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DUPLICITY DOGGED THE DACHSHUND
by Blaize Clement
St Martin's Minotaur, March 2007
240 pages
$23.95
ISBN: 0312340923


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Dixie Hemingway is a former sheriff' s deputy-turned pet sitter. After the death of her husband and child several years ago, she began suffering flashes of hostility that made her unsuitable to be a deputy or hold any job that has her dealing with the public. Now she primarily interacts with animals and has the chance to do some desperately-needed healing.

While walking an older dachshund, Mame, Dixie waves at Conrad Ferrelli' s car. This is a harmless friendly gesture. But then Mame discovers Conrad' s body further along their walk. It seems that the murderer now believes Dixie recognized him and can identify him to the police.

She tries to ignore this frightening fact as she helps Stevie, the widow, deal with her husband' s death. Dixie cannot imagine who would want to kill Conrad, as he was a very friendly man, a popular clown and a well-liked figure in the community. In addition, Conrad wanted to create a retirement home for aging circus performers, a group of people that do not have a built-in support system for elderly care.

Dixie cannot believe anyone would hate Conrad enough to kill him, but she decides to investigate as her life is as risk. Dixie learns that property disputes and family tensions can be important enough to kill over. She must unmask the killer before she is murdered.

DUPLICITY DOGGED THE DACHSHUND is the second book to feature Dixie Hemingway. This is the first book in the series that I have read so I cannot be sure that what I see in this book is also reflective of the first book.

Dixie Hemingway is a woman who seems to be biding her time. She is not ready to deal with personal relationships since the loss of her family. While she lives near her brother and his partner, she keeps secrets so she does not have to deal with her family overwhelming her. Dixie does not allow people to get to close to her so she does not have to risk losing them. She makes her living playing with and taking care of animals, yet she does not own a pet of her own. She has her set routines and does not like things that interrupt said routine. Dixie does not have a strong sense of self nor does she have the ability to live and enjoy life.

Although it is sometimes possible to feel sorry for Dixie, her character flaws also make her unappealing at times. While making Dixie a weak character does allow for character growth as the series progresses, her stagnant nature makes her frustrating to any fan of strong protagonists. If Clement is not careful, she will lose readers who are unwilling to wait for Dixie to grow up.

As the title implies, DUPLICITY DOGGED THE DACHSHUND deals with animals. And as frequently occurs in animal books, some animals are harmed. This is a major problem for me. I do not like to read about animals being harmed or animals dying regardless of the reason. Even if an animal dies due to old age, I do not want to read about it.

To give credit where credit is due, Blaize Clement does a good job of approaching and exploring these topics. For the most part, her characters care about the animals that appear and treat them well. Even though she does provide dignity to these topics, they were still difficult for me to read about.

My thoughts on this book are mixed. There are several things I like about it and there are several things I don't. I think that Blaize Clement has the potential to be a successful writer but she has not yet lived up to this potential. Whether or not my opinion of this author will change with her next book will depend on the direction she takes the series. Until such point, I will continue to remain ambiguous about the author and her books.

Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, January 2007

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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