As members of an on-call search and rescue team, Deputy Mattie Wray and her K-9 partner Robo are summoned to join the team for a mission in unfamiliar territory, Washington's Olympic peninsula. It's only a week away from her wedding to Cole Walker and there's much still to do. But a child is missing in the distant forest and Mattie can't refuse the request.

Different terrain and weather offer new challenges for Mattie and other members of her Colorado-based team. Because the missing child is the son of a film celebrity, there's initial suspicion of a possible publicity stunt. This is outweighed by the distraught state of the actress and reports that other boys have gone missing in the area.

When another SAR dog falls ill and there's suspicion of poisoning, Cole fears for the safety of Mattie and Robo and offers his service to the team as veterinary support.

Tensions rise as the searchers round up clues, assess suspects and close in on finding the boy and his kidnapper before time runs out in a nail-biting hunt bound to keep the reader turning pages.

This is the ninth in the Timber Creek K-9 series. As usual, it's a taut tale with more twists and turns than a mountain trail. One of the pleasures of reading a series is we get to know and care about the characters and their goals. Mizushima has skillfully maintained reader interest in Mattie's quest to understand her family history in earlier books as well as her relationship with Cole.

Mizushima offers well-drawn characters, an engrossing plot and enough suspense and action to keep the pages turning. The interesting insights into the work of a forensically trained canine are a plus. And Cole's work as a veterinarian adds some additional treats for the animal lover.

[ visit Margaret Mizushima's website ]