Can Belinda Separate a Killer from the Pack?
When I started the Exotic Pet-Sitter Mysteries a couple of months ago, I decided to try to finish it this year. After all, there are only three books in the series, so I should be able to do that no problem. Sadly, I didn’t find the second, Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, as enjoyable as I hoped.
Belinda is living in a small town in Connecticut, and she is making her living pet-sitting all kinds of animals. Yes, she will sit for dogs and cats, but she is finding a reputation for helping with the more unusual.
Even so, she’s a little leery when the owner of a wolf preserve just outside of town contacts her looking for someone to help with chores for 10 days. But Belinda needs the money, so she agrees. Her orientation goes fine, but on her first official day, she finds the body of a tour guide inside one of the enclosures. Did the pack attack the victim? Or is there a more sinister motive?
My issue with this book was the pacing. We spend a lot of time waiting for the characters to catch up to what we know must be going on – there’s a killer on the loose. When they do catch up, there are some good twists on the way to the logical climax. But Belinda wasn’t even really gathering any good information during the waiting period, so it was slow.
Which is a shame because I do like Belinda. And it was nice seeing the supporting players again. The suspects were developed enough that I could keep them straight, but I feel like they would have been better with a stronger plot.
The book was a fast read, which is always appreciated.
I’m still planning to read the third book later this year. Hopefully, it will prove to be stronger than this book was.
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