This review originally appeared on my blog at www.gimmethatbook.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for a review!

Hunting Hour has the best of both worlds for me; a murder mystery plus a lot of canine activity. Not sure how I managed to miss this series, but I’m glad NetGalley decided to recommend it to me.

This book is number three in a series, which means that there are things alluded to from the first two books in order to flesh out the backstory. These flashbacks piqued my interest and I am going back to read the other books in the series, if only to see how Mattie was doing mentally before the history with her father came to light.

The author is brilliant, painting Mattie’s K9 partner as the only trustworthy companion she has. Despite her emotional issues, Mattie is a great cop. Some of her demons move to the forefront during this investigation, and she struggles to stay neutral and weigh all the evidence equally. Letting your personal history color your opinions is something that many people experience, and I found it refreshing that the story took this turn. Mattie truly wants to do the best she can for the victims, yet she can be blinded by personal issues. The other members of the police department understand what she is going through and are appropriately sympathetic.

There isn’t a lot of rollicking “cop talk” as you would find in a John Sandford book, but the action and suspense held my interest. The author threw in the required red herrings, but to my surprise, I managed to guess who the perpetrator was fairly early in the book. I had a strong suspicion, and was satisfied when it turned out to be who I suspected.

I absolutely loved that one of the main characters was a veterinarian! The animal medicine was true to life, not too gory, and added another dimension to the plot that was refreshing. The romance was part of the backstory, but kept at an acceptable level. (I’m not a fan of mixing mysteries and relationships.)

The inclusion of the animals makes this series stand out. Dogs are the best companions ever, and the human – animal bond shines through on nearly every page. Mizushima’s description of Robo’s facial expressions are perfect! I didn’t know what to expect, as some animal mysteries are written awkwardly; but there was nothing awkward about this one. I felt fully invested in the characters, the dialogue was smooth, and there were no gaping holes in the plot to make me cringe.

Hunting Hour was a great way to spend a few hours, and I look forward to the next adventure of Mattie and Robo. ( )

I've been wanting to read the books in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series for a while now and when I got the chance to read this book did I go for it. I love reading books about cops or ex-military that has a K-9 as a partner and I was looking forward to seeing how this book would turn out.

I have to admit that the book was harder to get into than I thought it would be. For some reason, neither the story nor the characters clicked for me and I struggled with the book. Not that it was a bad book, more like I couldn't find myself completely liking it. Mattie Cobb never came alive for me, and I wasn't interested in her childhood traumas. To have a psychological damaged main female character has become very common, and unless the character in any way comes more than a stereotype then it's pretty hard to muster any energy to like here. And, her "relationship" with Cole Walker also was an aspect that just didn't work for me. And, finding myself quite uninterested in the characters made it harder to enjoy reading the book.

Now, the book becomes better towards the end of the book, the story picked up and made my interest grew as I was curious to learn who was behind the killing and later the kidnapping of another young girl. I just want to say one crucial thing about the story, or rather the blurb. It gives away TOO MUCH of the story. I've seen this too often, especially when it comes to thrillers and crime novels. This damages often the enjoyment of reading a book too much. Takes away surprises and to be honest, I will try to avoid books in the future that gives away too much of the story. I don't want to know!

Hunting Hour was not a strong book. However, I do want to read the previous two books to see if they will work better for me.

2.5 stars

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! ( )

Author's guest post at my blog:
https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2022/04/foodfic-please-welcome-margaret.html

Do I feel bad for Cole in this story? Yes. Does he absolutely need to get a hold of himself and stop interfering with potential suspects and police procedure? Also yes.

Do I feel bad for Mattie in this story? Actually, I feel kind of angry at her for not realizing (or listening to people who have realized) that she is too emotionally involved. Brody had to sit out parts of the previous investigation when he was emotionally involved, but Mattie doesn't?

I'm still going to keep reading the series, but those two characters threw me off kilter in this book. ( )

Hunting Hour is the 3rd book in the Timber Creek K-9 series. This series is one of my favorites! I like the characters, the setting and the suspenseful plots.

This time, Deputy Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner, Robo are searching for a missing teenager. When they discover her body behind the high school, the case quickly becomes complicated. It only gets worse. Another girl disappears, and this time it's Sophie Walker, daughter of the local vet. As they investigate and search for the missing little girl, the case gets even more confusing and strange. But Mattie is determined to find Sophie before her kidnapper kills her.

This story was so engrossing and suspenseful! Lots of suspects, investigation and action going on. Mattie is a great main character. She is intelligent and very good at her job. She handles Robo quite well, and they both worked hard to solve this case. There is some significant character development in this book. I'm enjoying the progression of the characters and their relationships, as well as Robo's continued growth as a police dog.

I listened to the audio book version of this story. The audio is just shy of 10 hours long and is narrated by Nancy Wu. Wu reads at a nice pace and does a great acting job, as usual. A very entertaining listening experience!

I'm definitely continuing to read this series. It has quickly become a favorite! Just one more book to read, Burning Ridge, before I get to read my review copy of the newest book....Tracking Game! ( )