Wednesday 15 May 2013

The Karma of King Harold - Richard Audry

Big, ginger and pretty hairy, the affable King Harold seems to have developed a penchant for finding trouble rather than causing it. A typical day may include chasing a pesky squirrel, a cold bath or hitting the jackpot and being able to rummage around a few rubbish bags which hold a smorgasbord of cold hamburgers, pizza...

But much to his owner's Andy (Anders) Skyberg chagrin, the friendly mutts' discovery of a dead iguana is a step too far. However, the death of  Adonis isn't his fault. Adonis' owner Trudi Bock - a new age, tree hugging, crystal hanging Eleanorian - doesn't think so and is livid.

Unbeknownst to Harold, he has uncovered a hate crime. With Andy's girlfriend, Sheriff Cass Conlin taking charge and keeping an eye on Turdi, who is keen to rekindle the romance with Harold's owner, Andy is suddenly catapulted into a world of murder, federal agents, arson, God-fearing woman, slander and a pesky ebelskiver recipe that his sister is after. Who is behind the ousting of the bohemian Trudi from the New Bergen town? And will Andy ever get that quiet life he's after?

With its assortment of eccentric characters, humor and canine antics, this murder mystery is an engaging read. Anders is a laid back person but with Harold sniffing out danger/crime he's unlikely to get any peace. The subplots of hunting down recipes, rosemaling and conspiracy theories add to a well thought out novel. And the easy going style of the authors writing makes this story a definite page turner.

Unsure of how a dog gets involved in crime, I quickly found out and found Harold and his master a great duo. The descriptions from Harold's point of view is perfect - you can imagine that's how a dog would think. The mystery itself is very good which will make any avid fan of this genre guessing until the final few chapters. A book for those who love dogs or not. A recommended read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author to review. The opinions expressed are my own and I am not required to give a positive critique. 

2 comments:

  1. Shalini... Thanks so much for the splendid review. I'm delighted that you enjoyed the book--I had so much fun creating the world of New Bergen and its denizens. And I like to think there's a bit of me in both Andy and Harald. FYI, I've just started on the sequel, KING HARALD'S HOARD... Richard Audry

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're welcome, it was a great read and I hope many people find out what a delight Harold is. I look forward to reading more of his exploits.

    ReplyDelete