A Shot in the Bark

A Dog Park Mystery, Book 1

By: C. A. Newsome

Narrated by: Jane Boyer

Would you recognize a serial killer if you met one? Talked to one every day? Artist Lia Anderson doesn't, and neither does anyone else who frequents the Mount Airy Dog Park. But a violent death brings Detective Peter Dourson into the close-knit group, and he is convinced someone is not who they seem. As the investigation uncovers secrets, Lia struggles to cope with warring emotions and a killer watches.

©2011 Carol Ann Newsome (P)2013 Carol Ann Newsome

Average

An OK little mystery. Nothing special but was a nice listen, worth a few hours. I like how the murderer was done, and how the book left off, chilling.

Stars: Overall 4 Narration 5 Story 3.5

Starting with a prologue that is told in a killer’s point of view, C.A. Newsome has added an interesting twist to the cozy mystery genre with the inset. While ostensibly the story is focused on a group of regulars at a dog park, the story works on several different levels that may be disconcerting for some readers.

Firstly, the dogs: I am a huge fan of do-related stories, and the particular insets of the many dogs and their associated personalities, as well as their relationships and correlations to their owners is cleverly done. There are several characters introduced in the story, and it does make it a bit more difficult to narrow down the more important players from the group. What is very well done is the cold, calculating and distinctly written and narrated point of view insets from the murderer him (or her) self. Kudos to the author for the stylistic switch: and to the narration by Jane Boyer in which she imbues a harder and more calculating quality to the voicing of those sections. It is a quality that is often overlooked in audiobook narration, particular intention behind a character’s narration and tone, and she excelled at this story.

But back to the story itself: I really did enjoy this, even with the lack of a comeuppance for the murderer, or even a sense that you are certain the murderer has been named. Possibly muddled by the many characters, there was a sense that the second book will not only provide the reason for this murder, and fully explain the intentions of the culprit. In this, the mystery portion of the story has the potential to disappoint some readers who want to have a final wrap up that is defined and obvious, but I particularly appreciated the openness and quality of the stylistic differences that made this story unlike any I have previously encountered.

I own this book in two forms, I purchased a Kindle copy, and I was fortunate to win the AudioBook version of the story. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Too much time inside the killer's mind

Would you try another book from C. A. Newsome and/or Jane Boyer?

Maybe.

Would you recommend A Shot in the Bark to your friends? Why or why not?

No. I have decided not to read books where I spend more than a minimal amount of time inside the killer's mind. I don't think that's healthy. I like mysteries because they present a puzzle to solve. I don't want to empathize or even listen to the thoughts of someone who could hurt another person purposefully. This is not up-building. It's troubling.

What three words best describe Jane Boyer’s performance?

Pleasing, smooth, scary.

Any additional comments?

I didn't find the voice of Peter very masculine.

Narration Detracted from Story

What would have made A Shot in the Bark better?

A narrator who is less monotone in her reading.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Shot in the Bark?

The twist at the end.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jane Boyer’s performances?

NO!

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The story was good, but the narration made me think about not finishing the audiobook and just reading the rest of it.

Any additional comments?

I might read or even purchase more books in this series, but I hope to avoid narration by Ms. Boyer in the future.

It's Okay

This was an okay story. A couple of the characters were not realistic. There was too much time in the killers head. This isn't my kind of story but there it will probably get better as it continues.

The Villain. never gets captured.

This Dog mystery reads more like a love story than a mystery story.
However I did enjoy the mystery parts of this story and I like dogs.
Again the villain was never captured for dective Peter pays all his attention to his new friend
not enough to solving this murder.

Cute story but narration lacking

What disappointed you about A Shot in the Bark?

The narration had much to be desired. The narrator pronounced her words very precisely and did not stick to sentence structure. She was often reading words rather than telling the story. The breaks between scenes in the chapter were non existent. This lead to confusion at times regarding the action. The "male" voices were grating to me.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I liked the story. It did not keep me on the edge of my seat. I did not follow the action at times and was not able to determine for sure who was the killer, Despite that, the story was a fun listen. I enjoyed the interaction between the main characters.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jane Boyer?

I listen to a lot of audiobooks, but do not have a narrator I could mention by name that would be a good for this book.

What character would you cut from A Shot in the Bark?

The multiple characters lead to the confusion of the plot. I would not cut any character.

Any additional comments?

The dog interaction was cute. The details of Lea's work bogged the story down at times.

Dog gone it

As a huge dog lover, I had high hopes for this series but I couldn't get past the first few chapters. Maybe if the dogs talked and the humans were quiet...

good up until the end then it fell flat

I was looking forward to the Big Reveal of the serial killer whose monologue ran throughout the book. The ending was disappointing both in terms of the heroine's and Hero's relationship and the cliffhanger of not revealing the killer.

not great

the narrator was ok but not great. there was a lot of repetition in the story especially the questioning by the detective. I've of the main characters Leah, was annoying. always confused our feeling guilty. I don't know that I will read more despite the fact that the killer was not revealed.