I thoroughly enjoy the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series for the mystery, the characters, the great descriptions, but most of all, I enjoy learning about K-9’s on the job and off.
Mattie Cobb is a detective and dog handler for the Timber Creek, CO sheriff’s department. Her partner and best-friend is Robo, her K-9. In this installment, Mattie and Robo take both a missing person case and a drug case, while also dealing with Mattie’s own personal mission.
The 7th in the series, Striking Range keeps you on your toes and keeps you guessing until the end.
Many thanks to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, and Netgalley for the advanced readers copy of the book.

This is an entertaining mystery in a good series. My Rating 4.25.

Deputy Mattie Cobb escaped from a man who tried to kill her and she thinks he is the man who killed her father 30 years ago. Maddie has teamed with cold-case Detective, Jim Hauck, to interview the man in prison. As they are waiting for the interview, the prison goes on lockdown and they soon learn that the man has been found dead in his cell. Upon viewing the body and inspecting the man’s belongings, Maddie finds clues that direct her back to her own community in Timber Creek.

Mattie and her K-9 partner, Robo, find suspicious sites in the mountain forest and caves. Before they can dig out the sites, Mattie and Robo are called in to investigate a missing young pregnant girl. They find the girl dead and no longer pregnant. Now they are looking for the baby.

Maddie’s beau, veterinarian Cole Walker, and other K-9 units are called in to help with the search on the mountain before a deadly storm wipes out more evidence. There are several suspects to interview and watch as the situation intensifies. Meanwhile, a local officer is found injured on the side of the road.

As Maddie pursues the missing baby she and another officer stumble upon a crucial bit of evidence. Now Maddie has to worry about Cole and the other officers left on the mountain with a man that might be involved with the killings.

This moved very quickly, and I enjoyed the multiple crisscrossing investigations. Ms. Mizushima creates life-like characters with real-life personal problems to deal with as they juggle their official duties. The story involves timely criminal issues including drugs and child trafficking. There are several suspects and clues to keep the reader eager to find the true villains. And of course, I like the K-9 dog elements which describe differences between the different search and cadaver dogs.

I liked the first book in this series and have more to listen to. I read this one out of order which was okay although I would suggest reading at least the first book so that you know the characters. I recommend this to mystery and K-9 fans.

Audio Notes: I guess I am not a huge fan of Nancy Wu’s narration. She supplies some voices but they are not totally distinct. For me there is more breathy reading than voice and emotional performance. Still, the audio moves quickly for me and I am thankful to have snagged this audio from NetGalley.

Source: 9/8/2021 from NetGalley.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* read all of this series and was able to read #6 right before reading this so the story was still fresh in my mind, worth the read and when this series ends i will def be rereading it!

I requested this book from Net Galley not knowing that it was the second book in the series. I was disappointed at first because I hadn't read the first book, but that feeling didn't last.

This was en excellent mix of police mystery and animal lover content. The characters and setting were pleasant and the story line kept me guessing.

Mattie Cobb and her K9 partner Robo are looking to tie up some loose ends from previous cases, but unfortunately they will have to wait. The team is sidetracked when a witness turns up dead, and a body has been discovered in the local campground.

Mattie and Robo work with local law enforcement, and some special agents called in for reinforcement to get to the bottom of these mysterious, and seemingly assisted deaths.

The beautiful Colorado back drop, and the story lines describeing the K9 handlers and the interactions at the vet clinic, made for a wildly enjoyable mystery.

This is one of my favorite series. A canine handler, a dog, a veterinarian, the mountains of Colorado...so many wonderful elements. However, this audiobook version of the latest book is kind of a chore to get through. The narrator uses an overly dramatic, breathy voice much of the time that is totally distracting to me. When she just reads with expression, it's fine. But whenever there's a bit of tension in the book, she goes into storyteller mode that sounds like she's reading to a very small child and must be as dramatic as possible, with a lot of overemphasizing of words.

Also, the killer is pretty obvious early on. There are too many considering glances and pauses. I don't know if that comes down strictly to the text itself or whether part of it is the extra emphasis given to those moments by the narrator. Unfortunately, that plus another timely, big, dramatic storm in the mountains bleeds out a lot of the drama of the story.

The mystery overall is interesting and gripping, and I definitely wanted to know how it all panned out. But I can't recommend the audiobook version.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Timber Creek K-9 series is one of my favorites! I love the setting, the characters and the plots! I have yet to be disappointed with this series.

Striking Range is the 7th book in the series. The plot is fast-paced with lots of twists and sub-plots. Entertaining as usual! Mattie travels to question a suspect in a Colorado prison, but the prisoner dies leaving some mysterious clues in his cell. Add in a missing pregnant woman, puppies and a blizzard -- it all adds up to the usual great Timber Creek K-9 story!

This newest book is one of my favorites in the series so far! The action was non-stop and I couldn't stop reading! I am eagerly awaiting the next book.

I read most of this story in digital ARC format, but waited to read the ending until the audio book became available then started over! For someone who used to dislike audio books, I have certainly come full circle -- I listen to so many now! Narrated by Nancy Wu, the audio is just under 10 hours long. Excellent listening experience as usual!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books (and listened to the audio book from Dreamscape Media). All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Striking Range by Margaret Mizushima
Narrated by Nancy Wu
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Publication Date: September 7, 2021
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers

Striking Range is the seventh book in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series by Margaret Mizushima. I had not read the previous books in the series, but was easily able to read this as a standalone. (I also found out that the first 5 books in the series are included in my Audible membership, so I will spending some time in Timber Creek in my very near future!)

I enjoyed this book so much!!!! The narration by Nancy Wu was incredible! I love how she brought this story to life!

The story was incredible! It is fast paced with a great mystery! I could not get enough of this book! I loved the characters and look forward to seeing what their futures will bring, as well as learning more about their pasts by diving into the previous books!

I found this book to be captivating! I didn't want to stop listening to it! I loved the style and flow of it. I thought the police procedures and crime investigation techniques were described well. And I absolutely loved Robo, the canine partner in the K-9 team!

I highly recommend reading this book! I know I couldn't stop until I reached the end and now I want more!!!

I'm so grateful to Margaret Mizushima, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoy the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series and each book brings another wonderful crime/mystery to solve. There is so much going on in this book. This one opens with Mattie meeting California Detective Jim Hauck at a Colorado prison. They plan to interview John Cobb, the man Mattie thought was her father as well as the man who tried to kill Mattie a few months ago. They are trying to find out if he killed her real father 30 years ago, but when they get to the prison, he is dead, with a map in his cell. Mattie returns home to see where the map leads, but before they can investigate, they find a young woman dead, a women who had recently given birth, but there is no baby found. They now have to solve the mystery of the map, find a killer and find the baby.

I really like the characters in this series. Mattie is a fantastic detective and her K-9 partner, Robo is very talented. In this book, they call in various other K-9s all with various jobs and talents. I found that very interesting. There was a lot of tracking going on in this one. The plot was very well-developed and I liked how the different sub-plots were interwoven into the story. There were clues dropped along the way, but they were subtle, lots of red herrings and several twists that made this one difficult to figure out. I enjoyed the reveal of the criminals and how they were subdued and eventually arrested. Another great police procedural/detective/crime thriller. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Nancy Wu. She has narrated the previous books I have listened to in this series and is the voice of Mattie Cobb to me. Wu does an excellent job of bringing the story and characters to life. She has a pleasant voice and gives personality to the characters. If you enjoy stories starring animals, police procedurals or crime thrillers, I recommend you pick this one up in either book or audiobook format.

This is the 7th book in the Timber Creek K9 series. It could be read as a stand alone but readers would come into the story with more background if they read the first six, as I have. This is the first audio book in the Timber Creek series that I have listened to and I have to say, the narrator fit my mind's picture for the characters. I enjoyed the story as well as if I'd read them. It's a different, yet excellent way to enjoy this series.

This is book 7 in the series and usually I am able to jump right in without a problem, but I suspect the earlier books in the series should be read before this one as I had a little trouble following along in this one. It was interesting with the Mattie having a K9 partner. I enjoyed this and the other dogs' part in the investigation.

I listened to the audio version of the book and enjoyed Nancy Wu's narration.

I had a really difficult time listening to the cadence of the narrator’s speech. It bothered me so much that I couldn’t finish listening to this audiobook. I may try to give it another try by reading it on my Kindle, as I’m sure the story is good.

Maddie, Robo, and the rest of the Timber Creek Police Department are back in the seventh installment of the Timber Creek K9 mystery series by Margaret Mizushima . Another murder has occurred in the mountains of Timber Creek and all clues point to a link to the cold case murder of Maddie's father.
This series is one of my favorite police/K9 procedurals on the market. This is a well written mystery series with an excellent narrator.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for a copy of this book for review.

Striking Range is the 7th Timber Creek K-9 mystery by Margaret Mizushima. Released 7th Sept 2021 by Crooked Lane Books, it's 280 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

This is a series procedural with well established characters and a rural small town police department integrating (more or less) successfully with area and national task forces. This is an ensemble returning cast and a solid western mystery. The central players have a long and varied history together. There are familial and generational connections (and not always in a positive manner). Despite being the 7th book in this series, the author is a technically adept writer and sufficient backstory is written in to provide readers enough backstory without info-dumping. I was unfamiliar with the series previously though I believe I might've read one or two of the author's earlier works, and I had no trouble following along.

There were some dangling threads on a couple of the plot points, but overall it's a well written and engaging mystery. I could've done without the strong romance subplot, but I appreciate that there are many readers who really enjoy mystery with a healthy romance angle.

There is some potentially triggering content for some readers including opioid use and overdose, kidnapping, and human trafficking.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours, 47 minutes and is capably narrated by Nancy Wu. She does a good job of bringing characters of varying ages to life (from children to adults) and both men and women and managing to keep them distinct and identifiable. Production and sound quality are high throughout.

Four stars for both print and audiobook versions.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Recommended. This is a new to me author and I am looking forward to reading more of her books. This book is action-packed and full of suspense. The author goes into great detail about police protocols. She either has a police background or has done extensive research. Excellent storyline. The narrator was excellent as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced review copy. In return, I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

My first Margaret Mizushima. I enjoyed the K-9 Mystery and didn't think about this being the 7th book in a series. I liked the tidbits of using a dog. The mystery was okay, the subject matter was little deep for what I call a cozy. While I won't rush out for the previous or any new releases, i wouldn't pass them up in a thrift store. I would recommend for young teen readers going to young adult or elderly, and anyone else wanting a clean mystery.

#Netgalley
#k-9
#DreamscapePublishers
#Audiobook
#StrikingRange

I am a huge fan of Paul Doiron books and reading the description of this book, it reminded me of that type of book- a series following a law enforcement officer in a rural setting…. That was pretty much the extent of the similarities.

This book would have gotten another full star had it chosen a different narrator. The inflection of her tone and her nuances were off. It almost sounded like she was whispering certain parts to add emphasis but it did the opposite. It wasn’t so terrible that I stopped listening though and after awhile you get used to it.

This is the first book I’ve listened to in the Mattie Cobb series and it’s the 7th book I believe so I did miss a lot of backstory and there will be spoilers when I do go back and read the rest in the series which I’ve already downloaded off Audible. The book was a little predictable however it was believable and I was worried about it being farfetched as that tends to happen the further you get into a series and run 0ut of scenarios.

The characters were all likable and I suspect previous books focused more on each of the supporting characters more like Stella and Brody. Overall, I did enjoy this audiobook and I do plan to read the rest of the books in the series. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me advanced access to listen and review this book honestly.

This novel was set in the beautiful, mountainous landscapes of Colorado. A solid, mystery-suspense that did not disappoint. Well rounded, fully developed characters with action catching drama that held my attention until the end. A dog lovers dream with well explained details to explain the training and workings behind a K-9 unit team. I really enjoyed the small town feel with a family closeness that had just a touch of romance.
Plot driven with believable twist, I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves a good mystery.
This was book #7 but can totally be read as a stand-alone. I chose to listen to this book on audio and the narrator was excellent with a fun 9 hours and 45 minutes of easy listening.
Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley.

Striking Range by Margaret Mizushima.
Dreamscape Media.
Nancy Wu, Narrator.
This is book seven in the series and since the main story is ongoing, you really need to read or listen from the beginning. I have listened to this whole series and have come to think of Nancy Wu as the voice of Mattie.
I love Mattie’s relationship with Robo, her canine partner. as well as the rest of the members of the department.
Her romantic partner Cole is also likable as a vet and a single dad, albeit with help. I am happy to see their relationship progress and look forward to changes in their future.
The story was good but the culprits were not really surprising. As usual, an exciting chase on a mountain trail took place. The mountain setting is invigorating with a quick snow storm included.
I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment and hope we get closer to finding out what really happened to Mattie’s dad.

Deputy Mattie Cobb and cold-case detective Jim Hauck arrive at the Colorado state prison where they intend to interview the man who kidnapped and tried to burn her alive years ago, Mattie believes this suspect is also responsible for killing her father 30 yrs ago. But, when they to go to interview him, he's found dead in his cell. In the cell with him, a mysterious map leading to Timber Creek and rugged Redstone Ridge.

Following the map, Mattie and her K-9 partner Robo journey into the burned forest surrounding Redstone Ridge. But before they can finish their search, they're called to help investigate the death of a young woman found in a campground. Evidence points to her having recently given birth, but the infant is nowhere to be found.

A deadly storm is approaching - time is of the essence. When new evidence surfaces, they decide that finding the woman's killer will lead them to the missing baby, They closer they get to solving crimes, the more the cold-blooded killer has them all targeted to be killed, including her K-9 partner, Robo.

While I enjoyed the story overall, (mostly because I’m a sucker for K-9 police dogs and Robo was cool), the storyline and plot were fairly predictable early on. At other times, small details/events were unrealistic, (For instance: A traffic stop where marijuana is detected and the driver is only given a WARNING for going 30 mph over speed limit …. Yeah, no- that ain’t gonna happen….) on the positive side, I loved reading about the handling, training, and unique bond with her K-9 partner.

Narration by Nancy Wu was simple and routine with a pleasant voice, but lacked overall modulation, enthusiasm, pitch and variety. Nevertheless, if you prefer to listen to a book, she was easy to understand.

I appreciate this opportunity to explore the writing of author Margaret Mizushima, and was kindly provided an advanced digital audio production of the book in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own.

3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️