Smoky Mountain Tracks (Raine Stockton Dog Mysteries Book 1)

This is a good simple read, simple plot with great characters and dogs, can't get much better. I think most will enjoy this book.

I rarely read a book involving dogs that makes me happy. But I feel the book was a little slow in getting to the "who done it" but I read it all the way and made me smile.

Raine Stockton is a dog trainer and she has a history of being involved in Search and Rescue.She and her dog Cassidy, were successful more times than not when searching for victims. In Raine’s mind and heart, there will never be another dog like Cassidy. Cassidy excelled at agility training, Search and Rescue and being a therapy dog. When Cassidy passes away, Raine cannot get over the loss. Although she now owns another golden retriever, Cisco, an offspring of Cassidy, Raine does not have the interest or the heart to do any of that anymore. And Cisco is too young and to puppyish to be any good.But when Raine gets a phone call in the middle of the night and finds out that a mother and daughter are missing and could be out in the cold in the dark woods, she agrees to bring Cisco and search for them. When it has been determined that mother and daughter have been kidnapped, the situation becomes even more dangerous. Although Cisco is anxious to please Raine, the search does not end well. The kidnapper is found dead at the bottom of a ravine, and although the mother is found, there is no sign of the child. Time is running out before the search and rescue mission becomes a recovery mission.The characters are very well rounded, realistic and three dimensional. Raine is someone who wants the world to think she is strong and fearless but in reality she has a soft side. She will do whatever it takes to protect her dogs and to help rescue those in danger. But she is not so certain of things when it comes to her estranged husband, Buck, who works for the sheriff’s department. And when it comes to getting over Cassidy’s death, she is struggling a lot. Buck is likable and at times I wanted to see the two of them get back together. Then there’s Maude, who is a no-nonsense type of person who tells it like it is. And Sonny is a lawyer and dog communicator that plays an important part in solving the mystery. The character that really stole the show for me was Cisco. He is full of puppy exuberance and mischief but he wants desperately to please Raine and win her love. I could have read all day about his antics and been very happy doing it.I love reading Search and Rescue fiction and I think this is one of the best ones that I have read. The author is very talented in bringing the scenes to life and I could picture in my mind the rough terrain and the dangers that awaited Raine and Cisco. The author is also very talented in bringing out the emotions of the reader. There were times when I laughed out loud at something that Cisco did and then there were times when I had tears in my eyes. The suspense and mystery were carried on throughout the whole book and there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing as to the killer’s identity.I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. If you enjoy Search and Rescue, then this book is a must read. I read this book many years ago and I am so glad that I reread it. I think I enjoyed it even more the second time. And the fact that there are many more books in the series makes it even better.

I was restlessly searching for my next read when I downloaded a sample from this book and was both charmed and hooked. This is a very well crafted mystery. Another book later in the series is a mystery award winner. If you like having dogs included in the plot and enjoy a good mystery you are likely to enjoy this book, which is the first in a series. Recommended.

I really enjoyed reading this book! Great characters, great story line that doesn’t drag or start to get boring, and dogs, dogs, and Cisco! Not just a dog, but a tracker dog that doesn’t give up!

Book about a SAR dog and the woman who owns him. In the beginning of this book it looks like Cisco the dog is a failure at search and rescue, but by the end of the book you find out that isn’t so. This is a good mystery with a good heroine.

I liked this first novel in the Raine Stockton dog mystery series. The characters were developed nicely and I believe we will learn more about them in future novels. Raine is very likable, and we learn of her deep love of the mountains she grew up in and the dogs and people that are in her life. I developed a respect for her as she came to realize her beautiful golden retriever Cisco was a smart and devoted dog. Although he would never be her first doggie love, but she came to realize that he still deserved her love. He just did things his own way! Having gone through a similar experience after losing my little miniature dachshund, I know it is difficult to open your heart all the way to another furry love. Once I was able to accept my new dog’s love, my heart began to heal from the loss it had sustained.There were many twists and turns in the plot and I was unable to figure out the ending, which I truly like. I like the suspense of not knowing who did it until the great reveal. I actually read a different series by this author, which is how I found this book. She’s also written standalone mysteries and some romances (not my favorite genre, so I won’t be reading these). I would recommend this series to any dog and mystery loving reader!

Cisco proves his mettle. He’s the grandson of her beloved SAR dog, but he’s still a youngster—lovable and frisky. But he’s better than they think with his mission always in mind. There’s a nefarious scheme afoot in the community and a missing kid. Raine and Cisco are on the hunt. This one is filled with interesting two-legged and four-footed characters. A great start to the series.

This book will be loved by all dog lovers who will enjoy the story of this adorable young golden retriever tracking the missing girl. Certainly there is a mystery that has to be solved, but this is simply the background for a doggie adventure story. In some ways it reads like Lassie for the modern generation. One warning however and that is, I would discourage you from reading the reviews on Amazon.com as in my view they are spoilers telling you too much about the story itself.

I very rarely leave reviews, but I really loved this book so I felt I had to.I think very often in books the animals (dogs especially) are written very 'lassie' like (seemingly perfect in every way with no apparent training) but in this book the dogs seemed normal, they barked, jumped up and didn't always listen, and they were all the more realistic and loveable for it. As someone who competes in agility and obedience I loved the references to the dog world, I've read other books where the author hadn't researched the dog world very well but in this book the author either has first hand experience or is very thorough with her research, even the references to the dog magazines were accurate! There aren't many books where I feel I could be friends with the main character but his was one of them.I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I struggled to put it down, and bought the second in the series straight away.

Exept for the golden retriever 'hero' dog I found this book repetative and no depth of story. Heroine,who called her self a dog trainer was dense, did nothing for me and I won't be buying any more in the series, even though I am a golden Retriever nut.

As doggy adventures go not a bad read will be reading more of this series

After getting an Kindle notice about this Authors' latest in the Series on Raine Stockton Mysteries, I decided to start at Book 1. Loved it! Canine, characters, mystery & a great insight in the Smokey Mountains.