When private investigator Rachel Alexander gets the call for a new case, her client asks her to meet her at the local dog park in New York City. Rachel, along with her partner, Dash the pit-bull, met their new client Sophie Gordon who lays before them a story that seems more fairy tale then reality. Sophie's loyal canine companion, Blanche, is more then a friend to her. Blanche is a service dog that is able to determine when Sophie is about to have an epileptic episode.

However, due to Blanche's advanced age and crippling arthritis, her loyal service to Sophie is slowly diminishing. Just when Sophie thought there was no hope, she is contacted by a secretive society that offers to clone Blanche and give Sophie one of the puppies, all free of charge. Sophie, desperate to keep just a piece of her beloved canine companion, agrees to the deal and is presented with Bianca, and exact replica of Blanche.

But soon Sophie begins to have concerns about the cloning experiment she agreed to participate in when she notices that Bianca doesn't sense epileptic seizures like Blanche does. Determined to find the secret organization that contacted her, Sophie hires Rachel Alexander to track them down.

But only one day on the case, Rachel is left with a dead client, the care of two bull terriers and a ton of questions that all lead back to the organization dealing in illegal cloning operations. Can Rachel find the answers to all her questions and solve the mystery of Sophie's death, before she becomes the next target of the killer's quest?

THE WRONG DOG is a delightful mystery novel perfect for those who are dog lovers. Readers will instantly warm up to Rachel Alexander, the private investigator who insists on bringing her loyal sidekick, Dash, on every investigation. I especially liked Rachel's spunk when she explains her fees to potential clients and explains that they include Dash's fees also. If the client complains that they don't want to pay the dog's fees, then Rachel simply doesn't take the case.

The author does a good job of humanizing Rachel and relating her to the readers. The readers are treated to a glimpse of Rachel's life outside of her PI duties as she spends time with her boyfriend and enjoys the dog run with Dash. Readers also get a peep at Rachel's softer side, especially at the end of the book, in a tribute from Sophie's students to Blanche.

The only trouble I had with the book was the writing style. While I understand that the author was keeping with the PI, on the beat style of writing; using short sentences and choppy paragraphs. However, as the story unfolds, the PI style is used less and less and book becomes more readable as a mystery novel.