Ellie Engleman is a professional dog walker with a rare
talent -- she can read the minds of her clients, and have
conversations with them. This ability came about when she
adopted her Yorkiepoo, Rudy, from an animal shelter.
Ellie and Rudy had made friends with Gary, a homeless man
who lived in Central Park. On their next visit to the
park, Ellie and Rudy discover Gary has been shot and
killed. She notifies the police, and immediately becomes
a prime suspect even though there is no evidence against
her. This seems like déjà vu as it was just the year
before when she found a dead man and met Detective Sam
Ryder, the man who broke her heart (see HOUNDING THE
PAVEMENT). Ellie thanks her lucky stars Sam isn't the
arresting officer this time.
But, Sam knows the detectives working Ellie's case are too
lazy to look deep for evidence or another suspect. He's
got to help Ellie and hopefully she'll forgive him for not
calling her after an unforgettable night together. He has
to admit that seeing her again convinces him that he is
really hung up on the lady. Ellie isn't as sweet and
pliable as she was this time last year, so Sam has his work
cut out for him -- helping to solve the murder, and getting
Ellie to believe in him again. This may be harder than he
thinks since the homeless man left a large fortune to Rudy,
which gives Ellie a reason to kill!
What a clever, clever series. Rudy is a small dog with a
big attitude, and he believes it his job to take care of
his human, Ellie. The canine doesn't like Sam, and tries
to talk Ellie out of having anything to do with
the "defective dick". The dialogue and communication in
this story is really funny. Judy McCoy has done an
excellent job with her narrative and the story threads,
sewing everything together nicely.
Professional dog walker Ellie Engleman is more than just a
pal to her pooches- she can also read their minds. When
Ellie and her terrier mix Rudy find the corpse of a
troubled-but-harmless park-dweller in Central Park, the dog
walker becomes a prime suspect for murder.
When it
turns out Rudy is the sole beneficiary of the victim's
inheritance, Ellie, Rudy, and Detective Sam Ryder follow the
trail of clues to a key to a safety deposit box that just
might point to the motive and help them sniff out the real
killer.