A Bloodhound To Die For (Jo Beth Sidden, No 6)

A Bloodhound To Die For (Jo Beth Sidden, No 6)

Having ended her relationship with her violent husband, dog trainer and amateur detective Jo Beth Sidden finds herself on the trails of an escaped convict and an elderly woman who has wandered into the Okefenokee Swamp.From Publishers WeeklyFans who have been howling for another chance to cheer for Jo Beth Sidden and her kennel of bloodhounds, who haven't followed a trail since Ten Little Bloodhounds (1999), can rejoice. Not only is the feisty heroine from Balsa City, Ga., back for her sixth outing, but her love life gets a real work out. After a six-week fling, Jo Beth and Sheriff Hank Cribbs decide that their hot but volatile relationship is too costly to continue. Besides, a handsome hunk's in town on a sad occasion and Jo Beth thinks she may be of some help. And then there's Jimmy Joe Lane, a swamp rat and inveterate prison escapee who's developed a crush on Jo Beth. His many kin regard Jimmy Joe, who's managed to parlay an original 90-day sentence into a debt of more than 40 years, as something of a legend. When Jimmy Joe makes his nearly inevitable next jailbreak, he can't wait to begin turning his fantasies about Jo Beth into reality. Lanier mines the situation's comic possibilities nicely without straying into farce and, as usual, turns an expert eye on bloodhounds and their care and training in this warmly entertaining concoction. FYI: The series' debut title, Death in Bloodhound Red (1995), won the Anthony Award and copped nominations for Agatha and Macavity awards as well.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.From BooklistDog trainer Jo Beth Sidden and her assistant, Jasmine, offer dog-tracking services to the local authorities in small-town Balsa City, Georgia. In Lanier's sixth bloodhound adventure, an older woman with dementia wanders off into the Okefenokee Swamp, and Jo Beth and Jasmine take two canine companions on a perilous mission to find her. Meanwhile, Jo Beth is stalked by an escaped convict named Jimmy Joe, and she tries to decide how she feels about handsome sheriff Hank Cribbs. Gracious, kind Jo Beth is an eminently likable heroine, as is African American beauty Jasmine. Jimmy Joe and his eccentric "kin" are characters right out ofThe Beverly Hillbillies--over the top but completely entertaining. And, of course, as anyone who sawBest in Show knows, bloodhounds are irresistible. The perfect story to read while sitting in a porch rocker drinking sweet tea.Jenny McLarinCopyright