Today’s post comes from Kathleen Donnelly, who writes the National Forest K-9 series.
***
For nearly twenty years, I’ve had the honor of partnering with the best co-workers in the world—my dogs. I worked for and co-owned a great company called Sherlock Hounds Detection Canines.
My first dog, Sammy, was a high-energy, fun-loving black Lab. She was a forgiving and excellent teacher. Sammy could have taken advantage of the new handler at the end of the leash, but instead she often gave me her sly doggy smile and cover up for me when I made a mistake.
My experience with Sammy and other four-legged partners inspired me to include a K-9 as the ultimate sidekick character for my fictional series set in the Colorado mountains. I created a fun four-legged character—Juniper, a two-year-old Belgian Malinois—to work with U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer Maya Thompson. Juniper, who’s trained to track and apprehend, detect narcotics, and find evidence, is based on real-life Malinoises I’ve known as well as experiences I’ve had with my dogs over the years.
Although my National Forest K-9 series is a work of fiction, some scenes have real life scenarios behind them. One challenge comes with working in the mountains; the environment plays a big role in the dog’s ability to work, but we also had to be aware of wildlife. For example, while checking the perimeter of the property, I once noticed some strange bushes. Then it hit me—the bushes were odd because there were antlers sticking out behind them. It was morning, but the summer day was warming up and a young bull moose had wandered into the area. He was bedded down in the shade behind the bushes. Needless to say, we quit checking that area. During another visit, a flock of wild turkeys ran by. I had to work hard to convince the dogs checking for drugs was just as fun as a possible turkey chase. Scenarios like these are woven through my fiction.
This past year, our company made the hard decision to retire our remaining two dogs and close our doors. As a now retired K-9 handler, I’m incredibly humble and grateful to have had all these amazing partners who made me a better person. Our last two dogs, Willow and Boomer, are now my pets and they inspire me. As I started a new series and continue writing the National Forest K-9 series, I often reflect on how lucky we are to have dogs in our lives.
***
If you love mysteries, strong, human, central characters, and dogs, you’ll love Hunting the Truth. Start reading the second book in Kathleen Donnelly’s National Forest K-9 series and you won’t put it down. At its heart are Maya and Juniper, the handler/canine team that follow the trails, survive the battles, and have each other’s backs. Maya is determined to get to the truth of her past. Along the way we learn about her terrible losses, and the toll it has taken on her life. Thankfully, she is assisted in her quest by the uber-sleuth Juniper. The Malinois has more spunk, life and smarts (and antics) than Lassie and Rin-Tin-Tin combined. And did I mention the romance? There are sparks in this novel. I am looking forward to the Maya/Josh flame that is certain to find its full flower in the next National Forest K-9 series. And I can’t wait to see what Juniper chews up next.
~Cary Griffith, author of The Sam Rivers Mystery series
About the Author
Award-winning author and retired K-9 handler Kathleen Donnelly loves crafting realism into her fictional stories from her dog-handling experience. Her debut novel, Chasing Justice, won a Best Book Award from the American Book Fest, a PenCraft Award and was a 2023 Silver Falchion finalist in the Suspense category and Readers’ Choice Award. Her second book, Hunting The Truth, was a Colorado Authors League finalist in the mystery category, a 2024 Silver Falchion finalist for the Reader’s Choice Award and the Best Book of 2024 for the Pencraft Awards. She lives near the Colorado foothills with her husband and four-legged friends. You can sign up for Kathleen’s newsletter to receive her free short story eBook collection, Working Tails: The Stories Behind the K-9s.
***
Follow Kathleen:
Facebook Twitter Instagram Goodreads
Hunting The Truth Purchase Links:
Amazon Barnes and Noble Apple Books
Harlequin Wal-Mart Google Play
Photo credit:PiperAnne Worcester Photography. Used with permission.
Kathleen, congratulations on the many awards you’ve received for your National Forest K-9 series! I look forward to reading more of your work.