Paw and Order
Paw Enforcement #2
By Diane Kelly
ISBN 9781250048356
dianekelly.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis: 
Police officer Megan Luz and her loyal K-9 partner Brigit are back on the beat—and under the gun—when the local rodeo show goes to the dogs…
OUT OF THE DOGHOUSE
After capturing the notorious Fort Worth “Tunabomber,” Megan and Brigit are practically celebrities. Which is why the police chief lassoed them into doing rodeo duty —mostly as a public relations stunt for the department. Megan’s not a fan of calf roping, bull riding, or goat milking contests. But when a thief appears to be working the circuit, her trusty K-9 partner starts sniffing for clues…
INTO THE FIRE HYDRANT
The culprit is “Robin Hood,” a young Texas golddigger who steals from the rich to give to the poor—namely, herself. With Brigit hot on the trail, Megan has to juggle her on-again off-again reputation in the FWPD with her on-again off-again relationship with sexy bomb-squader Seth Rutledge. This time, Megan is determined to rope in her suspect and her man…before chaos, and/or her trusted furry partner, is unleashed. (From Goodreads)
Review:
This series is such a hoot! The author has a fabulous sense of humor, and sprinkles it liberally throughout this mystery. I confess to being hooked on Brigit and Megan since the opening pages the first novel in the series; I hope my cats don’t find out that I am a fan of Officer Brigit! Second in the series, ‘Paw and Order’ can be read as a standalone (but don’t miss the first!)
Megan is a sassy, feisty, hard-working police officer in Fort Worth, Texas. She is paired with K-9 Officer Brigit and has become quite attached to the huge, furry beast after living and working with her 24-7. She admits that Brigit is her best friend and confidant.They drew the short straw, it seemed, when they were drafted to be part of the good police department’s PR to be at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. At least until a crime was committed. When the bad guys seemed to steal as if nobody would catch him/ her/ them, Megan was the bad officer. If she found a clue nobody else did, she had potential of going back onto the Chief’s good officer list. And they say women change their mind a lot.
Robin Hood is alive and well in Fort Worth! Or as she joked, “Robbin’ Hood”. Robin was her alter ego when she was out on the trail of robbing the rich and giving to the poor (herself). She enlisted the help of her sisters to rob from the bejewelled ladies at the Rodeo. Crime didn’t pay well, yet; one woman even had her Starbucks card cancelled and reissued! Megan and Brigit were charged with not preventing crime at the huge, busy property.
She met equine deputy, Clint, of the Tarrant County Sheriff Department, who immediately puts the moves on her. She and Seth, a good-looking Fire Department Bomb Squad Officer, are not an item but he wants to win her back. Brigit was missing Seth’s bomb-sniffing dog, Blast, as much as Megan missed Seth. When it came to catching the rodeo grounds thief, the deputy didn’t do any better than Megan The descriptions of the thief and modus operandi changed each time, so there might be more than one bad gal working the women’s rooms.
Detective Bustamonte was assigned to the Stock Show and Rodeo, and Megan did her research in hopes of helping him and proving her worth to the department. It didn’t help that Robin kept upping the game – it would only be a matter of time before the Stock Show would be over and Megan would lose her opportunity to catch the bad guy/ gal.
Megan is the best protagonist! I could easily see her pop out of the book to real life, snapping her baton and running with Brigit to any problem. She works hard, the kind of cop who wants to do the right thing and wants to be a detective. She didn’t come from wealth or privilege; she respects her parents and genuinely loves her family. There are so many tidbits we learn about her that make her more real to the reader – someone many of us would become friends with. Other characters are defined only as much as necessary for their roles. Seth is a good man who still struggles with his war experiences and family background. We are able to see some of Robin’s thoughts; she certainly feels ‘entitled’! The more I know her, the less I like her. Clint wasn’t impressive – the kind of guy most young women have met and later regretted falling for.
One would think that, since about 40% of the novel is seen through the eyes of “Robin Hood’, it wouldn’t be any fun to read. Not true. This reader rooted for Megan to find her; Robin Hood was simply not likable. There are several twists that change the course of the mystery, and Megan’s relationship with Seth. Watching Brigit’s behavior was so much fun, especially when – oops! Can’t say, except that her antics are laugh-out-loud funny. The end is completely satisfying. I highly recommend this to those who love humorous cozy mysteries, to ladies who are or remember being single, and anyone who has endured being the low man on the totem pole at work. Number six in the series, ‘Enforcing the Paw’, is due out in late June; there is much more to look forward to!
