Possibly better than the sequels

KIlling Trail
by Margaret Mizushima

This is the first book in the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries--I read them out of order because the library was closed for a few weeks and I could only checkout ebooks. I've been developing a theory that a mystery series gets better over time, as the author releases more books, synthesizes the feedback, correct her weak writing and improves her style.  (Her or him, whatever. Their)

But I found myself enjoying this first book of the series a whole lot more than the others. For one thing, there's not a lot of soppy self-reflection about her attraction to the handsome veterinarian. And very little self-reflection in all--which is not normally a good thing, but her writing of it is simplistic and it annoys me. Does self-reflection written in the third person always come off seeming forced? I don't think so.

This book had no flaws. It's tight, well-plotted, and had a great action scene toward the end. My only quibble is something I've complained about before--her matter-of-fact employment of this highly trained dog as a take-down weapon. I just don't think that's how K-9 officers normally utilize their dogs. A cursory research of the subject implies that the use of a dog to take down a subject without first warning him would often be considered "excessive force" in the courts. But not if the subject had a gun. Still, I wonder how good an (imaginary) officer she's supposed to be when she always seems to be letting her dog do all the risky work--if she's going to indulge in self-doubt and worry, why not worry about her dog?