When dog writer Holly Winter receives her first book contract, her research leads to some surprising--and deadly--discoveries.
Holly Winter has a contract to write the text for a book of photographs commemorating the legendary Morris and Essex Dog Shows, canine extravaganzas produced by the fabulously wealthy and famously dog-obsessed Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge in the years leading up to World War II. Needless to say, Holly is delighted with the assignment, and immediately sets out to interview one of the few remaining people who actually attended one of the shows--B. Robert Motherway, a Princeton classmate of the Dodges' late son.
It only takes one visit for Holly to realize that there is something strange going on in the Motherway household: a wife dying painfully in an upstairs bedroom, a daughter-in-law acting as a maid, a sullen son playing the role of kennel man, and--most distressing of all--a German shepherd that growls menacingly.
Soon Holly begins to receive mysterious anonymous packages in the mail: a leaflet describing a popular dog medication, cryptic letters written in German, a couple of old photographs. Who could be sending them, and what do they mean? When Motherway's disagreeable son is found garroted in Mount Auburn Cemetery, the circumstances convince Holly that she must find the answers before she herself becomes the next victim.
Evil Breeding presents an intriguingly complex puzzle and provides a wealth of fascinating information about a larger-than-life, legendary dog fancier.
Praise for Susan Conant's Dog Lover's Mysteries:
The Barker Street Regulars:
"The unique and witty perspective of Holly Winter makes this novel dog-gone fun to read."
--Virginia Quarterly Review
"Anyone interested in dogs, spiritualism, or Sherlock Holmes will find much to enjoy here."
--Booklist
Animal Appetite:
"Swift and engrossing--Conant presents a witty, independent, yet fallible sleuth with inordinate pride in her two Alaskan malamutes. Why not?--they steal every scene."
--Publishers Weekly
Stud Rites:
"Conant's characterizations are dead-on and her descriptions of doggy kitsch...are hilarious."
--Los Angeles Times
Black Ribbon:
"Conant's people and dogs, dialogue and obsessions hold the interest chapter upon chapter, long before blood is drawn and long after."
--Mobile Register
Ruffly Speaking
"A real tag-wagger for lots of readers."
--Washington Post
Bloodlines:
"Lively, funny, and absolutely premium. Conant's readers--with ears up and alert eyes--eagerly await her next."
--Kirkus Reviews
Gone to the Dogs:
"Conant infuses her writing with a healthy dose of humor about Holly's Fido-loving friends and other Cambridge clichés. The target of her considerable wit clearly emerges as human nature."
--Publishers Weekly
