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Reviewed by Inga Buccella for Readers' Favorite
Mattie, a K-9 handler, and her dog Robo star in Gathering Mist, a Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Margaret Mizushima. Cole is a large animal veterinarian living on a ranch in Colorado with his two girls. With one week until Mattie and Cole’s wedding, Mattie and Robo are called away to the Olympic Peninsula in the Northwest as part of a search and rescue team seeking a missing 9-year-old boy named River, the son of an actress. The boy wandered off from a movie set located in a heavily wooded area. Obstacles like rough terrain, dense foliage, and relentless rain do not keep Robo and his handler from the challenge. But weather does play a big part in the ability of a trained air-scenting dog to track. The primeval forest is dense and deep and the search grids are littered with possible suspects and sins. Hindered by brambles, bushes, and barbs, Mattie, led by the tireless Robo, leaves no stone unturned in her search for answers and River in Gathering Mist.
I was impressed with the extensive research Margaret Mizushima must have done for Gathering Mist. Mizushima describes complicated family and relationship dynamics while solving the mystery of a missing boy. The details of K-9 behavior, training, and search-and-rescue logistics are stellar. Her talent for writing mystery and suspense had my interest piqued. The characters are well-developed. I can’t remember when I last read such a well-crafted mystery. I loved learning about the discipline of canine training. I learned that when mist hangs in the air, it can be a conductor of scent. If you can brave the elements and some dark places, pick up Gathering Mist. As Mattie would prompt Robo at the start of a search, "Are you ready? Let's go!"
