STRIKING RANGE

A veteran K-9 cop hunts a serial killer in the rugged mountains of Colorado.

The unsolved murder of her father, Douglas Wray, has haunted Deputy Mattie Cobb for decades. San Diego cold case detective Jim Hauck, who’s been investigating the crime, meets her and her K-9 partner, Robo, at a Colorado prison to question inmate John Cobb, a prime suspect as well as a villain so prominent in Mattie’s early life that, until recently, she'd thought he was her uncle. Cole Parker, Mattie’s veterinarian boyfriend, can’t be on hand to lend his support because he’s back home in Timber Creek delivering Sassy’s German shepherd puppies, sired by Robo. The delivery goes well; Mattie’s visit, not so much. Cobb’s been found dead in his cell, leaving behind a book with dog-eared pages as well as maps with markings. The sweeter happenings at Cole’s clinic play out in counterpoint to Mattie's quest; Hauck suspects there’s a link between Cobb’s death and that of Mattie’s father, and Mattie sees the things Cobb has left behind as so many potential clues. While exploring a cave that Cobb’s map led her to, Mattie gets a call about the discovery of a body nearby. Mizushima’s subdued voice perfectly matches her heroine’s methodical, unruffled approach, building suspense as it presents the complex backstory with clarity. Forensics and the wilderness setting figure prominently in the probe. The identity of the victim will surprise many readers as the determined sleuth chases someone now identified as a serial killer.

The subtlety of this seventh Timber Creek K-9 mystery suggests the best of Scandinavian noir, with a nod to animal lovers.