Deputy Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo find a body in the spill basin of Hanging Falls while hiking with Glenda, who is a Park Ranger. After they manage to fish the man out of the water before he's washed further away, they find the word "PAY" carved on his torso. An instant mystery! I like it! He's wearing what look to be homespun clothes, with buttons as closures. I have to admit, I saw this bit and knew instantly there was going to be some kind of quasi-Amish religious group involved.

The rest of the book follows Mattie and Robo, and the rest of the Sheriff's office, running who this man was, who killed him, and why he was dumped in that location.

During the investigation, Mattie and Robo find a young man camped out on a ridge overlooking the falls. He doesn't have a ton of money on him, and seems a bit scared when they bring him in to pick his brain about the murder they think he may have seen. He insists he knows nothing, and ultimately is released. He pops up in a scene a little further into the book, and not in a good way - you'll understand when you get to that part.

A secondary story running under the main story is Mattie finally getting in touch with her long-lost sister and her grandmother. The plan was for Mattie to take some vacation and go to meet her sis and grandmother. Instead, since she's hung up in this murder, her sister decides to come to her instead, with grandmother in tow.

Meanwhile, my guess about the quasi-Amish religious group is correct, but there's a dash of polygamous Mormonism tossed in as well. While the people of the Sheriff's Office are suspicious of the residents of the compound, they have nothing concrete to charge anyone with anything - they can't prove polygamy in the compound or that the children are in danger, and so forth. The dead man was part of the congregation, but according to the men running the group, he had left, saying he was returning home.

There are a couple of cowboys on the property next to the Amish/Mormon folks, and the two groups have clashed, and the two men had a run-in with the dead man, but insist they did not kill him.

There's also a third story point running through this - Mattie's relation with her vet boyfriend, and the vet's relationship with his daughters. If you've not read the previous books in this series, the vet's daughters provide a way, in the narrative, to know some of the sordid details of Mattie's past (warning here: this features Mattie, her brother, and her mother being kidnapped by a very, very bad man. Domestic abuse is detailed, and child sexual abuse is intimated, so if these are no-gos for you, you'd better skip this one). This third story point also involved a veterinary drug rep dealing meds to a farrier illegally.

Eventually, through some very good and realistic work, the Sheriff's Office find the culprits for all the crimes and various arrests are made. Mattie's family meetup give her some details about her father's death, and the book ends on an intriguing note about Mattie tracking down her mother.

The book is well-written, and the characters, when they speak, speak like normal people would in whatever the situation is. There are no glaring plot holes, and there's no driving horses into doing things they would not do in real life (which is something I care about, with horses or other animals). Mattie's personal life issues are informing her current life, but she's not a mope about it, or thinking about it 24/7 to allow it to invade her every moment.

Recommended, and I'll likely head back to the start of the series to read up on what has come before.

A solid four stars out of five. Just one ding because the baddies were fairly easy to guess for me, but it's still an enjoyable read.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the review copy.

Excellent 6th addition to the Timber Creek K-9 series

I really enjoy this series by author Mizushima. First of all it has an incredible dog in it, and second, it takes places in Colorado, a favorite place of mine.

I'm not sure whether Hanging Falls is based on the actual Hanging Lake in Colorado. It is a beautiful location that was threatened by wildfire earlier this summer but miraculously survived. Hanging Falls sounds beautiful too as described.

Deputy Mattie Cobb, a county Sheriff's Deputy, is back in this sixth book in the series with her wonder K-9 German Shepherd dog, Robo.

She is scheduled for vacation time to go meet some newly found family members but must put that on hold when she and a local district wildlife manager and her dog find a body uncovered by some flood waters.

The investigation leads the Sheriff's department to check into some newly arrived residents of the Timber Creek community and soon the danger ramps up.

Maggie's romance is at the forefront of the story and so are the background issues with her family.

You don't have to read the other books in this series to appreciate this one but it helps. I highly recommend this mystery series.

I received this book from Crooked Lane Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Mattie Cobb is looking forward to meeting the grandmother and sister she didn't know she had. An ancestry DNA test alerts her to the fact that a family member is searching for her and she plans to drive from Colorado to California to meet them. She's both elated and terrified at the prospect. Soon that has to take a back seat when she and her K9 partner, Robo and her park ranger friend, Glenna and her dog Moose find a drowned body at Hanging Falls. Then things get very interesting. Mattie and others from the sheriff's department begin their investigation and it leads them to a local cult. I don't want to say more for fear of spoilers. I will say that the tension is great, the setting is perfect, there are twists, turns and red herrings to keep the reader guessing and I enjoyed it from page one to the end.
Mattie and her new found family, her boyfriend, Cole and his family dynamics and the cult family - they all come together to make for a very good mystery. As for reading the series in order, well I'm in the camp that says read from book one but if you don't mind where you start a series, this one will work fine as a stand alone.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

If you haven't discovered this series yet you're so missing out. It's suspenseful and twisty. Each book is as good as the last and this one doesn't let you down either. Want a well told story pick this up. Happy reading!

Mattie's out for a hike with Robo and Glenna when they find a body in the river. She was planning a trip to California to see a sister and grandmother she's never met but she's a sheriff's deputy in Timber Creek and this is an important case. Turns out there's a cult that's moved into the area and this man was a member. Until he wasn't. While this is a police procedural, the fact that Mattie works with Robo and that her romantic interest Cole is a veterinarian adds special. I like it as much for the dogs as for the mystery (although that's good too). Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books- this will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A satisfying read.

4 stars (release date 9-8-2020)

You can read all of my reviews at NerdGirlLovesBooks.

Yet another great mystery starring our favorite K-9 officer Mattie Cobb and her partner Robo. This time Timber Creek is having a lot of rain and areas are starting to flood. While out checking on damaged trails in the mountains, Mattie and Robo stumble on a dead body caught up on a tree in the flood waters. The deceased is linked to a new religious sect that has moved into the area. The members dress in 19th Century attire and practice polygamy.

As the suspect list grows, Mattie connects with her long-lost sister and learns more about her lost childhood and family. Her sister is able to shed light on the night Mattie, her brother and mother were abducted when Mattie was 2. Mattie's boyfriend Cole Walker is also dealing with family issues with his eldest daughter, however the single father practices patience, even when it's in short supply, and the issue resolves itself.

The mystery is full of action, with plenty of suspects and red herrings to throw you off the trail. As always, I really enjoy the interaction with Mattie and Robo, and love reading how they go about tracking and apprehending the bad guys. This is becoming one of my favorite mystery series and I look forward to reading the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hanging Falls, the sixth book in Margaret Mizushima's enjoyable Timber Creek K-9 series, has more of what I always look forward to: wonderful outdoor scenes in the high country of Colorado, animals like Robo to enjoy, and catching up with some of my favorite fictional characters.

I found the mystery in this book to be a bit pedestrian, but perhaps that's because I've read Betty Webb's Lena Jones mysteries. What is more important (besides those riveting scenes up in the mountains) is Mattie finding out more about what really happened during her traumatic childhood.

I've enjoyed this series, not just for its animals and high country action, but also because of its characters. Mattie's journey to put her past behind her touches the heart as does Cole Walker's attempts to balance a very busy veterinary practice with his home life and two daughters. He's trying very hard to be there for his two girls after they were abandoned by their mother. Mattie's fellow police officers also play important roles in the stories.

I'm slowly recuperating from my trek up to Hanging Falls, and now it's time to wait once more for Mattie and Robo's next adventure.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2020/09/03/hanging-falls-by-margaret-mizushima/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

I discovered the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/166057-timber-creek-k-9-mystery" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Timber Creek K-9</strong></em></a> series when I was trying different K9 series for the Series on Saturday meme.  I really loved it and continued reading the series.   I would read this series in order because of the growth in both Mattie's personal and professional life.   I try not to write spoilers but at this point it is tough not to have some spoilers for earlier books in the series.

My last review summarized Mattie's law enforcement job and the skills of her K9 partner, Robo, which I won't repeat here.  Mattie has a personal relationship with the veterinarian, Cole.  His work is interesting as well as his single parenting of his two daughters.  Mattie is learning more about her past which really progresses in this story as she meets an newly found sister and grandmother.

Of course, there is a murder, which Mattie discovers when she is out running with her friend, Glenna, and of course, Robo.  It's quickly obvious from the man's clothing, he is somehow connected to a new religious community who just located to their area.  Cole has been treating some of their animals.  The women wear long plain dresses; the men's pants have buttons instead of zippers. The group makes much of their own clothing.

I especially enjoy the actual K9 work and skills shown in the investigation. There is searching for evidence or people, sometimes lost children or sometimes a bad guy.  This goes along with the veterinary care.  I always enjoy the police procedures and methods too.  Mattie works well with her entire team now.  She and Detective Stella are concerned from the start about the children in the religious group who may be abused, more than the polygamy which is almost certain.

I can't say I'm a fan of organized religion in general, and cults in particular. It never surprises me when old, white men think they should be in complete control, have whatever they want, and not follow any laws but their own ideas.

I am excited to learn more about Mattie's past and new relationship with her family, as well as how things develop with Cole and his family.   Of course, there will be more police cases of some sort to investigate and I'll enjoy that too.

Officer Mattie Cobb and Wildlife Manager Glenna Dalton find the body of a man in the water near Hanging Falls. In the rough conditions, they are finally able to get the body out of the water before it is swept away. The man’s clothing leads them to a settlement of the Brothers of Salvation, a religious sect. Mattie was making plans to meet up with her newly discovered sister and grandmother when she instead she is back on the hunt with her K9 Robo. Mattie was kidnapped when she was two years-old and raised by an abusive man who she thought was her father. Mattie’s love interest, Cole Walker, is the veterinarian in the area and often aides Mattie in her investigations. Then a second body is discovered and a teenage girl goes missing. Mattie is a strong female lead used to handling whatever happens with her beloved K9. It was nice to get some answers about Mattie’s past, but she still has questions and the investigation in to her past is not over. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

While surveying a flooded trail in the Colorado wilderness, K-9 officer Mattie Cobb and her dog Robo end up finding a submerged body below Hanging Falls. Mattie also senses she is being watched and with the help of Robo, they track down and bring in a homeless man named Tracy Lee for questioning. The male victim had no ID but his unique clothing hints that he may be a member of a recently arrived religious colony in Timber Creek. Although Mattie is supposed to start her vacation to meet her newly found sister and grandmother in San Diego, she is determined to help the investigation with a search of the area for clues the next morning.

Fingerprints later confirm the victim was Luke, a new member of the religious group who had supposedly gone to visit his parents. Mattie and the Timber Creek Sheriff's department are suspicious of the members as well as Luke's friendship with a newly arrived farrier and veterinary pharmaceutical rep. Tensions heighten when Luke's girlfriend, 15-year old Hannah goes missing. Despite the recent arrival of Mattie's sister Julia and grandmother, Mattie and Robo are called in to lead the search for the missing girl with violent results.

Further developments in uncovering Mattie's childhood and the fate of the parents ends the story.

This was another excellent entry in the Timber Creek K-9 mystery series.

I received an eARC from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Mattie and her police K-9 Robo are on the case again. This time they found a body while visiting Hanging Falls in Colorado's wilderness. With the rain closing in, it is up to the two of them to find all the clues they can before they are all washed away. Too bad Mattie was supposed to start her vacation and finally get a chance to meet the sister and grandmother she had lost track of when she was a small child.

Mattie is also dealing with her new relationship with Cole Walker, the local veterinarian. He is recently divorced and his two kids, especially his teenage daughter Angela, aren't sure what to make of his new relationship with another woman. Even though both girls like Mattie, it is still a big change for them to get used to.

The investigation leads to a new group of people who have recently come to settle in the area. The murder victim is identified as a member of that group but they all say that he decided to leave the group and go back home to his family. The group belong to a fundamentalist religion and apparently practice polygamy but the investigators are willing to overlook that as long as there is no child abuse involved.

This story had a lot to do with family relationships as well as the well-plotted mystery. We see Mattie struggling to come to terms with her newly discovered family and her new relationship with Cole and his family.

The mystery was entertaining and enough clues were given for me to figure out who the villains were despite the liberal sprinkling of red herrings through the investigation. Fans of mysteries and especially those animals involved will enjoy this story. I liked learning more about police dogs and loved the relationship Mattie and Robo share.

Partnerships are a good thing. Even better when it's a K-9 partnership.

A strong female lead with her K-9 partner makes for a fantastic police procedural book. This is my first introduction to Mattie and Robo but it won't be my last. The plot was thick, the characters fantastic and the mystery was well paced and full of tense moments.

K-9 police procedurals are particular favorites of mine when done well. Maybe because of my K-9 friends, maybe because of all the nights I spent with a metro K-9 team as an observer. Or maybe it’s because so many of the series are just so darn good.
Hanging Falls is no exception.
On the day before possibly the most important journey of her life, Timber Creek,CO Deputy Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo are heading toward Hanging Falls with the local district wildlife manager, Glenna Dalton and her K-9 partner, Moose. Mattie and Glenna are hoping to evaluate the damage done by the unprecedented recent rains. Oh yeah, it storms a lot in this book. I almost read it in my rain slicker. Margaret Mizushima can really make her weather come alive for the reader.
They find a body caught precariously in the branch of a tree. Mattie about freezes to death removing the body from the tree before it is washed downstream. After the troops are mobilized with the Sheriff’s department and veterinarian Cole Walker as horse wrangler and guide, the body is brought down from the high country along with a possible suspect. The floater will not be the first body in Hanging Falls, nor is the first suspect the only suspect.
Family and the various permutation of family almost eclipse the central mystery. In Hanging Falls Mattie finds long lost family members through an on-line DNA search. Mattie, who until recently only loved and trusted her dog, is now expanding her love to Cole Walker and his daughters. In the meantime Cole struggles to find out why his daughters are less than thrilled with his new love and happiness. There are two rough brothers, one a possible horse whisperer, who only care about each other and their horses. There is also a newly arrived, possible polygamist cult that raises and train horses and dogs. Mizushima writes with great insight and sensitivity about these family units.
The investigation, the K-9 searches and even the vet work are all fascinating. For the most part the details ring true, the big exception being that Robo’s blood is not typed six ways to kingdom come. It would seem at the very least; blood typing should be part of Robo’s permanent vet record.
Hanging Falls is part of a terrific series, but can be read as a standalone. The most important back story, Mattie’s screwed up family life is explained. In Hanging Falls there are lovely scenes of family re-uniting, but not all is wonderful. New questions arise.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions in this review are my own.

Mattie and Robo are my favorite cop partners. This is a terrific series, but this book can be read as a standalone. The story kept me turning the pages and involved in the lives of the characters. While there is a running back story thus leading to a cliff hanger, the actual tale of the murders is fully explained and solved.

Action Packed K-9 Murder Mystery
This action-packed K-9 murder mystery is part of a series. I have not read the prior books in the series yet I never felt lost. The author is very good at sharing just enough of the past to explain the current events, but not give away too much of prior books. I plan on reading those prior books as well as the rest of the series because there is a story arc concerning our heroine that is going to take the entire series to complete. The story takes place in a small town in the Colorado Rockies. The book starts off with a bang and doesn't really let up until the end. What a great book! This is not a cozy mystery by any means. It is also a clean mystery that shouldn't cause any nightmares. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

K-9 Officer Mattie Cobb and veterinarian Cole Walker have fallen in love with each other and gone public with their relationship. Many times when Mattie and her K-9 partner Robo have been involved in a case the sheriff's department has called on Cole for assistance. In this story Mattie and Robo along with Wildlife Manager Glenna Dalton find a body at Hanging Falls. Cole is part of the party sent out to recover the body. Not an easy task in the torrential rain. Mattie and the Timber Creek Sheriff's Department have their hands full solving this murder case when another murder occurs. Are the two murders related?

Hanging Falls by Margaret Mizushima is the sixth book in her Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series. This was a very exciting read. I couldn't put the book down. The story is fast-paced and loaded with action scenes. I enjoyed reading about Mattie getting to meet members of her long-lost family. This brings her joy and some closure. I have loved this entire series. Ms. Mizushima is an excellent storyteller.

This is a good series for those that enjoy reading about working dogs. Mattie is a local sheriff's deputy in a small town in Colorado and Robo is her K9 partner. The stories are engaging police procedurals with a strong personal component involving Cole, Mattie’s beau and the local vet, and his family.
Mattie and Robo are out hiking with Glenna, a park ranger and her dog, Moose, when they find a dead body near Hanging Falls. It doesn’t take long to suss out that the man was a member of a religious cult, recently moved into the area. Mizushima gives us lots of potential suspects, but I did correctly suss out the correct one early on.
This book had the added benefit of learning more about Cole’s veterinary practice, working with dogs and horses. The author’s husband is a vet, which explains why these scenes are so realistic.
Mizushima paints a great picture and I could feel the downpours and storms. There’s a constant sense of tension as they fight the weather while attempting to solve what ends up being two murders.
The one theme through all the subplots is family. Cole is struggling with his teenage daughter, Mattie gets to meet her long lost sister and grandmother and even the cult subplot deals with the meaning of family.
My thanks to netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance copy of this book.

I love a strong female protagonist, and she has a wonderful K-9 partner named Robo. Hanging Falls is the sixth book in the series, but I did not feel I missed anything by not reading all of the previous books. This book had me hooked from page one. The book is a satisfying mystery with engaging characters, complexity, and a descriptive atmosphere that has the reader right in the thick of the action and drama.

#HangingFalls #NetGalley

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this brilliant book

mattie and her k9 partner robo are out and about and stumble across a body in the river by the falls...its quickly established that the man has been murdered....
retrieval of the body is hampered by the weather but whilst waiting for help to arrive mattie spots someone up high watching

also a new group of people have come into the area, keeping themselves very much to themselves but by their attire they are thought to be religious, they do encounter some aggravation from their neighbours but on the whole they are trying to establish a new land for themselves and their families

until another body shows up and to many arrow keep pointing their way

on the home front mattie is about to meet her sister and grandmother for the first time, everyone is nervous at this first meeting

really enjoyed this story its always nice to catch up on your favourites and see how their lives have progressed...some answers and more questions are revealed in this book

cant wait for the next one in this series

Hanging Falls by Margaret Mizushma Reviewed August 7, 2020 (3.5 rounded up)
This is #6 in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series. I have not read the others and was fearful that I missed a lot of background information. However, this story is fresh and not a cliff hanger from Book #5.

The setting is Timber Creek a small mountain town in Colorado.
Deputy Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner German Shepherd Robo find a body. With the help of BF veterinarian Cole Walker, they find in their investigation a polygamists religious cult, a murder, horse training group, family relationships and also more into Mattie background and the details of a night when she was only 2 years old and was abducted.

Want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 8, 2020