GATHERING MIST

When a child goes missing in the wilderness, even more sinister crimes are uncovered.

Deputy Mattie Wray and her K-9 partner, the German shepherd Robo, are summoned from Timber Creek, Colorado, to Washington state for an ultrasensitive search-and-rescue mission. River Allen, the 9-year-old son of actress Chrystal Winter, has wandered away from the movie set where his mother is filming a new movie and into the region east of Olympic National Park. Winter’s revelation that she recently received death threats raises the possibility that this was an abduction and not a simple disappearance. Other questions surround the matter, like why nanny Sally Kessler wasn’t with River at the time. The timing is very bad for Mattie, who’s a week away from her wedding to faithful beau Dr. Cole Walker, but duty calls. Mattie and Robo are part of a large operation involving multiple other pairs. Mizushima’s ninth Timber Creek K-9 mystery rolls slowly, with rich descriptions of the rugged terrain and the procedural details of a large-scale search-and-rescue mission, particularly those involving K-9 partners. There are interviews with the handful of individualists who live in the area, including the reclusive Edward Campbell and the blind Cecil Moore. The restless Cole, who has a contentious relationship with his family, joins Mattie and Robo on the rugged mission. A dark discovery changes the search and amps up its urgency. Series fans will likely be pleased that the novel ends sweetly, with the anticipated wedding.

Tidy procedural with a canine accent.