Samantha Wolf Mysteries, Book Seven - The Case of the Curious Canine

I can't believe it's already been a year since I read the last Samantha Wolf mystery.  I guess I never realize just how many books I have to read until I look at how long it is between each book of a particular series that I read.  Author Tara Ellis is already up to book eleven with this series, so I guess I am pretty far behind in my reading.  But, that's okay, because it just means I still have more stories of Sam and her friends, Ally and Cassy, solving mysteries and trying hard to not get grounded while doing it!

The Case of the Curious Canine features a mystery that will strike a chord with any animal lover.  Sam and her friends are volunteering at the local animal shelter - on a trial basis, since Sam has a very difficult time not getting attached; but since her brother is allergic to the animal dander, she can't have a dog at home.  But she promises her mother she can handle it, and Trish Spartan, the woman who manages the shelter, is glad for any help she can get.  Her last assistant left unexpectedly, and her current assistant can only work part time.  So, the help that Sam, Ally, and Cassy can provide on weekends is certainly welcome.  Of course, this is a mystery series, so it isn't long before a mystery manages to find Sam!

Who has been harming the dogs in Oceanside?  The girls thought volunteering at the shelter would be fun, but it changes to concern when more than one dog is brought in with what appears to be severe allergic reactions to something.  As if that isn't strange enough, Sam sees two men driving slowly along the wooded area to Cassy's house, as if they are looking for something.  When they see her watching, they speed off.  The next thing you know, one of the men shows up at the animal shelter and claims one of the dogs as his own!  Sam smells a rat, but everything thinks she is seeing something that isn't there.

Then there's the matter of Ally's neighbor, for whom she babysits the woman's daughter from time to time.  The little girl is highly allergic, and the lab coat her mother brings home one night nearly sends her daughter into an asthma attack.  Sam's suspicions grow stronger that something very wrong is happening in Oceanside, particularly since the initials on the woman's lab coat are identical to the initials she saw on the car!  The only problem is, no one will believe her.  In fact, Trish warns Sam, as do Cassy's mom and her own mom, to not look for mysteries where there are none.

Thankfully, Sam has faithful friends who will help her - and so they do, even to their own peril!

Ellis provides another well-plotted mystery, and I'm even reaching the point where I don't notice the present tense story-telling as much as I used to.  I think my mind is just automatically switching it to past tense as I read it - for some reason, present tense writing just doesn't seem to read as well as past tense (for me, at least).  I know some authors will say writing in present tense keeps the reader in the "here and now," as if everything you read is happening at that exact moment.  But, for me, the past tense style reads more naturally.  In any event, Ellis' characterization and mystery plots overpower any problems I have with the tense.

Oh, and spoiler alert - Sam makes yet another new friend by the end of this mystery - one that I have no doubt will be sticking around!

RATING:  7 L-shaped medicine dispensers out of 10 for showing that even the most hard-nosed people can have a soft-spot when it comes to animals!