Dying Cry by Margaret Mizushima

Dying Cry
by Margaret Mizushima

ISBN-13: 9798892421959
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Released: October 14, 2025

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.


Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Newlyweds Mattie and Cole Walker are teaching Cole’s daughters how to snowshoe in a remote canyon when a shattering scream pierces the air. They know that somewhere ahead, someone has been injured or worse. Cole takes the girls while Mattie and Robo go deeper into the canyon to search for the source of the scream.

From a distance, Mattie and Robo see a shadowy figure at the base of a cliff, but a rockslide buries the person under layers of stone and shale before they can provide help. Desperate to uncover the individual in case they’re still alive under the rock, their efforts are in vain. The victim is already dead. When they investigate the canyon rim from which the person fell, they discover evidence that indicates the fall was no accident. To make matters worse, the victim was one of Cole’s friends.

The Timber Creek County investigative team springs into action, uncovering a trail of greed that leads to a killer who threatens Mattie’s cherished new family.


My Review:
Dying Cry is a K9-detective mystery. It's the 10th in a series. You can understand this book without reading the previous ones, and this book didn't spoil the previous mysteries.

The main characters were likable and complex, and they reacted realistically to events. They came across as real people, and I cared about what happened to them. Mattie and Robo (her talented k9) and the sheriff’s department worked to solve the murder. It's a clue-based mystery, and it's possible to guess whodunit. Quite a few people had a possible motive and could have done the murder. I was beginning to suspect whodunit before the reveal, though I didn't guess the twist. There was suspense, especially near the end, due to danger to the good guys.

The crime scenes were not described in gory detail. There were no sex scenes. The was occasional use of bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this interesting mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.