Paw of the Jungle

Written by Diane Kelly

Narrated by Coleen Marlo

Police officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner in crime, Brigit, are on all fours as they try to solve their latest Lone Star mystery.

AT THE ZOO

The weather is beautiful, work is slow, and her canine colleague could use a walk. What better day for Megan to take Brigit to the Fort Worth Zoo, where they can let loose and witness the law and order of nature unfold? But what begins as a fun field trip turns serious when a pair of rare hyacinth macaws named Fabiana and Fernando goes missing. Is the new custodian, a gentle soul who happens to be an ex-convict, to blame? Or is something far more sinister afoot?

AND ON THE HUNT

The birds are worth thousands of dollars, and the list of people on the premises who might have stolen them is long. Soon other animals start disappearing . . . and Megan and Brigit have their hands and paws full of suspects. But when a rare black rhino is taken from the zoo, presumably for its black-market-friendly horn, time is of the essence. Can Megan and Brigit find out who's behind the mystery-before they too become prey?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Nov 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9781541445536

Diane Kelly

Diane Kelly is a former state assistant attorney general and tax advisor who spent much of her career fighting, or inadvertently working for, white-collar criminals. She is also a proud graduate of the Citizens Police Academy of Mansfield, Texas. Diane combines her fascination with crime and her love of animals in her stories, which include the Paw Enforcement series, the House-Flipper Mysteries, and the Mountain Lodge Mysteries. Diane now lives in North Carolina, where she spends her days catering to her demanding cats or walking her dogs in the region’s beautiful woods.

Reviews for Paw of the Jungle

[seasonsoflove_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.As a dog mom, I'm always intrigued by any cozy mystery featuring a dog, especially one that is helping solve the crime.But unfortunately Paw of the Jungle, though having a kick butt dog named Brigit featured, was merely a meh read.Most importantly for me, there wasn't enough mystery. There was absolutely no way for the reader to figure out who was taking the exotic zoo animals, which took a lot of the fun out of reading. The secondary subplot mystery about stolen rings was actually much more intriguing, and I was really excited to solve it right before the main character did.There were too many points of view used, and I found it especially strange when the author chose to have certain small chapters from the dog's point of view. These chapters typically added nothing to the storyline, and simply described actions the main character could have described.I really liked the romance between the main character and her firefighter boyfriend, and the ending almost tempted me to try the next book in the series to see where their journey took them, but I know that there wouldn't really be anything else to keep me turning pages.

[virginia51-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was the first book I read in this series and I hope to read many more. This was such a fun cozy mystery. I loved Meghan and her K-9 partner Brigit. I actually felt sorry for the criminal in this book. He got in way over his head. I enjoyed how the story went from Meghan to Brigit to the criminal. This was well done. I received a copy of this book from Minotaur for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Paw of the Jungle by Diane Kelly is the 8th A Paw Enforcement series. Each book in the series can be read on its own, but I recommend reading each book in this entertaining series. Megan and Brigit have two new cases to solve in Fort Worth, Texas. Someone is making off with animals from the local zoo. They need to stop this thief once they figure out how they are getting into the habitats. A woman reports her ring stolen and it is just the beginning of a spree. Plus, there is a new paramedic at the station house who takes a shine to Sean. Megan Lutz is a strong female character who loves her work plus her partner, Brigit. Megan is an intelligent woman with good instincts who can twirl her baton with ease. Megan has an excellent work ethic and I like that she can be snarky especially with that horrible Derek Mackay (he deserved to be tasered in his private parts). She will make an excellent detective one day and gets to practice thanks to Detective Bustamente. Megan is dating Seth, a firefighter who works with Blast, a dog trained to detect explosives. Brigit happens to be very fond of Blast. I adore Brigit and love the chapters from her point-of-view. They are hilarious. It makes me wonder what my dogs think about me. The story is told (as usual) from Megan, Brigit and the poacher’s point-of-views. The zoo mystery is one that plays out while the missing jewelry is a whodunit that readers can solve. I found both mysteries to be fun to read about it and they were clever. It was interesting to learn about poaching, inexpensive zoos, and ranches where you can hunt exotic animals (just terrible). There is a parolee in the story and there are details on training programs available to prisoners and recidivism rates. I find that details like these add realism to the story. A Paw Enforcement series pushes past the bounds of a traditional cozy mystery as there is some foul language and adult humor. The story takes readers from just before Christmas to Valentine’s Day. I liked getting to spend time with Megan and her family during the holidays. The ending Paw of the Jungle was unexpected and has me looking forward to reading the next installment in A Paw Enforcement series. Paw of the Jungle is a diverting cozy mystery with a perilous poacher, delectable doggie delights, a ring riddle, malodorous manure, an enticing EMT, and Christmas cheer.