston County, Georgia, itinerant worker Samuel Debbs was convicted for the kidnapping of two baby girls, and the murders of one of the infants and their nanny. He was sentenced to life, but received a conditional pardon for medical reasons. His pardon would have been unconditional if he only he admitted to doing the crime, but he refused, claiming he is innocent. Coincidentally, the surviving kidnapped victim is also returning to the county.
The local sheriff, who lacks manpower and money to look into a three-decade old case, suspiciously wonders about the timing of these two events. He asks Jo Beth Sidden, who trains bloodhounds to work with law enforcement officials, to investigate the situation. Jo Beth starts to ask questions, stirring up suppressed memories of individuals who remember the crime. However, the more she uncovers, the more Jo Beth becomes convinced that Samuel is innocent. As she tries to prove her theory, she knows she must be careful because lurking in the shadows is a killer who has escaped detection for thirty years.
Virginia Lanier writes a terrific mystery that heavily relies on logic and reasoning to use clues to find answers. There is also plenty of action in this novel, especially the very realistic search and rescue operation throughout the Okeefenokee Swamp for a missing mother and child. Ms. Lanier is so visual that readers feel they are members of the rescue team. The feisty Jo Beth is a great role model, a firm believer in the empowerment of women to do just about anything. BLIND BLOODHOUND JUSTICE is a great reading experience.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
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