The newest dog-walker on Manhattan's Upper East Side has a talent, she can hear what her canine clientele is thinking. So when a dog's owner turns up dead, Ellie must bone up on her sleuthing and perk up her ears to find a killer. I love Ellie and Rudy
A Dog Walker Mystery ( )

First Line: "Psst. Down here."

Ellie Engleman is the new dog walker on Manhattan's Upper East Side, and she has an advantage that her competitors don't: she can hear what her canine clientele is thinking. When the owner of one of her charges is murdered and the dog disappears, at first Ellie is concerned solely with the missing dog's safety. It doesn't take long, however, for her to start looking for the killer.

Not being familiar with someplace like New York City, I had no idea how well-paid dog walkers can be-- or how cutthroat their business when faced with unscrupulous competitors. From a business standpoint alone, I enjoyed this book, but there are many other things to like about Hounding the Pavement.

I liked Ellie. She's different from many amateur sleuths because she does not watch police or crime programs on television, so she's really a novice at detecting. I also liked how much she cared for the dogs in her charge, and I liked the conversations she held with them because each dog had a different personality and sometimes focused on some rather strange things. If any dog owner/lover thinks about it, holding conversations with canines isn't unusual. The closer you are to the animal, the easier it is to decipher their thought processes. Having Ellie learning clues from her charges really didn't take me out of my comfort zone. (I guess I've conversed with too many dogs myself.)

Author Judi McCoy had me feeling at home walking the streets of Manhattan, and Ellie's friends were an interesting bunch. As far as the identity of the killer goes, there were two main "bad guys," which narrowed down the field, but what was more surprising were the reasons behind the murder and the disappearance of the dog.

There's only one character I wish would have a major makeover before the next book in the series: Ellie's mother. The woman has wealth-- mainly through her many marriages-- and she's one of these women who "have standards" and thinks what Ellie does for a living is beneath her. Anyone who's read my blog for any length of time knows that I do not care for interfering mothers (or mothers-in-law for that matter).

To take my mind off Mommy Dearest, Ellie has a hot romantic interest in the lead detective on the case, Sam Ryder, who learns that, although Ellie may not watch CSI, she's got an uncanny ability to ferret out information and think things through to their logical conclusions. The interest between the two eventually turns very steamy and a bit graphic, so if that isn't your cup of tea, keep that in mind.

As for me, I wiped the steam off my glasses and enjoyed the characters, the banter, the humor, the streets of Manhattan, and-- of course-- the dogs. Judi McCoy has written an engaging book, and I look forward to reading the next in the series. ( )

This was a lighthearted cozy mystery featuring an amateur detective who is a recently divorced dog walker in the glitzy Upper East Side of New York City. Ellie is trying to build up her new business walking dogs who live pampered lives in the apartments of their wealthy owners. But then when she arrives to pick up one of her charges, a little white Bichon Frise named Buddy, she finds his owner lying dead on the floor of his apartment and the dog missing. Sure enough, she finds herself drawn into the mystery and investigation of the murder, and pulled into romantic involvement with the detective from the police force in charge of the investigation.

I thought the mystery was interesting, in fact, it kept me reading when, for other reasons, I felt like abandoning the book. I really wanted to know what happened to Buddy. The little dogs were funny, and I liked that Ellie had this ability to communicate with them. What I didn't like was the romance part of the book. It occupied too much of the story...is this a mystery or a cheesy romance? Also, the novel was somewhat too explicit and tacky for my taste. ( )

My synopsis:
Ellie Engleman is the newest dog walker on the Upper East Side. She’s recently divorced and wants to live her life as she sees fit. So when she arrives at one of her charge’s home, she discovers his owner’s body and the dog is missing. Detective Sam Ryder has been assigned to the case. Can the two of them work together to solve the mystery before another dog is taken?

My review:
Ellie Engleman has a new job. Her dream job. She’s a dog walker. Ellie also discovered she can hear their thoughts as well as they can hear hers. Imagine her surprise when she learns the dog she recently adopted has been taken over by her former dog’s spirit.

As Ellie is trying to build her clientele, she has to also deal with two conniving dog walkers who will do anything to protect their turf. You see, being a dog walker is serious business in NYC, especially on the Upper East Side. Ellie doesn’t allow their threats to scare her. When she finds one of her clients dead and his prized dog missing, Ellie knows what she must do: FIND THE DOG!

I’m not sure where I first heard of Hounding the Pavement. Perhaps during a weekly visit to a book store or maybe someone recommended it to me. Being an animal lover myself (and always on the hunt for a new series), I decided to go ahead and buy it. The beginning of the book was quick. I found myself instantly drawn into the story wondering how the missing dog would tie into his owner’s death.

Somewhere in the middle, I just lost interest. Several times I thought about putting down the book, but decided to keep reading as I wanted to know what happened to the dog?!? (Oh, yeah and who killed his owner – I know it’s an afterthought!) I can’t say I was surprised by the ending. The reader can easily figure it out. Even though the mystery was light, I did enjoy the budding relationship between Ellie and Sam.

Despite having mixed thoughts about Hounding the Pavement, I plan to read book two of the series, Heir of the Dog. ( )

Ellie Engleman is committed to making her own way in life sans pantyhose and power suits. The first thing Ellie does after her divorce is rescue a dog from the shelter to replace the one she had to give up when she married. Ellie’s delighted to learn she can communicate with her dog and that he is the reincarnate of her former dog, who was hit by a car. She begins her own dog-walking business, where she finds herself harassed by two other dog walkers unhappy with the competition. Ellie discovers the dead body of one of her clients and quickly becomes the number-one suspect of sexy Sam Ryder, a wise-cracking detective who can’t seem to convince Ellie to stay out of his investigation. But Ellie is anxious to find her murdered client’s kidnapped dog, a Westminster champion, while clearing her name, and nothing’s going to stop her. Not even the sizzling chemistry between her and Sam Ryder.

Hounding the Pavement, the first book in the Dog Walker Mystery series, is simply delightful. Ellie is a refreshing character, a size-16 woman finished with compromising her wants and needs and determined to live life on her own terms. Dog lovers will identify with Ellie’s love for these furry creatures and will appreciate that this author is donating all royalties to Best Friends Animal Society. Readers will be entertained by the conversations Ellie has with not only her dog but other dogs who choose to converse with her. The plot is interesting and moves at a fast pace, with plenty of red herrings thrown into the mix to provide a good mystery. Excellent debut to this series. ( )