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Dogleg Island Mystery #2
The Sound of Running Horses
The second book in the riveting new Dogleg Island mystery series from the author of FLASH.
Still recovering from the traumatic events of the past year, newlyweds Aggie Malone, police chief of Dogleg Island, and Deputy Sheriff Ryan Grady are looking forward to a casual day trip to Wild Horse Island, a nearby nature preserve, with their precocious—and uncannily perceptive—border collie, Flash. But when Flash discovers a body in a shallow grave on the island, and Aggie and Ryan learn of an attack on the park ranger, a tangled knot of conspiracy, murder and deception begins to unfold.
Fifteen hundred miles away, an ex-con and a fifteen year old girl embark upon a crime spree that will earn them the nicknames “Bonnie and Clyde”. As they make their way inexorably south, Aggie, Grady and Flash are thrust into the middle of a murder investigation that leads to the arrest of one of their neighbors and the attempted suicide of another. When a search of the dead girl’s belongings reveals a priceless emerald bracelet and two of the island's most popular residents go missing, the puzzle becomes even more complicated. Grady and Aggie struggle to put all the pieces into place while Flash, ever obsessed with understanding the human condition, wrestles with a more painful dilemma: how do you tell the good guys from the bad guys when they are so often the same person?
Still recovering from the traumatic events of the past year, newlyweds Aggie Malone, police chief of Dogleg Island, and Deputy Sheriff Ryan Grady are looking forward to a casual day trip to Wild Horse Island, a nearby nature preserve, with their precocious—and uncannily perceptive—border collie, Flash. But when Flash discovers a body in a shallow grave on the island, and Aggie and Ryan learn of an attack on the park ranger, a tangled knot of conspiracy, murder and deception begins to unfold.
Fifteen hundred miles away, an ex-con and a fifteen year old girl embark upon a crime spree that will earn them the nicknames “Bonnie and Clyde”. As they make their way inexorably south, Aggie, Grady and Flash are thrust into the middle of a murder investigation that leads to the arrest of one of their neighbors and the attempted suicide of another. When a search of the dead girl’s belongings reveals a priceless emerald bracelet and two of the island's most popular residents go missing, the puzzle becomes even more complicated. Grady and Aggie struggle to put all the pieces into place while Flash, ever obsessed with understanding the human condition, wrestles with a more painful dilemma: how do you tell the good guys from the bad guys when they are so often the same person?
347 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 15, 2016
330 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
April 20, 2018
If I ever wondered what a difference a narrator can make, this book shows it. Donna Postel took over on this book and did a great job.
It's a nice continuation of the series which is an enjoyable read.
It's a nice continuation of the series which is an enjoyable read.
September 20, 2016
As with the first book in this series - it keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't know if I can wait for the third book - there will be a third book - right??
October 21, 2016
A visit to Dogleg Island is like a Florida vacation. Law enforcement couple Angie and Ryan, now married, are doing OK until an offshore island murder mystery disrupts their small town life. In the 2nd in the series Ball again takes us into Flash’s Border Collie insights.
February 12, 2017
It's a fun and entertaining mystery, full of action, suspense and twists that I enjoyed from beginning to end.
Aggie and Ryan are married and they are both cops: she is the police chief and he is deputy sheriff in the country in which they live. They hope to spend a quiet day of rest and have a picnic. Aggie has just need to kick back, the last case has very upset her but not be so. Before a fake shark attack and then their dog finds a dead body. The surveys will be very complex with a list of really wide suspicions.
I loved all the characters, but Flash in particular, is a very special dog.
This is the second book in this series although I haven't read the first book, I in no way disrupted my enjoyment of this book. This is the first chance I have had to read anything by Donna Ball. Certainly most it will not be my last.
It's a really enjoyable summer read, it had me hooked from the first page. The writing is smooth, the pages fly by effortlessly and the ending to the story to truly surprised me and did not see coming.
For anyone who enjoys a riveting story this may be perfect for you!
Aggie and Ryan are married and they are both cops: she is the police chief and he is deputy sheriff in the country in which they live. They hope to spend a quiet day of rest and have a picnic. Aggie has just need to kick back, the last case has very upset her but not be so. Before a fake shark attack and then their dog finds a dead body. The surveys will be very complex with a list of really wide suspicions.
I loved all the characters, but Flash in particular, is a very special dog.
This is the second book in this series although I haven't read the first book, I in no way disrupted my enjoyment of this book. This is the first chance I have had to read anything by Donna Ball. Certainly most it will not be my last.
It's a really enjoyable summer read, it had me hooked from the first page. The writing is smooth, the pages fly by effortlessly and the ending to the story to truly surprised me and did not see coming.
For anyone who enjoys a riveting story this may be perfect for you!
November 21, 2020
I think the police procedural details are getting better in this cozy mystery series and I enjoyed this story quite a bit. I particularly liked a new character: JC, an investigator from the FDLE, who was assigned to cover the death of a young woman found buried on Wild Horse Island. He is prone to quoting apropos scripture, some made up and some real. Flash is still a narrator at times and it was less disconcerting this time. I was intrigued with his confusion about how someone could be a good guy and a bad guy at the same time. Maggie muses about the reason she left the metropolitan police force. "I knew if I stayed there, if I kept on seeing those things, living those things, eventually the stain would eat away at me until I was just as empty, just as hollowed out inside as the people I was supposed to be protecting the city from." Balancing that, Ryan Grady realizes that the reason why police did the job despite its draining, erosive nature was family--protecting both his own and those in the community. It makes me grateful for the policemen in my city and across the nation who are willing to protect and serve.
March 21, 2021
I suspected I was going to like these mysteries since I've like everything else she's written--so far. And I was right. She also has a few books of the "western" genre--I might try those next.
She tried an experiment in this series--nearly killing her main character in the very beginning. (That's not a spoiler; you'd know it from the cover) Oddly, the experiment worked--having the detective nearly die in the first episode left all sorts of problems for her to deal with. Very interesting.
Also she branched out in her dog characterization, letting the main dog have thoughts that we don't normally think of dogs having. It made me chuckle a time or two. But I like her writing well enough to give her a little "poetic license", if you will.
So to sum up, I loved them all. The plots are good, too, and none of the police people are total idiots.
She tried an experiment in this series--nearly killing her main character in the very beginning. (That's not a spoiler; you'd know it from the cover) Oddly, the experiment worked--having the detective nearly die in the first episode left all sorts of problems for her to deal with. Very interesting.
Also she branched out in her dog characterization, letting the main dog have thoughts that we don't normally think of dogs having. It made me chuckle a time or two. But I like her writing well enough to give her a little "poetic license", if you will.
So to sum up, I loved them all. The plots are good, too, and none of the police people are total idiots.
October 5, 2024
Humans can be both...
...good guys and bad guys. And books can be both heartwarming and heartbreaking. This is the one where a woman is found dead on a nearby island, Aggie and Grady and Flash enjoy married life, and Flash runs with the horses in his dreams. We also meet some new characters, like the volunteer lifeguards. I like the mysteries, I love Flash, and I have grown to care about the characters in this series. But how can they be so moving in a positive way and so sad, too? On to the next in series--but I don't know how much more sadness I can weather. At least there's always Flash--!
...good guys and bad guys. And books can be both heartwarming and heartbreaking. This is the one where a woman is found dead on a nearby island, Aggie and Grady and Flash enjoy married life, and Flash runs with the horses in his dreams. We also meet some new characters, like the volunteer lifeguards. I like the mysteries, I love Flash, and I have grown to care about the characters in this series. But how can they be so moving in a positive way and so sad, too? On to the next in series--but I don't know how much more sadness I can weather. At least there's always Flash--!
April 10, 2024
Having read the first book in this series I knew the characters better and that made for a more enjoyable read for this series. I liked it so much, I have already started book three in this series and had read this book in three nights, as I read in bed every night.
This book has a really engaging story and I love that Flash is a part of the storyline in every one of her books in this series.
I don’t write spoilers as I feel that every person should discover for themselves what the story is. Enjoy!!
This book has a really engaging story and I love that Flash is a part of the storyline in every one of her books in this series.
I don’t write spoilers as I feel that every person should discover for themselves what the story is. Enjoy!!
September 19, 2025
A doggone good perspective on humans and our foibles
I've just discovered this series and have quickly fallen for it! The main characters, Aggie, Grady, & Bishop, are winsome and nicely written; but it's Flash who is the heart of these books.
The blue-eyed border collie isn't written as anything but a dog, but as we read his thoughts we are treated to rather profound, at times, insights into the world of human beings as Flash tries to process and understand this world.
The mysteries are fun and well crafted. Ms. Ball has hooked me into a third cozy series!
I've just discovered this series and have quickly fallen for it! The main characters, Aggie, Grady, & Bishop, are winsome and nicely written; but it's Flash who is the heart of these books.
The blue-eyed border collie isn't written as anything but a dog, but as we read his thoughts we are treated to rather profound, at times, insights into the world of human beings as Flash tries to process and understand this world.
The mysteries are fun and well crafted. Ms. Ball has hooked me into a third cozy series!
January 15, 2017
The second installment of the adventures of Flash, the brilliant Border Collie, and his human law enforcement sidekicks, Aggie and Ryan.
Normally, I prefer dog tales to have more realistic dogs, but, to be fair, it is Aggie and Ryan that solve the case with police work, not the dog. Flash helps out now and then.
Normally, I prefer dog tales to have more realistic dogs, but, to be fair, it is Aggie and Ryan that solve the case with police work, not the dog. Flash helps out now and then.
December 10, 2017
Unusual Story
I have read three of Donna Ball's books now and have liked them all. It's good to read stories about working dogs that sound genuine instead of trying to be clever. Good plots and twists keep them interesting. Ms. Ball is a competent writer and story teller. I know more of her works will be on my reading list.
I have read three of Donna Ball's books now and have liked them all. It's good to read stories about working dogs that sound genuine instead of trying to be clever. Good plots and twists keep them interesting. Ms. Ball is a competent writer and story teller. I know more of her works will be on my reading list.
June 2, 2019
This was awesome! More deserving of a "10"! I love this series, and I wish I hadn't had to read out of order, but this one had been "missing" from the library for over a year. What made it even better for me was that it turned out there really were wild horses living on the island and no one knew it.
January 20, 2020
A fine read.
Book two is as good as the first, if not better because I knew the main characters and the setting better. I really appreciated how the main characters stayed true to themselves and all the reality based information on the extreme danger law enforcement faces every day of work. Good mystery and police work all the way around.
Book two is as good as the first, if not better because I knew the main characters and the setting better. I really appreciated how the main characters stayed true to themselves and all the reality based information on the extreme danger law enforcement faces every day of work. Good mystery and police work all the way around.
August 13, 2021
The story in this was interesting and it was a quick read.
In Chapter 8, she said "she almost preferred being shot at," over going to a monthly council meeting. That sounded so inane when in the previous book she had been shot in the head. Ridiculous.
Somebody should tell Aggie that lasagna, potato chips and donuts aren't good for dogs.
In Chapter 8, she said "she almost preferred being shot at," over going to a monthly council meeting. That sounded so inane when in the previous book she had been shot in the head. Ridiculous.
Somebody should tell Aggie that lasagna, potato chips and donuts aren't good for dogs.
March 8, 2018
I absolutely love Aggie, Grady and Flash! In fact I Love every one of the good guys on Dogleg Island. This is the second of 3... and I hope .... more to come in this exciting, can’t put down mystery series. I’ve already purchased #3!
October 22, 2019
A super tale
With many different twists and details, somehow it all weaves together into a fantastic story of runaway teen, lost treasure,a a non shark attack, a homeless man. It builds into a terrific story.
With many different twists and details, somehow it all weaves together into a fantastic story of runaway teen, lost treasure,a a non shark attack, a homeless man. It builds into a terrific story.
February 11, 2022
Love Donna Ball
I love to read Donna Ball books. The admiration and love she has for dogs is wonderful. She shows how intelligent dogs are and their connection to the people who love them
I love to read Donna Ball books. The admiration and love she has for dogs is wonderful. She shows how intelligent dogs are and their connection to the people who love them
March 15, 2024
Another enjoyable book by Donna Ball. This one made me sad except for the very end. *Flash ran with the horses, all legs and flying grass and wild, hot scent. It was powerful, it was magnificent, it was magic.*
May 19, 2025
Amazing twists and turns!
These books keep me on the edge of my seat. No way can I figure out everything. There are so many pieces of the pie that I cannot wait to see how it all comes together! Keep them coming- please!!!
These books keep me on the edge of my seat. No way can I figure out everything. There are so many pieces of the pie that I cannot wait to see how it all comes together! Keep them coming- please!!!
December 2, 2025
Donna Ball never disappoints! If you love dogs and mysteries you will probably enjoy this book. I’ve read books in other series by Donna Ball and have loved them all. I can hardly wait to read the next in this series.
April 3, 2018
Fun little mystery series with a dog as one of the characters? Sold!
January 29, 2019
Doggone good story
A little obvious that the two stories we're going to come togeather. But otherwise a pretty good story line. Like the way she writes from the dogs perspective.
A little obvious that the two stories we're going to come togeather. But otherwise a pretty good story line. Like the way she writes from the dogs perspective.
July 31, 2020
Good but not as fun as her other series
March 26, 2021
Good ole fashioned mystery...fun
June 28, 2021
Great. Book
Loved it loved it loved it. These dogs are the Einstein of dogs. My next one will be one of them
Loved it loved it loved it. These dogs are the Einstein of dogs. My next one will be one of them
September 18, 2021
Truly excellent!
I am an avid reader of this type of book and Donna Ball is the best writer of the genre.
I am an avid reader of this type of book and Donna Ball is the best writer of the genre.
January 25, 2023
Kept my interest so that I wasn't even tempted to take a sneak peak at the ending.
December 11, 2023
I love Flash!
Read
June 7, 2024Nice twist at the end.
October 20, 2024
Another great book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews