Striking Range by Margaret Mizushima

Striking Range
by Margaret Mizushima

ISBN-13: 9781643857466
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Released: September 7th 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
He was suspect number one--the man who tried to kill Deputy Mattie Cobb and may have killed her father thirty years earlier. But when Mattie and cold case detective Jim Hauck reach the Colorado state prison where they will finally get to interview him, he's found dead in his cell. There's only one clue: a map leading to Timber Creek and rugged Redstone Ridge.

Though she usually works with veterinarian Cole Walker, Mattie's K-9 partner Robo has just sired a litter of pups, who require special, time-consuming care at Cole's clinic. Left to explore the map's clue without him, Mattie and Robo journey into the burned forest surrounding Redstone Ridge. But before they can finish their search they're called to help investigate the death of a young woman found in a campground filled with elk hunters. Identification of the deceased points to her having recently given birth, but the infant is nowhere to be found.

As a deadly storm descends upon the mountains, covering everything with a layer of ice and snow, Mattie and her team search for the missing newborn. The storm batters the area, taking its toll on the team and forcing the sheriff to call in reinforcements. When new evidence surfaces, they decide that finding the woman's killer will lead them to her baby, making them even more desperate to solve the case.

When they realize that Cole is alone in the high country with a person that Mattie now suspects, she and Robo take to the trail to find Cole.


My Review:
Striking Range is a K9-detective mystery. It's the seventh in a series. You can understand this book without reading the previous ones, and this book didn't spoil the previous mysteries except for events in "Burning Ridge."

The main characters were likable and complex, and they acted realistically to events. I cared about what happened to them. They dealt with personal struggles while solving the mystery. Mattie and Robo (her loyal and talented working dog) and Cole (the veterinarian who loves her) worked to solve the crimes. This was a clue-based mystery. It also had a lot of suspense due to the danger from the weather and the bad guys.

The crime scenes were not described in gory detail. There were no sex scenes. The was some bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this interesting and exciting 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.