Cat Wright is an ex-investigative reporter now working at a studio for her aunt's radio show. She has a traumatic past that deals with pit bulls, but she doesn't want to talk about or relive it. One morning, the mayor's wife stumbles into the studio mumbling about her champion Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, then collapses. When it's discovered that the dog is missing and the woman dies, Cat's aunt is the first suspect. Then another dog is kidnapped, and now the dog-loving town is suspicious of her aunt -- who would likely win the dog show without the two entrants.

Cat knows her aunt is innocent, but proving it is another thing. With the police chief being her uncle, she has a chance at finding out the truth. But a man who's assigned to the case by the feds isn't totally happy about it, yet is allowing her to stay. Now, if she can just get over her fears of the past, she just might catch a killer...

This is the first book in the series, and I really wanted to like it more than I did. While I think the idea of a canine-loving town is cute, I didn't understand why everyone hated cats. It seems dog lovers don't like cats, but cat lovers like dogs. (I'm sure there are exceptions, as there always is, so please don't take offense; but go figure). Anyway, Cat's sure the kidnapper is a local, since she doesn't believe a stranger would have the information regarding the collars (read the book and you will know what I am talking about). Still, she has no real clue as to whom the nappers are.

But as Cat searches, she also has to dig into her own troubled past, wondering if there's something there that might give her a clue -- and also wondering if the incidents are tied together with what occurred in her past. Finding the answers to one could give her the answers to the other...

This book was written very well, but unfortunately it couldn't keep my interest for some reason. I do love a good mystery, but I just can't put my finger on what is was that exactly kept me from reading through in one session. In the end, everything was tied up nicely and gave us a very satisfactory ending; and I really wish I could have enjoyed it more.

I was given a copy of this book from the author and AXP, but this in no way influenced my review. ( )

I do love dogs, and I understood Catalina's fear when she was attacked by a dog when she broke up a dog fighting rings ten years ago. Barkview is a sleepy town where everyone knew your business as fast as fingers could tweet, but she was old school and used Post-It Notes. Weeks before the annual Barkfest show where owners of Cavalier dogs were vying for the championship, a woman was murdered and two competing dogs were stolen. I loved that Cat took on the suspicion that her aunt Char had something to do with, but she never expected what she found. The book dragged on in places with historical facts that did not hold my interest, but the more I read the more the book got better. ( )