Burning Ridge: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery

Fourth in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series, this is the most compelling, even if the most horrifying, to date. The characters are 3D, and we continue to learn more about Mattie, a complex young woman. I enjoy seeing how close the bond is that Mattie has with her K-9 partner, Robo, and how completely they trust each other. The setting, where Mattie is a life-long long resident, can be almost visualized, and the mystery is written well. Deputy Mattie Cobb has not seen her brother Willie for 25 years, since her father beat her mother badly enough that she was hospitalized. Mattie was 6 years old and had called 911; Willie was 8. Her father went to prison and her mother abandoned both children, who went to separate foster homes. When Willie, an addict in recovery, contacted her 7 months ago, Mattie remembered the repressed years of repeated abuse. They plan to meet in a month, in Las Vegas, about halfway between where each lives. Cole Walker is the local veterinarian and the man Mattie has been seriously dating. He and his daughters are horseback riding on nearby trails when one of their dogs finds a burned boot holding the grisly charred remains of a human foot. Cole leads men from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Sheriff’s Department, including Mattie and Robo, to where his dog was first seen with the boot. What they find there is most chilling, and the resulting case leads to horrible discoveries. The more they investigate, the clearer it is that Mattie and Robo are in the crosshairs of at least one vicious killer who has been operating in the area for decades. I like Mattie, especially as I learn more about various life events. The woman she has become is amazing and is well-defined through realistic conversations and actions. The way she seeks resources for her teenage friend, Riley, and others, shows her love and concern. Her friends Stella, foster mother Mama T, and boyfriend Cole and his daughters are also described very well as befits their roles. Learning more about the unique partnership between human and K-9 is fascinating. No. Way. Just…No. That is what I mumbled several times throughout this novel. I like how the author builds the mystery, step by step, including multiple suspects. The author also has put together a great working team and a set of friends who love Mattie more than she understands. While this is 4th in the series, it can be read as a standalone or in order of the series. The author does a fabulous job of giving sufficient information about the characters to appreciate this novel, yet Mattie’s life has not been problem-free, and we learn much about her journey in the earlier mysteries. This mystery is complex, and intensely stunning as the crimes of past and present converge. I like watching Mattie and Robo interact as partners and friends; I also like how some of the commands and workings of the K-9 relationship are explained for the reader to understand. I watched as each suspect is questioned, studied, and released, and was a bit sad when my “pet” suspects were freed. The real bad guys were barely on my radar. That surprise, coupled with the resolution of all open situations, makes for a story that is hard to put down. I highly recommend this cozy mystery to those who enjoy well-written novels with a complex mystery and law enforcement officers with K-9 partners. From a grateful heart: I received a copy of this e-Arc from the publisher through NetGalley, and this is my honest review.