Gathering Mist: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery, Book 9

Timber Creek K-9 Mystery #9

by Margaret Mizushima, Nancy Wu (Narrator)

Secrets hide within the fog deep in the mossy forests of the Pacific Northwest, in this ninth thrilling installment in award-winning author Margaret Mizushima’s Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series.

Deputy Mattie Wray, formerly Mattie Cobb, is summoned to Washington’s Olympic peninsula for an urgent search and rescue mission to find a celebrity’s missing child. With only a week left before her wedding, Mattie is hesitant to leave Timber Creek, but her K-9 partner Robo’s tracking skills are needed.

Dense forest, chilling rain, and unfriendly locals hamper their efforts, and soon Mattie suspects something more sinister than a lost child is at play. When one of the SAR dogs becomes ill, her fiancé Cole Walker suspects poison. Fearing for Mattie’s and Robo’s safety, Cole joins the search and rescue team as veterinary support.

Secrets that have lain hidden within the rugged terrain come to light and when it is uncovered that the missing child was kidnapped, the search becomes a full-blown crime scene investigation, forcing Mattie, Robo, and Cole into a desperate search to find the missing child before it's too late.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Procedural, Dogs

Audible Audio

Published October 8, 2024

About the author

Margaret Mizushima is the author of the award-winning and internationally published Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries. Active within the writing community, Margaret serves as president for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, was elected the 2019-2020 Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and is also a member of Northern Colorado Writers and Sisters in Crime. She lives in Colorado on a small ranch with her veterinarian husband where they raised two daughters and a multitude of animals. She can be found on Facebook/AuthorMargaretMizushima, Twitter @margmizu, Instagram at margmizu, and her website at www.margaretmizushima.com.

Reviews

[Donne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been so excited to finally get around to reading this newest installment from one of my fave detective duos, Maddie and Robo. This one takes place a few days before Maddie and Cole’s wedding. The book summary pretty much lays out the primary storyline of Maddie and Robo being called out to help find the missing child, River, of an actress who is filming a movie. It is believed that the child wandered off the set – again (he has a habit of doing this). However, from the get-go, Maddie suspects that the mom knows more than what she’s saying and her behavior and emotions don’t ring true to Maddie.

What the book summary doesn’t mention is that in the past few years, two other kids had also gone missing in the area. It's not long before a dog is poisoned and it’s this event that brings Cole out to WA to assist in finding out that a local creek, where the dog drank from, is laced with high levels of arsenic. Most of the story revolves around the search for River along with talking to a smattering of people who live in this very remote wilderness.

The first half was mostly spent on setting the plot up that was interesting, engaging and even a little scary in a few parts. This had me staying up way past my bedtime on a work night and using the “just one more chapter” chant because I was simply just too engrossed to go to sleep. In the second half, after the discovery of some disturbing findings, the search for River amped up considerably and the story became so much more intense. The ending was scary and very intense for Maddie and Robo and a bit of a shocker of who the villain was; didn't see that one coming. However, the very last chapter was absolutely wonderful!!! A huge tear-jerker for me because I absolutely adore these characters and this series. I look forward to the next installment.

I love search and rescue (SAR) stories with amazing dogs and their handlers. They add so much to the crime thrillers and murder mysteries that I love so much. The continuing character development of Maddie and Cole and the girls, Angie and Sophie, is so nice to see, especially now that they are all going to live together very soon. The additional character development of Cole’s parents seems interesting and is sure to add some drama to future installments. The storyline and pacing were interesting and steady to intense respectively. The writing was wonderful and so indicative of Mizushima’s style and expertise, and, of course, that ending! For me, a great ending is an essential part of an author’s writing style. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.5 that I will be rounding up to a 5star read.

I want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #CrookedLaneBooks #GatheringMist

[Valleri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mattie Cobb and her brilliant SAR dog, Robo, are summoned to Washington’s Olympic peninsula for an urgent search and rescue mission to find a celebrity’s missing child. It's only a week until Mattie and Cole's wedding, but leave Timber Creek she must!

The descriptions and the setting were beautifully developed, and the mystery was so intense that I didn't want to put Gathering Mist down!!

Read. This. Book. I highly recommend it!! Hands down, it's my favorite of the series!!

Many thanks to both #CrookedLaneBooks and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Gathering Mist. This book is #9 in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series, with the expected publication date of October 8, 2024.

#SAR #MargaretMizushima

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, this was a great addition to the Timber Creek mysteries. If I could say anything, it would be to start with Killing Trail.

Mattie and Robo, her faithful K-9 German Shepherd, are at the heart of every story. New relationships develop and mysteries are solved. Dr. Cole Walker, a veterinarian, is a good match for Mattie and never more so than in a Gathering Mist.

4.5 stars

[David Zimmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read every book in this series, I was disappointed in this addition to the story. The plot was good, but the story just plodded along. At times, I was just bored. There was far too much unnecessary musing, and a pointless sub-plot of conflict between two characters that proved to add nothing to the story. This one will go onto the don’t-bother-to-read-again shelf.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gathering Mist is a spellbinding and riveting story of search and rescue. Called to Washington State to assist in the search for a missing 9 year-old boy, I was quickly caught up in the details and suspense of the search dogs, the volunteers, and the operation of the entire ordeal. Add in the tension of Maddie and Cole’s wedding being less than a week away, and time was of the essence! I loved the story! I love the various characters in the books, and highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great K-9 mystery!

[Connie P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting and painful.

Just days before her wedding, Mattie and Robo are called to help lead a search for a lost child in a massive dense forest in Washington. People had been lost there and were never seen again. The more time passes during the search, the more questions arise. Did the child walk into the forest on his own or was he taken? Was it some sort of publicity stunt cooked up by the boy's famous mother? Was the father involved? Was it a stranger abduction? Out of the blue, one of the search dogs has a seizure and it looks like he's been poisoned. Now Maddie has to worry that someone deliberately poisoned one of the dogs and Robo could be next. Cole is worried about both Maggie and Robo so he travels to Washington to assist in the search. Things start to really take a bad turn when Robo finds 2 graves during the search and one is that of a child, but it's not their missing child. There was a lot going on in this book and not everything was "pleasant". Someone who seems to be a good person is really a monster hiding in plain sight. The upside was that that person didn't understand that Robo was not just a search and rescue dog but also a K-9 officer who had skills that SAR dogs don't usually have. I did have a question that wasn't really answered. Why was the woman that Mattie was first paired with such a witch? She wasn't very competent and she didn't seem to take very good care of her dog. My guess was pure jealousy because everyone was praising Mattie and Robo as the pair who could find the missing child, if anyone could. There were a couple of loose ends that I didn't think were answered, but I still loved the story. I would not hesitate to read it and I can't wait for the next one.

[Mac Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little boy is missing in the Colorado hills and despite her wedding being only days away, Mattie and her dog Robo agree to travel from the Pacific Northwest to aid in the search. The boy disappeared from the set of a film his actor mother was making, Did he wander away and get lost? What he kidnapped? Or, was it something more sinister. With a range of possibilities (none good) and very little clues, Mattie and Robo must deal with rough terrain and suspicious people to try and find the child before it's too late. Add to that, wedding plans and a less than enthusiastic future mother-in-law and it makes for an intriguing page-turner.

[Jennifer]

Disappointing. Listened to the audiobook and the narrator’s inflection when distinguishing characters annoyed the hell out of me.

[Terri Wino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nine books in, and this remains one of my favorite series. I love the characters -- including the animals -- the story is always a perfect length to keep your attention, and there's always an interesting mystery. The relationship between Mattie and Robo feels so authentic, which, in turn, makes the police side of things in these books feel authentic as well.

Also loved the Cole and Mattie side of this book, as well. We readers have been part of their developing relationship, and it feels like we actually know these characters. Had I had more reading time, I would definitely have finished this in one sitting.

Can't wait for the next book!

[Megan G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice finish to the series. Setting: Pacific NW

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Walker family is now a family! I hope to read more about their adventures!

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series! I always look forward to reading the latest Timber Creek novel and they never disappoint. Mattie and her dog, Robo, are one of my favorite detective duos, and I've grown to love them as well as all of the other meaningful characters that this series has introduced along the way. And that definitely includes ALL of the dogs! Who doesn't love dogs?! This story's main focus is on finding the child of a famous celebrity that has gone missing in the Seattle wilderness. With each obstacle they faced, the nail-biting intensity of the rescue team's mission just poured out from the pages. I really enjoyed this novel and was so happy at the end. I laughed, smiled, and even cried a little. These characters have become like family to me, and I cannot wait to read the next book. I highly recommend Gathering Mist! It's the 9th book in the series and can be read as a stand-alone but it would definitely be better to start with book one. You will not be disappointed!

Thank you to the author, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

[Roxanne Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

With only a week to go before her wedding, Mattie Wray should be finding a dress and finalizing other details. Instead, she and Robo are called to Oregon to assist in the search for a child missing from a film set. Not only do the weather conditions hamper the search, but it is unclear if the kid is missing or if his actress mom has spirited him away as a publicity stunt. When a dog suffers a seizure indicative of poisoning, Mattie calls Cole to help out. Out of their element, Mattie and Robo must do what they've trained for. Exciting as usual!

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

While very much a classic mystery in the sense that it offers a hunt-for-clues, and analysis of potential perpetrators, Gathering Mist takes readers down a very different trail.

Deputy Mattie Wray and her partner, search dog Robo, are called in to search for a missing child. From the start, Robo the dog is an important part of all the action. He’s a bit of a character, but he’s also a working professional. Mizushima really brings the dog’s training and abilities into sharp (and important) focus. The deputy joins others in the search, with dogs trained in different specialties. The training, and work of the dogs is interesting and incredibly detailed.

While the deputy is trying to sort out the characters of the child’s family members, she’s also attentive to what the dog is ‘telling’ her. This sudden call to duty has an impact on her personal life, and she struggles with worry about her wedding plans. Her fiancé’, a veterinarian, might not be 100% behind her sudden departure, but we get a sense of how their relationship works when she needs to call on his expertise, as well.

Interestingly, the missing child is actress Chrystal Winter’s son. The movie set, and the ‘Hollywood lifestyle’ provide an additional bit of background to the story. However, it is the day-to-day of search-and-rescue that really takes center stage, in Gathering Mist .

The resolution of the mystery is less intriguing than the effort to get there: those interested in how search dogs work, and how they are trained, will find themselves completely engrossed. Mystery fans and dog-lovers especially will enjoy this K-9 mystery.

[Feathered Quill Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Margaret Mizushima delivers another stunning page-turner in Gathering Mist, the eagerly awaited ninth installment of her A Timber Creek K-9 mystery series. Set in the dense, verdant forests of the Pacific Northwest, the book delves into a search and rescue operation that conceals intricate mysteries and intricate puzzles that may go unnoticed by the untrained eye.

On a quest to find a missing nine-year-old child, Deputy Mattie Wray and her partner Robo—a German shepherd who weighs almost a hundred pounds—are dispatched to Washington. According to her department's head, Sheriff McCoy, it would be beneficial for the department to help in another jurisdiction, and the two may even get praise for their outstanding teamwork there. Because she feels it is her responsibility to intervene when a child's life is in danger, Mattie decides to go without first consulting with Cole, her fiancé, whom she is expecting to marry in a week. If Cole does not understand her decision, she feels like their relationship might not be meant to be.

Mattie discovers that the missing child has a history of venturing into the woods, a place rife with dangerous terrain and wild animals. In the same location, two more children have been reported missing. As she joins search teams whose efforts have produced no results, battling the heavy rains in the woods is a crucial concern. However, it does not take long for Robo to find an M&M wrapper, raising the prospect of a lure and kidnapping situation. Nevertheless, considering that the mother of the missing child is a well-known celebrity and has previously received death threats for playing a character who tortured and killed her husband and child in a film, it is uncertain if she may be the target of an aggressor.

This gripping mystery preys on the reader's deepest fears as indications and signs of a terrible conspiracy are revealed. Here, strange findings made throughout the operation—like the discovery of tombs holding decaying corpses—confound both the search crew and the protagonists. Things change, however, when the matter becomes a criminal investigation, enhancing the prospect that the two protagonists will be sent home.

Creating compelling, intricate storylines that she always skillfully weaves together at the end is one of Margaret Mizushima's strengths. Gathering Mist is no exception. She sets the tone for the narrative admirably by introducing readers to the heroes' brilliance early on. Reading this series' volumes and interacting with her very likable array of characters is always a breeze. She constantly creates a stunning, vividly imagined environment to fascinate a wide spectrum of readers of all ages, even though the series' concept appears more appropriate for younger audiences.

Quill says: As soon as you flip the first page of Gathering Mist, you will fall head over heels for this engrossing, fast-paced, interesting, and action-packed mystery even if you are not a fan of search-and-rescue dog tales. It is a dramatic and passionate narrative that will enthrall you with its heart-pounding buildup.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mattie and Robo take a roadtrip to the PNW to find a missing boy in the midst of the Olympic National Forest. He's the son of an actress who is there filming a movie. Other boys have gone missing there in the past. It's terrain and weather that is quite different from Colorado. SAR is soul zapping with the constant rain and soon appears to be misplaced- maybe this is a kidnapping? And the authorities are wondering if it just might be a publicity stunt. Lots of action. An enjoyable read with Mattie finally getting where she wants to be in her personal life.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great series, and one of my favorites. Mattie is a K-9 police officer in Colorado and her K-9 partner is Robo, and what an amazing duo they are. A nine year old boy, River, is missing in the forest in Washington and Mattie and Robo are sent there to help in the search. The weather is very rainy and cold, so Robo has his work cut out for him. Robo is excellent at scent tracking, but with all the rain it could be ridding the ground of the scent. I’ve said this before, Robo is one very amazing dog. He searches, he can take down a bad guy, and he also knows when someone needs comforting.
Great addition to this series.

[Patrizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ci spostiamo dalle montagne del Colorado alla zona della Penisola Olimpica nello stato di Washington: cambia il paesaggio, ma non l'intensità della storia. Mattie e Robo sono sempre pronti quando c'è bisogno di loro e qui vengono affiancati da personaggi diversi dal solito (ma Cole riesce a raggiungerli). Detto questo, devo dire che il cattivo è risultato essere uno dei 2/3 personaggi su cui avevo fissato la mia attenzione: sto diventando brava a risolvere i gialli, all'inizio non ne azzeccavo uno...

[Laurie Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“From the first page, tension gripped me like a vise. A shocking discovery set the stage, and I was off and running from there. The vivid descriptions of the Olympic Peninsula—rain-soaked, mud-slicked, and pine-scented—transported me there. Mizushima’s portrayal of a large-scale rescue operation is fascinating and authentic. The intricate details, coordination, and stakes add realism to this must-read story.” —Laurie Buchanan, author of the Sean McPherson crime thriller novels

[Katie Clevenger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Randomly chose this book to listen to from Libby. Ended up being pretty entertaining! I learned a lot about SAR dogs. Really in my dog era right now. Not a mind blowingly amazing book, but solid mystery novel with a satisfying end. I love robo the dog. Yay dogs!

[Rileigh Batteiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Gave the ending to the book that we all wanted!!

[Paula Hess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big fan of this series and Margaret Mizushima's writing style.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent plot with same characters. Love this series. I suggest you start with # 1, Killing Trail, so you will come to love the characters like I do.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series because one of the main characters is a dog, and Robo is such a good dog. That's it.

[Rita Keegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turner!!! Loved it.

[Christy Schultze · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite series. Picked this book up as it had a girl named Mattie like my daughter and a German Shepard. Love this series such a good author.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love all the books in this series

[Lottie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book !!!

[H Svinos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful installment, with another adventure and a long awaited wedding.