Dog Suspense

Three more slapstick early readers from our favourite doggy detectives, all set in the summer sun. And things are heating up! Someone is cheating in the sandcastle competition! There’s something fishy about the new cafe! But it’s the alien invasion that really makes Shifty and Sam lose their cool! Anyone for an iced bun?

When Hank hears a rumor that the sky is going to fall from the ranch's resident rooster, he is naturally a bit skeptical. But then a report from Pete the Barncat and a strange dream seem to support the theory, and Hank realizes that he'd better take the threat seriously. After all, as Head of Ranch Security, it's his job to protect the ranch from any and all potential danger.

From rags to riches...When Pete the Barncat offers to trade good, juicy steak scraps for a couple of old corncobs, Hank the Cowdog smells a rat. Why would Pete want to trade - unless the cobs are worth a fortune? So, armed with his Incredible PricelessCorncobs, Hank sets out to plan his Early Retirement. But retirement and the life of luxury don't come as easily as Hank expects. It seems as though everyone is after his treasure - even his faithful sidekick, Drover!

A backpack full of jewels has fallen out of a plane! Was it just an accident? The Boxcar Children need to find out what happened!

Mage Bridal Party Etiquette. Plan the bachelorette party even if you are given two hours’ warning. Wear whatever hideous dress the bride picks out. Try not to get killed and ruin the wedding.

The Dogs of Winter begins after a howling snowstorm envelops Montreal, and the body of a young woman is discovered in its wake. The only clue to her identity is the photograph in her pocket, and on it, the phone number of Detective Inspector Romeo Leduc. Meanwhile, Marie and Romeo are busy navigating their deepening relationship, and a student at Marie’s college is the victim of a terrible assault.

Tired of his reputation as a con artist, Eddy the Rac sets out to prove that he's really a master magician. But the trick's on Hank when Eddy pulls a disappearing act - and leaves the Head of Ranch Security perched in the henhouse with egg on his face.

The murder scene looks depressingly ordinary at first: a home-invasion shooting of a real-estate agent. But Detective Erin O'Reilly has a nose for trouble, and this case smells all wrong. It's bad enough that the victim is tied to several sleazy property deals, but the worst of it is the sole witness to the crime: the dead man's girlfriend is Lieutenant Webb's ex-wife.

Pru Marlowe isn't your ordinary animal psychic. A tough girl on the run from her own gift, Pru left the big city to return to her picturesque Berkshires hometown looking for a little peace. Too bad that her training as an animal behaviorist got her mixed up with Lily, a rescue dog, and Charles, the dog’s guardian. Now Charles is dead, and Lily appears to be headed for the same end, for after all, Lily is a pit bull, a fighting-ring dropout.

Shifty and Sam lead the way in a wacky race that has been sabotaged by the one and only Red Rocket! But they soon thwart his dastardly ways, and the rightful winner takes home the prize. When a mysterious parcel is delivered to the cafe, both Shifty and Sam claim ownership. A rift grows between the boys until a small knight rides to the rescue. Rich old Lady Poshington is staying at the fanciest hotel in town, just as a spate of burglaries takes place. Can Shifty and Sam go undercover to catch the thief?

Bowser is a dog detective on the loose, paired with an 11-year-old girl, Birdie. Bowser and Birdie live on the Louisiana coast with Birdie's Grammy. When a prize stuffed marlin is stolen from Grammy's bait and tackle shop, Birdie and Bowser decide to take on the case. But what looks like a straightforward break-in soon becomes as tangled as a tourist's fishing line.

Hank the Cowdog and his trusty partner, Drover, are just beginning their latest investigation when a pirate suddenly appears on the front porch! Has the ranch really been set upon by one-legged men of the sea? Hank and Drover soon realize that the pirate is just Little Alfred in disguise.

Holiday time in the Valley, and in the holiday spirit - despite the dismal shape of the finances at the Little Detective Agency - Bernie refers a potential client to Victor Klovsky, a fellow private eye. It’s also true that the case - promising lots of online research but little action - doesn’t appeal to Bernie, while it seems perfect for Victor, who is not cut out for rough stuff. But Victor disappears in a rough-stuff way, and when he doesn’t show up at his mom’s to light the Hanukkah candles, she hires Chet and Bernie to find him.

The weather turns to spring, and Charlie faces a pair of puzzles. Against Charlie’s better judgment Ron, her PI partner, takes a cheating-spouse case that turns into a comedy of errors involving a star football player and his wife’s petty vengeance. Meanwhile, Charlie’s neighbor Elsa has a bad feeling about a family up the street. Is it a case of the neighborhood busybody having too much time on her hands, or is there truly something sinister happening with twin teen girls who’ve been left with too much money and not enough supervision?

On a blustery day in late fall, Hank sneaks into the back of Slim's pickup and finds himself at a neighboring rancher's fall branding...the very neighbor, in fact, who owns the gorgeous Miss Scamper the Beagle! Unfortunately, Miss Scamper has always been a little hard to figure out, and he can't decide if she's crazy about him...or just plain crazy. And, as the day unfolds, it even begins to look like she's angling to land him in a heap of trouble with her pit bull boyfriend, Steel!

Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy the dog find excitement and adventure wherever they go in Enid Blyton's most popular series. In book 21, the Famous Five are camping out near the home of a famous scientist. But when his important research papers go missing, he needs the gang's help to get them back. Can the Five work out who took them? And why?

Sam Acquillo, ex-boxer, ex-corporate executive, and accidental hero of The Last Refuge, can't seem to stay out of trouble. All he really wants to do is hammer a few nails into his ramshackle cottage, drink a great deal of vodka, and hang out with his dog, Eddie. But when a car bomb outside a trendy waterfront restaurant kills a prominent financial consultant, injuring Sam and his lawyer friend, he is drawn into the investigation.

As Head of Ranch Security, Hank knows that it's his job to clear the ranch of all intruders - and that includes gophers. But when Hank's efforts to rid the yard of one such critter causes a stampede in the middle of the cattle roundup, Loper decides that he just can't take it any more. He wants Hank to learn some manners, so he's sending him to - gulp! - obedience school.

In the series finale, Marie finds her own future on the line as a murder occurs near her premises, and she is forced to solve it or else be implicated. With her rival innkeeper involved, it could hardly get any worse. As if that is not enough, this series finale brings to a head many questions: Will Marie finally find her mother, and what will happen between them? Will Marie end up with Robbie? With Brendan? Will she finally be able to claim her gifts, without Boo's help? And will she decide to stay and run the B&B - or be forced to leave this small town that has become her life?

Sometimes I take an opportunity to say good-bye to the cattle and wish them a safe journey. "Well, good-bye, you morons. It was nice having you here at the ranch, but it'll be even nicer having you gone. You ate all our grass and taking care of you was a pain in the neck. Good-bye, good riddance, and don't ever come back."