Dog Gone Lies

Pacheco & Chino Mysteries, Book 1

By: Ted Clifton

Narrated by: Scott R. Pollak

This CIPA EVVY award winner features a love-able stray dog, soon to be the hero in this adventure with a cast of unique characters. Set in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, a recently retired sheriff seeks tranquility, but finds chaos, romance, and murder.

Ray Pacheco has retired from being the sheriff of Dona Ana County, New Mexico. His new job is fishing. But, not for long. First a stray show dog raises questions concerning the whereabouts of its owner. Then a body was found close to Ray's rural cabin. Maybe once a cop always a cop - Ray joins forces with two unusual partners; an Apache fishing guide, Tyee Chino, prone to drunkenness and a bait shop owner, Big Jack, prone to laziness - to unravel the mysteries. This odd group takes on the task of finding the lost dog owner and solving the mystery of the dead body. To add to the fun, the group becomes involved in the local election of the county sheriff - making friends and enemies as they proceed.

Ray is also challenged by what would appear to be a budding romance - something he was not counting on at his age. This story brings together numerous threads from political corruption, to drug trafficking, to questionable law enforcement activities, to reach a surprising ending.

©2016 Ted Clifton (P)2020 Ted Clifton

Good story

Overall it was a good story. However it did drag in parts and there was definitely some repetition.

Good old fashioned mystery

I loved the characters and the story. This is the beginning of a great series I hope.


I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Loved it!

law-enforcement, new-mexico, private-investigators, family-dynamics, friendship, mystery

Good fun read for mystery buffs and jail nurses alike. Pacheco retired as sheriff from one locality and planned to take up fishing and being a kind of recluse. As a consequence he met a fishing mentor who enjoyed making jokes about his ethnicity (like Pop used to do about Swedes and Norwegians) and the guy who owned the bait shop. Both of these guys were not as laid back as they seemed either. Pacheco got a kind of wake-up call when a new dog adopted him and there was a mystery about what happened to the owner who was well known in the show dog circuit. The plot is sound and the hard look at politics and local law enforcement rings true. All of the characters certainly are and seem like guys I used to work alongside. I really enjoyed the read!
Narrator Scott R. Pollak is very versatile and really adds good things to the book.
I won the audio in a giveaway. Yay me!

A Great Listen

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request, and have voluntarily left this review. I'm thinking it's going to be one of my favourite series. Ray, a retired sheriff, gets himself a place away from everyone. He plans on fishing to fill his days, the only problem is that he doesn't know how to fish. Big Jack, the owner of a bait shop, among other things sends him to Tyee Chino, a fishing guide for lessons. So he has his future all figured out until a fancy show dog finds his porch. Next thing you know he has a detective agency and Big Jack and Tyee Chino are his partners. There's never a dull moment when this trio gets on a case. A story with a great plot, unique characters, lots of suspense, humour and a touch of romance. A great start to a series.

No Retirement for Ray Pacheco

Sometimes, when choosing a book, I do as little as read the first paragraph of the summary and listen to the sample before making a decision. 'Dog Gone Lies' sounded like the sort of book I like, so I requested a free review copy of it. Now having listened to it, I'm giving a voluntary opinion.

This first book in the 'Pacheco and Chino Mysteries' series centers on Ray Pacheco, a retired sheriff looking for a quiet life in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. He feels he's being too inactive so he decides to take up fishing. He meets Big Jack, the owner of the local bait & tackle shop, who recommends Ray seek out Tyee Chino, an Apache and expert fishing guide, for instruction. His solitude is interrupted by a stray show dog that leads Ray into a morass of political corruption and run-ins with criminals.

The story has a strong cozy detective mystery feel to it. There are quirky characters, funny banter and a decent mystery to solve. While investigating the disappearance of the show dog's owner, Ray finds he hasn't completely left his law enforcement ways behind and sets up an investigation business with his new buddies. This book serves as a nice set-up for the series.

What I like most about the book is, while there is a mystery, it almost takes a back seat to the character development and the reader getting to know these people. I enjoy stories that focus on the day-to-day in a character's life. Ray's life revolves around his cabin, fishing, his buddies and his new love interest. All of it being woven into the mystery, making it an interesting listen.

Narrator Scott R Pollak does a good job. While there were times I thought the dialogue didn't flow very well, it didn't detract from the story overall.

Recommended.

3 Fun Characters

Ray Pacheco now a retired sheriff living in a desolate cabin befriends a couple of kooky characters Big Jack, Tyee Chino as he wants to take up fishing. A dog he calls Lucky come to his cabin and then all the action occurs as he tries to find the owner as well as his life is changed involving a love and new business investigating. Look forward to their next adventure. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you

Amateur

This had to be self published, how it got main streamed to Audible is mystifying. I guess they they think all dog lovers are just suckers, and damn it , they got me.