Gathering Mist

By Margaret Mizushima

Deputy Mattie Wray and her K-9 partner are based in Colorado, but in Gathering Mist they travel to Washington to help hunt for a missing child. Her patrol partner Robo is an extremely smart, well-trained 100 pound German shepherd. He has an excellent reputation, as does Mattie as his handler. In trying to locate the child, Robo uses both his well-established ground tracking skills and the air scenting that the pair has been working on.

River, the missing child, is the son of a famous movie star. He disappeared while he was supposed to be in his trailer doing his homeschool work. Mattie is not supposed to solve the case, but just find the boy in the deep woods with difficult terrain during a season of rain and cold. Other search and rescue dogs have been brought in as well as other types of law enforcement officers and lots of volunteers from the community. With no solid hits, they fear time is running out. Mattie and others begin to speculate on who might have taken the child and what the motive would be. Some wonder if it is just a public relations stunt to publicize the mother’s upcoming movie.

There are other complications. Some of the isolated homeowners living there off the grid resist having the search teams and their dogs on their property. Dead animals show up near a stream with no apparent cause of death. When a volunteer’s dog gets sick with the closest veterinarian an hour away, Cole, Mattie’s fiancé who is a vet, volunteers to travel to Washington to be with the team in case there are further health issues for the dogs. Other issues arise, but I don’t want to include any spoilers. Suffice it to say that the book includes exciting action and opportunities for Robo to show off his skills. Just as the search takes time, so does the revelation of River’s story. Added tension arises because this all happens the week before Mattie and Cole’s planned wedding. Some people would have turned down the assignment, but Mattie couldn’t bear the thought of a child lost in the cold, wet and dangerous woods.

The book includes sweet dog moments and opportunities to learn more about the skills of a K-9 officer. This is a series that is well-written with good plots and character development. The descriptions are so authentic that I felt wet and chilled along with the characters, and I looked up once or twice to make sure I wasn’t trying to find my way through the misty, foggy forest along with Mattie.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Fiction, Mystery

Notes: 1. #9 in the excellent Timber Creek K-9 series, but could be read as a standalone.

    2. Clean

Publication:  October 8, 2024—Crooked Lane Books

Memorable Lines:

Yes, the cop side of her recognized that someone could hide a body that would never be found in this place, even while her spiritual side felt a connection to this lush earth where plants were nurtured by the fertile soil and plentiful rain. As the early morning light brightened, it was like entering an emerald cathedral.

When Robo heard the word “work,” he pranced on the back seat and leaped out to join Banjo on the ground. The bloodhound, older by several years, gave Robo a stolid look as if to say “Kids.” His face drooped more than usual and he looked worn out as he sat near Sarge’s left heel.

That dog is so smart. At Mattie’s command, he could take down a dangerous criminal, or on his own, he could sense a child’s emotional distress. Either way, he was there for people.