Latest in the Texas K9 series by various authors, this installment features dog trainer Kaitlin Mathers and her young K9 squad trainee Warrior, a Belgian Malinois. In Sagebrush, Texas, a crime wave has been worrying all the police officers and Kaitlin was about to leave for the night when she's assaulted and a man tries to force her into a van. Knowing that if she goes with him she'll probably end up dead, Kaitlin screams and fights. Captain Slade McNeal hears and comes running and Kaitlin gets free, but the man manages to get away. Whoever tried to kidnap her, it must have a connection to the ongoing crime.

In LONE STAR PROTECTOR, Slade has already lost his best dog Rio and seen his father injured. Rather than leave Kaitlin alone while she's a target, he tells her to come stay with his family. Widowed and with a young son, he appreciates the candour and intelligence of the dog trainer but has no intention of crossing professional boundaries. Kaitlin and Warrior fit in very well - perhaps too well for the girl's peace of mind. The crime boss is still out there, and with the town's force stretched thin, they can't afford to relax.

I liked that we get characters from the earlier books working alongside Kaitlin, but the downside of coming late into a series would be that this book doesn't read as well as a standalone as the others did. Smiling and speaking glibly while handing over cheques to good causes, a prominent citizen becomes a prime suspect for the crime boss, while nefarious deeds are going on in the dark woods. We see various dogs in action and many tense situations. And of course, we discover what love means to these brave officers.

Leonora Worth has done a capable job of pulling together all the strings of this series and anyone who has followed each book certainly won't want to miss LONE STAR PROTECTOR. If you are coming fresh to the Texas K9s though I would advise starting with the earlier, excellent books.