Double Dog Dare

The Raine Stockton Dog Mystery Series, Volume 8

By: Donna Ball

Narrated by: Donna Postel

For dog trainer and search-and-rescue volunteer Raine Stockton, the last few months have been marked by murder, danger, and betrayal. A luxury vacation to the Caribbean resort island of St. Bart's sounds like the perfect antidote for stress, particularly since it includes three of her favorite traveling companions: her boyfriend, Miles; his daughter, Melanie; and Raine's happy-go-lucky golden retriever, Cisco. But even in paradise, trouble finds them. An American actress has suffered a fatal diving accident, and someone close to Miles appears to have been involved. As more and more people from Miles' past surface, he and Raine are drawn reluctantly into a murder investigation.

Raine, far more comfortable in her native North Carolina mountains than in this foreign culture, surrounded by the baffling behavior of the rich and famous, is at a distinct disadvantage. But she faces her worst fears when someone she loves goes missing, and she is forced to navigate unfamiliar terrain in an alien land to track down a killer. And this time even Cisco can't help her.

©2014 Donna Ball (P)2015 Donna Ball

Critic reviews

"There can't be too many golden retrievers in mystery fiction for my taste." ( Deadly Pleasures)

Dog days at the beach!

Would you listen to Double Dog Dare again? Why?

Yes, as I think the second time around I would pick up on clues that I missed during the first listening.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Double Dog Dare?

At the end when the mystery is solved. While I didn't see it coming, it wasn't one of those out of the blue, no it really couldn't have happened that way kind of endings.

Have you listened to any of Donna Postel’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first book by Ms. Postel. I loved the way that she was able to portray a wide range of characters and make each of them believable. From the joy of a 10 year old child to the concern of that 10 year old's grandmother, all the characters were real.

Any additional comments?

Double Dog Dare is book 8 in the Raine Stockton Dog Mystery series. Raine joins her boyfriend Miles, his daughter Melanie and Cisco, her beloved golden retriever on a vacation on St. Bart's. While there an American actress dies and one of Miles' friends is suspected of murder. Did he do it? Listen and find out!

This was the first book that I had listened to in the series and I wasn't lost for a single moment. Ms. Ball gave enough of Raine's background that jumping in here was ok. I'm looking forward to listening to more books in this series.

Wonderful read

This book embraces the possible and warms the heart. It is funny, engaging, and really leaves a lasting impression.

Outstanding performance!

Great story. Donna Postel is a fantastic talent. She makes this book series just come alive! I don't want this series to end. I do hope Donna Ball has a couple of more books in the making for this series! Hail Cisco!

Love this series I don't want to get to the end. I

I wish that all the books were on audible. I really enjoy the series. Funny, dramatic, dogs, what's not to love

Quick, light and fun with a twist of murder

If you could sum up Double Dog Dare in three words, what would they be?

Beach romp mystery

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cisco, the dog, of course. Why else read books with dog characters? As far as people, I liked Melanie, his young friend, with her playful curiosity and naïveté.

Which scene was your favorite?

Without spoiling the ending, Cisco's high-five trick.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I enjoyed this book. It was fun and fast-paced. Don't get me wrong; it is a murder mystery and there is an element of danger, but Cisco's antics made me smile and gave comic relief to the tenser situations.

Any additional comments?

Well-narrated. The Southern accents are authentic!

Very Entertaining

love love this series such a good book I am downloading the next one keep writing please.

realy cosy dog mystery

Any additional comments?

Gift for review copy.
This was no. 8 in a series, but I had no problem figuring out the characters or storyline.

A really enjoyable light hearted mystery, where the main charachter is a dog trainer.( I was brought up in the world of dogs and dog training , so this was perfect for me.)

As said this was a new series for me , but I look forward to listening to the others.

loved the whole book,great plot, good twists, good narration . thumbs up from me

American Actress Goes Missing

Double Dog Dare started with Raine Stockton not wanting to leave North Caroline. She gave every excuses to her boyfriend Miles in not going. But through every justification, Raine gave in to Miles and his daughter, Melanie. She wouldn't Cisco, her golden retriever beyond.

As Raine, Miles, and Melanie embarked to St. Bart and mingled with the rich and famous, they overheard of an American actress suffering from a fatal accident. Raine noticed small simple things that didn't fit the investigation. When her family is endangered, Raine knew that there is more to the American actress' accident.

Donna Pastel gave a very good performance in narrating the the story. However the story starts off very slowly before it starts to build up that Raine's vacation in St. Bart is far from a R&R vacation.

What I like about this story since this is my first Raine Stockton's story, is that the story gives enough background on the the characters that I didn't feel like I didn't know them. It also brings Raine's interaction with law enforcement. Raine is no stranger to police procedure. Her character is enough for me to try another book from the Raine Stockton series.

I was given this audio book from the author via Audiobook Blast for an honest review. I was not compensated or influenced by the author or Audiobook Blast for this review.

I listened to this book practical straight through

Enjoyed this book so much I practically listened from beginning to end all at once! Donna Ball is a new favorite!

A Mixed Bag

Although I haven't read all the Raine Stockton books leading up to this eighth one, I've read several of this series, and it's one I've always enjoyed and wanted to catch up on. Since this could be read as a standalone, when I had the chance to read this audiobook, I was happy to do so. This is also my introduction to Donna Postel's narration. At first, it was a little stilted for me, something in the pacing that just didn't appeal to me. It's nothing that made me want to stop it immediately, which is something I've absolutely had to do with other audiobooks, just something that didn't completely work for me. However, once I got used to it, it didn't bother me, and I went on to appreciate her skill at narration. Each character was distinctive and well done, and there was only one instance later on in the book where I felt a (minor) character switched from one voice to another and back again. Otherwise, the emotions, cadence, and quality for each character was done well, along with Raine's commentary. I wish I could say the same for the story. In the beginning, it was a pleasure to see Raine and Cisco again and catch up on what's been happening in her life. I enjoy Raine's independent, small town personality and her love of her dogs and what she does. This installment takes place mostly away from her mountains, so there was a chance to see what she does/thinks really outside her usual world. I thought the exploration was nice. This felt heavier on that aspect and her relationship development with Miles and his family. The mystery felt less important here and wasn't the most engaging part of the story. It felt a bit clunky to me overall, but it was really the resolution of it that dropped my feelings about the story from a solid 4-star read to 3 stars. There's one aspect brought to life about the culprit that was handled really poorly and left a distinctive bad taste in my mouth. On the whole, I'm glad I visited Raine's world again and wouldn't hesitate to do so again.