LADY VANISHES

Everybody who works at Harbor View, the Manhattan residential facility for a dozen autistic and Down’s syndrome patients, loves the grueling work they share, but nobody loved the patients and the challenges they pose more than Lady, the mop-headed puli who worked as their therapy dog for over a year before she disappeared one night, shortly before someone ran down Harbor View co-owner Harry Dietrich on a bike and left Dr. Eli Kagan the sole owner. And when Venus White, the Harbor View manager as dreadlocked as the missing pooch, hires p.i. Rachel Alexander and her pit bull Dash to go undercover as the new therapy dog and trainer, they soon fall in love with the place and the people too, and no wonder, since their detective work doesn’t go nearly as smoothly as their cover job. Nonagerian twins Dora and Cora Weissman unhesitatingly accept Dash as Lady; Jackson the painter, who’s never spoken, asks to help Dash do tricks; David, the patient with a history of violence, is able to listen to music when Dash is in the room. But all these heartwarming moments aren’t getting Rachel any closer to the dognapper and killer; in fact, she’s about to lose even more ground, as one of her most valuable informants is due for another deadly assault. Like Rachel and Dash’s three earlier cases (A Hell of a Dog, 1998, etc.), this one is indispensable for readers who love man’s best friend right back. Human-watchers will find the psychology sound on everybody but the muffled killer. (Mystery Guild alternate selection)