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K-9 Search & Rescue Mysteries #1
Trail Gone Dark: K-9 Search & Rescue Mysteries, Book 1
Three days in the mountains. No satellite signal. No sign of life.
When Gemma Hartley’s pager sounds before dawn — MISSING PERSON, 72 HOURS OVERDUE — she and her legendary German Shepherd Kira are in the truck within twelve minutes. That’s what they do. That’s what they are. But what Gemma expects to be a routine search becomes something else entirely when Kira finds Alexis Mercer’s body at the base of Devil’s Ledge — and the evidence points not to accident, but to murder.
Fresh from Minneapolis and still carrying the grief of a SAR operation gone wrong, Gemma came to Elk Creek to disappear. Instead, she stumbles onto a thread that leads straight into the town’s buried past. Brianna Hartley — same last name, no relation — walked into these same mountains twenty-five years ago and was never found. Her sister Vera has been waiting ever since. And Warren Haskell, the town’s most respected citizen, keeps appearing in the margins of a story no one has wanted to tell.
With Deputy Marco Reyes working the criminal side and Kira working the air, Gemma is chasing two cases at the killer who took Alexis, and the truth about what happened to Brianna in 1998.
Some trails lead to answers. Others lead to graves.
Perfect for fans of Nevada Barr, Margaret Mizushima, and Margaret Coel. If you love atmospheric mystery, loyal K-9 partners, and small-town secrets that refuse to stay buried, Trail Gone Dark is the beginning of a series you won’t be able to stop reading.
★ #1 Amazon Bestseller in Animal Fiction ★
Book 1 of 14 in the K-9 Search & Rescue Mysteries series. All 14 books now available.
When Gemma Hartley’s pager sounds before dawn — MISSING PERSON, 72 HOURS OVERDUE — she and her legendary German Shepherd Kira are in the truck within twelve minutes. That’s what they do. That’s what they are. But what Gemma expects to be a routine search becomes something else entirely when Kira finds Alexis Mercer’s body at the base of Devil’s Ledge — and the evidence points not to accident, but to murder.
Fresh from Minneapolis and still carrying the grief of a SAR operation gone wrong, Gemma came to Elk Creek to disappear. Instead, she stumbles onto a thread that leads straight into the town’s buried past. Brianna Hartley — same last name, no relation — walked into these same mountains twenty-five years ago and was never found. Her sister Vera has been waiting ever since. And Warren Haskell, the town’s most respected citizen, keeps appearing in the margins of a story no one has wanted to tell.
With Deputy Marco Reyes working the criminal side and Kira working the air, Gemma is chasing two cases at the killer who took Alexis, and the truth about what happened to Brianna in 1998.
Some trails lead to answers. Others lead to graves.
Perfect for fans of Nevada Barr, Margaret Mizushima, and Margaret Coel. If you love atmospheric mystery, loyal K-9 partners, and small-town secrets that refuse to stay buried, Trail Gone Dark is the beginning of a series you won’t be able to stop reading.
★ #1 Amazon Bestseller in Animal Fiction ★
Book 1 of 14 in the K-9 Search & Rescue Mysteries series. All 14 books now available.
371 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 9, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
March 15, 2026
compelling story, needs better editing
Gemma and Kira are an amazing searching and rescue team. A big plus is that Gemma doesn’t take foolish risks like so many authors have their characters taking. The stories are compelling and read as if they could be fact not fiction.
Editing is not nearly as well done. Dialogs between characters often leave unclear which character is speaking, especially when each paragraph is one sentence. Sometimes the gender is changed within a conversation. Most egregious and disturbing is the name change of the missing 6 year old boy.
This is book one in a series about Gemma and Kira. I hope the editing is better in further books.
Gemma and Kira are an amazing searching and rescue team. A big plus is that Gemma doesn’t take foolish risks like so many authors have their characters taking. The stories are compelling and read as if they could be fact not fiction.
Editing is not nearly as well done. Dialogs between characters often leave unclear which character is speaking, especially when each paragraph is one sentence. Sometimes the gender is changed within a conversation. Most egregious and disturbing is the name change of the missing 6 year old boy.
This is book one in a series about Gemma and Kira. I hope the editing is better in further books.
May 16, 2026
I really wanted to like this book. It was a decent story with likeable characters. But the writing ... or perhaps the editing or lack thereof?... is absolutely horrific. Sentences repeated multiple times. In fact, whole thought patterns were repeated. Conversations got confusing as they were frequently single sentence paragraphs (and who was speaking switched mid-conversation?). Towards the end of the book, the 2 main characters walked "back to the truck". Twice. This is over 300 pages and had at least three points it could have ended. But it droned & repeated onward. I will not be reading another; nor anything else by this author.
July 7, 2026
Gemma and her search and rescue dog Kira are called out to look for a missing hiker who is later found dead. Suspicion falls on her creepy ex. Liked the characters of Kira and Gemma and their fitting in with a new town, but thought the book would be better if it had focused on just their case with the hiker and her killer's trial instead of bringing up a cold case and an additional search for a missing child.
March 12, 2026
The information on the search and rescue and how the dogs are trained is very interesting. The cases mentioned in the book had me on the edge of my seat. I loved the intelligence of Kira, the K-9 Search and Rescue dog.
The book had plenty of twists, although some of the details of the cases are very repetitious over several chapters which made the story stall some. The plot is good, the characters relatable, and the setting of a small mountain town in Colorado seemed appropriate for the storyline. Also, there are a couple of expletives I didn't see coming, although it wasn't listed as Christian. I wasn't familiar with the author but went by description and reviews which didn't mention them. They were added for the character's benefit.
Overall, a good read, despite the negatives.
The book had plenty of twists, although some of the details of the cases are very repetitious over several chapters which made the story stall some. The plot is good, the characters relatable, and the setting of a small mountain town in Colorado seemed appropriate for the storyline. Also, there are a couple of expletives I didn't see coming, although it wasn't listed as Christian. I wasn't familiar with the author but went by description and reviews which didn't mention them. They were added for the character's benefit.
Overall, a good read, despite the negatives.
Did Not Finish
May 23, 2026dnf** Taking the Lords name in vain.
June 21, 2026
Interesting story line and start of a series. However, that is overshadowed by incredibly bad editing. Character name changes, incorrect homonyms, random start/stop dialogue, and so on, make for a frustrating read. While I have some curiosity about what happens with Gemma and Kira, it’s not enough to overcome the editing challenges.
April 15, 2026
Needs an Editor
This storyline was fine, a couple of criticisms: There is a theme of Mexico but the names are not Mexican. Marco is not Mexican; Marcos is Mexican. Gemma is not a Mexican name, it's Italian. There were quite a few times in the book where I had to reread it two or three times to figure out who was speaking because it didn't flow well. Lastly, it just went on too long. I wished at one point I had started counting the number of times she referenced the 1998 ledger entry because she just said it over and over and over again. We get it, we got it 30 references ago. I really think a good editor could gave made this into a lot better book because it was a good story and good characters. Note - I couldn't write my way out of a box, this is just my input.
This storyline was fine, a couple of criticisms: There is a theme of Mexico but the names are not Mexican. Marco is not Mexican; Marcos is Mexican. Gemma is not a Mexican name, it's Italian. There were quite a few times in the book where I had to reread it two or three times to figure out who was speaking because it didn't flow well. Lastly, it just went on too long. I wished at one point I had started counting the number of times she referenced the 1998 ledger entry because she just said it over and over and over again. We get it, we got it 30 references ago. I really think a good editor could gave made this into a lot better book because it was a good story and good characters. Note - I couldn't write my way out of a box, this is just my input.
March 19, 2026
Needs editing
The basic story was pretty good, low-key, but still interesting. As always when lack of grammatical rules, ?punctuation, etc, and especially total disregard of paragraphing rules are so prevalent, it makes story harder to visualize.
There was also lack of consistency in minor story elements while also having excessive repetition of the same information, even using the same wording.
The basic story was pretty good, low-key, but still interesting. As always when lack of grammatical rules, ?punctuation, etc, and especially total disregard of paragraphing rules are so prevalent, it makes story harder to visualize.
There was also lack of consistency in minor story elements while also having excessive repetition of the same information, even using the same wording.
July 18, 2026
At the outset, I enjoyed it; but gradually I started noticing strange errors and inconsistencies, as several others have pointed out: a lot of repetition, strange paragraphing of dialog, apparent disregard for previously established events, unexplained name changes…many reviewers blamed poor editing, as I did at first; but eventually I came to the conclusion the book was written by AI. I don’t believe a human author would make such bizarre errors, whereas AIs are known for being unable to hold long-term context. I expect that all ‘Sophie Lyon’s’ books are AI written; this deception annoys me greatly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2026
I wanted to like this book. I love a good mystery series. I especially love K-9 books. As others have stated, it's a decent story line, for about half of the book, which is the only reason I finished it. But this was one of the most poorly written books I've seen in a very long time. The main story line ended about half way through the book and the rest of it felt like filler to get to a word/page count. If this author has an editor, they should be fired and she should get her money back. Does she not have any beta readers? Ones who will be honest? It could be a good book with some high quality editing. As others have mentioned, the dialog was impossible to follow with every sentence starting a new paragraph, even with the same speaker. There were so many inconsistencies, where something was stated on one page and then complete opposite written in the next pages, or scenes were repeated from one page to the next. There were also phrases that were overused to sheer exhaustion and butchered capitalization and punctuation. I find it incredibly hard to believe this author has so many books. She gives all self-published books a really bad name and reputation. I will be crossing this series and this author off my list and not wasting any more of my precious reading time.
May 10, 2026
Hard to read
I'm sorry. I want your books to be good. But it is just impossible to follow who is talking. The editing is poor. I think it would have been a good story but my mind couldn't get past the bad diction. I have to give you 1 star.
I'm sorry. I want your books to be good. But it is just impossible to follow who is talking. The editing is poor. I think it would have been a good story but my mind couldn't get past the bad diction. I have to give you 1 star.
April 21, 2026
I loved the story but despaired of a couple of things
First, the formatting of the dialog was really bad. It was hard to figure out who was saying what. I think someone decided to have each line of dialog on a different line without quotes or an indication if it was a continuation of the previous character or someone new.
Next, the name of Alexis' sister changed from Jennifer to Elena. And finally, too much repetition about the cliff hanger mystery.
I will try the 2nd book and hopefully these issues were brought up by her editor. I read A LOT and I am always looking for new writers. I really want to continue to read her books.
First, the formatting of the dialog was really bad. It was hard to figure out who was saying what. I think someone decided to have each line of dialog on a different line without quotes or an indication if it was a continuation of the previous character or someone new.
Next, the name of Alexis' sister changed from Jennifer to Elena. And finally, too much repetition about the cliff hanger mystery.
I will try the 2nd book and hopefully these issues were brought up by her editor. I read A LOT and I am always looking for new writers. I really want to continue to read her books.
June 1, 2026
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
The purpose of Thrifty Thursday is to read a book which was free (at some point).
Kindle freebie on March 8, 2026 (currently $4.99 at Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited as of writing this post)
I so wanted to love Trail Gone Dark, which is the first in a 14 book series, K-9 Search & Rescue Mysteries . It has my favorite things K-9 searches, police investigations, a background romance and the beauty of Colorado.
Gemma Hartley comes to this smaller town by way of Minneapolis where she was a paramedic. She is on the SAR team here and of course, uses her EMT skills. She left Minneapolis due to one of her team losing his life in a flash flood.
The plot and characters are fine and I really enjoyed the searches. My problem is the writing which is very repetitive. The same things are repeated multiple times. The book would have been cleaner without that and shorter. It would improve the pacing significantly.
The other weird thing is the editing. A six year old missing boy was called Matteo and Lucas. Another victim's sister was named Jennifer and later in the book she is Elena. It is also odd Gemma is allowed to investigate with the police, sit in on their meetings and go on their interviews of witnesses. It makes sense she is knowledgeable about evidence collection and crimes scenes but the rest is unlikely, although it is a small town.
I am so sad because with some editing this could be really good. I can't believe there are 13 more books and wonder if the later books have more editing. Also - it looks like the audio version is computer generated.
The purpose of Thrifty Thursday is to read a book which was free (at some point).
Kindle freebie on March 8, 2026 (currently $4.99 at Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited as of writing this post)
I so wanted to love Trail Gone Dark, which is the first in a 14 book series, K-9 Search & Rescue Mysteries . It has my favorite things K-9 searches, police investigations, a background romance and the beauty of Colorado.
Gemma Hartley comes to this smaller town by way of Minneapolis where she was a paramedic. She is on the SAR team here and of course, uses her EMT skills. She left Minneapolis due to one of her team losing his life in a flash flood.
The plot and characters are fine and I really enjoyed the searches. My problem is the writing which is very repetitive. The same things are repeated multiple times. The book would have been cleaner without that and shorter. It would improve the pacing significantly.
The other weird thing is the editing. A six year old missing boy was called Matteo and Lucas. Another victim's sister was named Jennifer and later in the book she is Elena. It is also odd Gemma is allowed to investigate with the police, sit in on their meetings and go on their interviews of witnesses. It makes sense she is knowledgeable about evidence collection and crimes scenes but the rest is unlikely, although it is a small town.
I am so sad because with some editing this could be really good. I can't believe there are 13 more books and wonder if the later books have more editing. Also - it looks like the audio version is computer generated.
Did Not Finish
May 12, 2026I’m having a hard time following some of this book - it’s hard to tell who is speaking because normal grammatical structure isn’t followed to indicate that. I also just got to the part where our MC has a feeling and wants to look at specific dates for the trail but with no actual reason and pulls out the name of another woman who went missing. Too far fetched for me.
August 13, 2026
Good but…
Loved the storyline and characters. The writing style is very easy reading and descriptive. However, I did get confused at times as the punctuation of conversations seemed off. (Heaven knows my punctuation is not stellar.) It felt like the sentences from one of the characters should have stayed together, (if that makes sense.) I thought I was moving to another characters conversation.
I also found inconsistencies, like the name of Alexis’ sister was Jennifer in the first part of the book and at trial it was Elena. Maybe I missed that there were two sisters?? Another example is when Marco and Gemma were getting ready to leave his place, Kira had jumped into the truck; yet several paragraphs later, he was opening the door, again, for Kira and Gemma to get in.
It probably sounds petty and nitpicking, but there were several other incidents of the same type of inconsistencies and at times confusing as to which character was speaking. I found myself going back to check character statements.
I look forward to reading the entire series and seeing what happens with Gemma and Marco. K-9s’ and handlers are a favorite storyline of mine. I can just imagine snuggling up with Kira and the calming presence she has for Gemma and those families she brings together again.
Loved the storyline and characters. The writing style is very easy reading and descriptive. However, I did get confused at times as the punctuation of conversations seemed off. (Heaven knows my punctuation is not stellar.) It felt like the sentences from one of the characters should have stayed together, (if that makes sense.) I thought I was moving to another characters conversation.
I also found inconsistencies, like the name of Alexis’ sister was Jennifer in the first part of the book and at trial it was Elena. Maybe I missed that there were two sisters?? Another example is when Marco and Gemma were getting ready to leave his place, Kira had jumped into the truck; yet several paragraphs later, he was opening the door, again, for Kira and Gemma to get in.
It probably sounds petty and nitpicking, but there were several other incidents of the same type of inconsistencies and at times confusing as to which character was speaking. I found myself going back to check character statements.
I look forward to reading the entire series and seeing what happens with Gemma and Marco. K-9s’ and handlers are a favorite storyline of mine. I can just imagine snuggling up with Kira and the calming presence she has for Gemma and those families she brings together again.
July 23, 2026
I tried to like this book. I really did. The story could be good, but the editing was terrible. I got 63% through it, but it was a chore to muster up enough enthusiasm to want to continue. I’m normally a fairly fast reader who finishes a good book in a few days if I have time to read. But this story seems to drone on and on, often repeating the same thoughts - and sometimes even words - of the characters, over and over. I don’t know if it was just that I was reading the Kindle version, but with the way conversations were written it was difficult to discern which character was saying what. I finally decided that I don’t care how the story ends and am not finishing this book. I can count on one hand how many times in my life I have not finished a book, but I kept thinking about the stack of books on my shelf and the books on my Kindle that have been downloaded that I know I will actually enjoy reading. Onward and upward! This particular book is a big “No” from me.
May 18, 2026
Trial Gone Dark really pulled me in from beginning to end. It’s a thriller packed with mystery, suspense, and twists that kept me hooked—I honestly found it hard to put down. I liked how the courtroom drama and investigation parts were woven together, giving the story a solid legal edge while still being full of action and tension.
What stood out most to me was how the author kept the suspense alive by slowly revealing key details. The pacing felt just right, and every chapter brought something fresh to the story. The characters seemed real, especially in how they made tough decisions under pressure, which made the story feel emotionally grounded.
Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who loves action-packed legal thrillers with a dark, suspenseful vibe. It’s the kind of book that keeps you guessing right up to the last page
What stood out most to me was how the author kept the suspense alive by slowly revealing key details. The pacing felt just right, and every chapter brought something fresh to the story. The characters seemed real, especially in how they made tough decisions under pressure, which made the story feel emotionally grounded.
Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who loves action-packed legal thrillers with a dark, suspenseful vibe. It’s the kind of book that keeps you guessing right up to the last page
March 6, 2026
I was excited to stumble across this book & see this is a several book series.
I loved this first book in the series & have recommended it to others.
Now I'm on book 3 and am a bit embarrassed because of plot errors in book 2 that become even more numerous in book 3. There are so many discrepancies in events that have already. Events that transpired in earlier books suddenly didn't happen in later books. Unfortunately there not little errors but instead are events that become integral to the plot. How can they become so integral when
the issues or events were already cleared up in earlier books. By book 3 I'm very distracted by the plot errors & discrepancies.
If not for that, I was really enjoying the idea of this series and live the smash town characters.
I loved this first book in the series & have recommended it to others.
Now I'm on book 3 and am a bit embarrassed because of plot errors in book 2 that become even more numerous in book 3. There are so many discrepancies in events that have already. Events that transpired in earlier books suddenly didn't happen in later books. Unfortunately there not little errors but instead are events that become integral to the plot. How can they become so integral when
the issues or events were already cleared up in earlier books. By book 3 I'm very distracted by the plot errors & discrepancies.
If not for that, I was really enjoying the idea of this series and live the smash town characters.
April 3, 2026
Great working team
Really good mystery centered around an exceptional SAR team. Gemma and Kira make a very solid working team, with Gemma trusting Kira completely.
The reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is the continued insistence that the victim, Alexis, had done "everything right ". As a woman, especially one who has been in an abusive relationship, you don't embark on a 400 mile + solo hike, while posting all the details online. 9 Yes, I DO think she has the right to go on that hike without the fear of anything tragic occurring. I just don't feel the wisest choice is posting every possible detail of the trip.
In spite of my issues with the choice Alexis made, I do recommend this book and will move on to the next in the series.
Really good mystery centered around an exceptional SAR team. Gemma and Kira make a very solid working team, with Gemma trusting Kira completely.
The reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is the continued insistence that the victim, Alexis, had done "everything right ". As a woman, especially one who has been in an abusive relationship, you don't embark on a 400 mile + solo hike, while posting all the details online. 9 Yes, I DO think she has the right to go on that hike without the fear of anything tragic occurring. I just don't feel the wisest choice is posting every possible detail of the trip.
In spite of my issues with the choice Alexis made, I do recommend this book and will move on to the next in the series.
June 24, 2026
I usually like books like this with K-9 partners, but this one couldn't keep my attention. As others have mentioned, the structure of dialogue was not how it should be to. An example (not exact dialogue, just an example):
"I know," said Gemma thoughtfully as she looked at Kira.
"I'll be careful."
Those should both be in the same paragraph since Gemma said them both, but repeatedly a new quote by the same character was put in a different paragraph, making it very difficult to differentiate between speakers.
I tried listening to the audio, and even though it was AI-read, I preferred it to the word version, but I just couldn't get into it. Made it through about 25% and gave up.
"I know," said Gemma thoughtfully as she looked at Kira.
"I'll be careful."
Those should both be in the same paragraph since Gemma said them both, but repeatedly a new quote by the same character was put in a different paragraph, making it very difficult to differentiate between speakers.
I tried listening to the audio, and even though it was AI-read, I preferred it to the word version, but I just couldn't get into it. Made it through about 25% and gave up.
July 29, 2026
This book was excruciating to read. It has more holes than a sieve and like every other reviewer said this is in dire need of a proofreader/editor. Repetitive, timelines all out of sync. At one point the auther mentioned ‘Marco’ and I’m thinking who on earth is Marco only to later find out that its Deputy Reyes only we were never introduced to him with his full name. Further on they were lamenting of how clever the killer is except he wasn’t as he left a trail of credit card purchases pinpointing to his exact whereabouts. Yeesh! I think the author had the bones of a good story and that is about it. I am baffled how with this bad of editing did this multiple book series get published. 🤯
September 5, 2026
Good books, great characters & storyline, if you're not a stickler for consistency.
Good storyline & characters but timeline & plot are inconsistent. I've read the 1st book in this series and over half the second. I like the characters & would love to know how Gemma & Kira's story goes. However, there are too many errors in plot & timeline. I noticed some of this in the first book but tried to continue the series because the characters & ongoing story line were interesting. I thought it was just a first book & the mistakes would get better but they are actually worse in the second book. Like I said the characters & storyline are great, if you're not a stickler for consistency they are good books. Personally, I will make myself finish the second book but don't think I can make myself read anymore. Which is regrettable because I would really like to know more about Gemma, Kira & Marco.
Good storyline & characters but timeline & plot are inconsistent. I've read the 1st book in this series and over half the second. I like the characters & would love to know how Gemma & Kira's story goes. However, there are too many errors in plot & timeline. I noticed some of this in the first book but tried to continue the series because the characters & ongoing story line were interesting. I thought it was just a first book & the mistakes would get better but they are actually worse in the second book. Like I said the characters & storyline are great, if you're not a stickler for consistency they are good books. Personally, I will make myself finish the second book but don't think I can make myself read anymore. Which is regrettable because I would really like to know more about Gemma, Kira & Marco.
September 22, 2026
Great story!
I loved the story but things were repeated quite often and things changed from earlier in the book, like she forgot what she wrote. It made it hard to follow at times and I kept going back to check if I read it wrong. Kira is a great character, I love dog books that really show how we bond with them. There was a lot of repetitive, unnecessary wording which was annoying. I did enjoy the book, it just felt like 2 or 3 different books. Lots of mistakes too. I guess I should have gone into editing or proofreading, because I catch everything! I gave 4 stars because it was a great book overall. Kept my attention, I read it in one sitting. Looking forward to reading the next one!
I loved the story but things were repeated quite often and things changed from earlier in the book, like she forgot what she wrote. It made it hard to follow at times and I kept going back to check if I read it wrong. Kira is a great character, I love dog books that really show how we bond with them. There was a lot of repetitive, unnecessary wording which was annoying. I did enjoy the book, it just felt like 2 or 3 different books. Lots of mistakes too. I guess I should have gone into editing or proofreading, because I catch everything! I gave 4 stars because it was a great book overall. Kept my attention, I read it in one sitting. Looking forward to reading the next one!
March 19, 2026
Still haunted by a tragic loss during Emma Hartley's EMT work in Minneapolis, MN, she races across the country to a very secluded mountain town, Elk Creek, in Colorado looking for a new start and a new job as part of a Search and Rescue team with her specially trained dog, Kira. This very exciting story gives you an idea of how Emma and Kira work closely together through this rough mountainous terrain searching for lost and missing individuals. When a missing hiker loses her life under very suspicious conditions, the local police take over and Emma's sharp eye for details assists them in solving the case and pursing the criminal. This very fast-paced story was a good read!!!!
March 22, 2026
I really enjoyed this book. I'd already read book two. I did think this story would have benefited from more concise editing. There is more repetition than I prefer, almost like copy/paste was use to expand the text and it caused me to feel Gemma was excessively obsessing. I felt the book would more appropriately have ended with the conviction of the murderer. The remaining chapters could have made a novella or been introductory to book two. Good characterization. Believable conversation and a lot of good data on search and rescue operations and dog training. Made me long for another visit to Colorado.
March 23, 2026
Trouble starting but glad to have finished.
I’m not going to lie. I had trouble getting into this story. It’s taken me longer to finish than most books I read. I just seemed to have no trouble putting it down and then picking it up again.
But the story was good, despite my reticence. The characters are very real, and the story is believable. And as I read I realized it was just, really a slow start and a little trouble getting to know the main character as quickly as I usually do. It is a book I will recommend, and I’ll probably try some of the other books in the series as well.
I’m not going to lie. I had trouble getting into this story. It’s taken me longer to finish than most books I read. I just seemed to have no trouble putting it down and then picking it up again.
But the story was good, despite my reticence. The characters are very real, and the story is believable. And as I read I realized it was just, really a slow start and a little trouble getting to know the main character as quickly as I usually do. It is a book I will recommend, and I’ll probably try some of the other books in the series as well.
July 16, 2026
A Promising Author
I enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the plot. But there was much information that was repeated over and over. For example, the names in the register. The main character’s thoughts on whether she belonged. Of course she would reflect on that more than once, but the reader learned nothing new when this happened. The thoughts needed to be expanded on and varied. Her guilt about past events again repeated too many times. I would suggest the book could be much shorter, but I do not like short stories or novellas. So I suggest the author expand and dig deeper.
I enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the plot. But there was much information that was repeated over and over. For example, the names in the register. The main character’s thoughts on whether she belonged. Of course she would reflect on that more than once, but the reader learned nothing new when this happened. The thoughts needed to be expanded on and varied. Her guilt about past events again repeated too many times. I would suggest the book could be much shorter, but I do not like short stories or novellas. So I suggest the author expand and dig deeper.
July 17, 2026
I was excited to read this K9 series set in Colorado and wanted to enjoy it, but I found myself distracted by several writing and editing issues. At times, the story felt inconsistent, with repeated passages and details that seemed to appear in multiple sections. A stronger editing and proofreading pass could help the books feel more polished and make the reading experience smoother. For example, in Trail Gone Dark, I noticed that the victim’s sister’s name appeared to change from Jennifer to Elena, which was confusing. I appreciate the premise of the series, but these issues made it difficult for me to stay engaged.
April 27, 2026
Great story. Love the descriptions of the scenery
Well-written story and interesting characters. My grandmother grew up in Telluride, and my mother was born in Denver. The scenery you describe sounds somewhat like Norwood, Colorado — mostly because of the “drop off” to the valley at one end of the town. I live in the East now, but I miss the mountains and have written in my will that my ashes and those of my 4 German Shepherds should be taken and left in Rocky Mountain National Park where I spent many hours hiking.
Well-written story and interesting characters. My grandmother grew up in Telluride, and my mother was born in Denver. The scenery you describe sounds somewhat like Norwood, Colorado — mostly because of the “drop off” to the valley at one end of the town. I live in the East now, but I miss the mountains and have written in my will that my ashes and those of my 4 German Shepherds should be taken and left in Rocky Mountain National Park where I spent many hours hiking.
May 24, 2026
Loved the small town!
The characters all felt very real, some running away, others already settled, and then there’s those of us who can’t run away. The scenario of the first case, was very real to life, my niece was murdered by her boyfriend and they had a 4 year old daughter. He went to prison for 16 months not exactly justice but they couldn’t prove that it was ongoing.
The relationship that is beginning between Gemma and Marco is going very nicely, and I love his Grandma,she’s a wonderful spitfire, she definitely adds spice. Loved the story!
The characters all felt very real, some running away, others already settled, and then there’s those of us who can’t run away. The scenario of the first case, was very real to life, my niece was murdered by her boyfriend and they had a 4 year old daughter. He went to prison for 16 months not exactly justice but they couldn’t prove that it was ongoing.
The relationship that is beginning between Gemma and Marco is going very nicely, and I love his Grandma,she’s a wonderful spitfire, she definitely adds spice. Loved the story!
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