Braced for Murder

February 15, 2013
A brace of basset hounds bring joy and chaos to a writer's life. Widowed Beanie MacBean fosters homeless basset hounds from South Lake Tahoe's Lakeside Animal Shelter. Unfortunately, the shelter is managed by Rhoda Marx, a woman who'd rather euthanize the hapless strays as quickly as possible than try to find them homes. When Beanie goes to pick up her foster Calamity to join her own basset, Cruiser, she discovers Rhoda's dead body in the euthanasia chamber. No stranger to murder (Embarking on Murder, 2009, etc.), Beanie is always ready to help her friend Sheriff Skip Cassidy. But she's distracted by her concern for the health of her daughter Nona, a successful model who's found a lump in her breast. Mother and daughter return to Beanie's Native American roots to do a healing ceremony. Calamity, who has all kinds of issues, is causing problems at home but seems to have adopted Nona as her special person. Now if only Beanie could pick out Rhoda's special person from among the long list of suspects who detested her. Could it be one of the downtrodden shelter workers? A woman whose basset was euthanized before she could reclaim her? Or perhaps a member of a local militant animal rights group? Despite her dislike for the dead woman, Beanie does her best to find out. Hard-core animal lovers will focus on the detailed information about the many problems with animal shelters and forgive the disjointed plot.

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March 1, 2013

Most folks didn't much like the woman who managed the local animal shelter at Lake Tahoe, but when her corpse is found in the pound, it's tough to figure out the motive. Dog rescuer Elsie "Beanie" MacBean is a local journalist and amateur sleuth. Conveniently, she's also one of the sheriff's best friends, so Beanie is able to worm her way into the investigation. A major distraction comes up when Beanie's daughter confides that she might have breast cancer, thus triggering a spiritual cleansing ritual (the MacBeans are members of the Washoe tribe). VERDICT Known for her dog writing, Wright (Embarking on Murder) understands basset hounds well, and her love of dogs is clearly evident. The story putts along with abundant puns and wordplay, but the sense of urgency is lost (murder victim here!) due to an overstuffed plot line. Let's see what case the animal-loving journalist tackles next time.

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