Stalking Ground by Margaret Mizushima

Stalking Ground by Margaret Mizushima ISBN-13: 9781629538341 Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Crooked Lane Books Released: Sept. 13, 2016

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
When Deputy Ken Brody's sweetheart goes missing in the mountains outside Timber Creek, Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo are called to search. But it's mid-October and a dark snow storm is brewing over the high country. And they're already too late. By the time they find her body, the storm has broken and the snow is coming down hard.

While Brody hikes down to bring back the forensics team and veterinarian Cole Walker gathers supplies to protect them from the storm, Mattie and Robo find themselves alone, guarding the gravesite overnight in the dead of the early winter. As their investigation develops, Mattie, Robo, Brody, and Cole find themselves in the middle of the killer's stalking ground--where the hunters could become the hunted.


My Review:
Stalking Ground is a detective mystery/suspense novel. It's the second in a series. You can follow this book without reading the previous one, and this book didn't spoil the previous mystery. However, I'd recommend reading them in order as the previous novel was also well-written and you'll probably understand the main characters better if you do.

I really enjoy the characters in this series. They have depth and complexity. Violent deaths have a realistic impact on them. I liked how Cole's daughters contributed both to the problem (as in, they didn't always cooperate) and the solution (some comments they made). It's fun to see how Mattie and Robo are growing in their bond, and I appreciate that the author did research to make the vet and K9 scenes accurate.

Much of the book was suspense--will we find this person in time? will the cougar attack? The murder investigation was interesting and kept me slightly uncertain, but whodunit is unlikely to surprise the reader.

There was no sex. There was a fair amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting and suspenseful novel.


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.