Leave No Trace is another suspenseful mystery that is a page turner to the end. The FBI's K-9 team members Meg Jennings and her dog, Hawk, along with Brian Foster and his dog, Lacey, leave DC to head to Blue Ridge, Georgia where someone has killed two people with a compound hunting bow, the last one being a Georgia State Patrol officer. The dogs use their human scent abilities to track people, sometimes killers and sometimes victims. Blue Ridge is in the mountains near the Tennessee and North Carolina borders so the terrain is wild, dangerous and hazardous for chasing someone in unknown territory. Teaming up with local law enforcement, the FBI investigates a large pool of suspects and hunters/archery champions with the idea that someone is targeting officials involved in a new dam project that would flood the valley and take away the land owned by many people. Complicating things, a Native American group in North Carolina is suing to recover the same land once owned by them before the infamous Trail of Tears that marched Native Americans to Oklahoma.
This story is a great addition to the series where we have seen different scenarios where the dogs and their handlers have saved lives and solved crimes. The connection between the humans and dogs is a close one that is fascinating and touching. Expect suspense, danger, and need for survival techniques.
I received a complimentary ARC from Kensington Books through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

Great characters and interesting and edge-of-your-seat storyline make this book hard to put down. Highly recommend.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.

This is an excellent edge of your seat read. I love the fact that you get some history of the area to put the story into context. That history of the area, combined with a great plot and cast of characters had this reader glued to every page. A most excellent read.

What a terrific fast paced read this is! Meg, an FBI search and rescue K9 handler, her dog Hawk, and her partners Brian and Lacey, are called out when someone kills a law enforcement officer with an arrow- a special arrow shot from 300 yards away. They are asked to track the killer but the killer is elusive- until there's another vicim and another. The murders seem to be tied to a proposal to construct a dam in the area, a dam which would mean the loss of land and livelihood for many in the region. What I liked most about this well constructed mystery is all that I learned. Not only about archery (which was amazing) but also about the history of the region. While it is highly unlikely that FBI would agree to the inclusion of a Washington Post reporter on a active investigation, McCord, Meg's sister Cara's romantic interest, is a good device to research various issues- and he's a good guy. This has some incredible scenes (I defy anyone not to hold their breath when Meg is swept away) and it's twisty enough to keep you guessing. No spoilers from me on any of it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'd only read one in the series so this was more or less a standalone for me and it was great. I very much enjoyed it and am eagerly awaiting the next novel. Boffo.

Another heart pounding suspense ride. Meg, Hawk, Brian, and Lacey are hunting an elusive killer. The case is interesting and complex. The history that plays a role in the present circumstances is fascinating and well written. There is plenty of action and tension to keep you turning pages.
The characters make this series. I love all the relationships. I also love how things progress in the romantic relationships without being too much of a focus of the story.

Leave No Trace by Sara Driscoll
FBI K-9 #5

Gripping, action-packed, who done it that I thoroughly enjoyed. Every book in this series has been a winner!

What I liked:
* Meg Jennings: FBI K-9 handler an ex-sniper, strong, intelligent, physically fit, great partner to humans, canines and her human partner. I really like her and her relationship with Hawk, Todd, Brian and the rest of the team
* Hawk: Meg’s K-9 partner is a super-dog black Labrador with a huge personality and the heart of a lion.
* Todd Webb: fireman, paramedic, and Meg’s boyfriend – a wonderful person and book boyfriend perfect for Meg.
* Brian Foster and his K-9 partner Lacey: really like them together and as people. The strong friendship between Brian and Meg is priceless.
* The plot, writing, and setting of the story
* The police procedural aspects of finding who the serial killer was and what the impetus for the murders was
* Learning new tidbits of history and other facts that were presented in epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter
* The twists and turns that kept me guessing
* The last chapter…
* Clay McCord: newspaper reporter, friend, boyfriend to Meg’s sister Cara
* Torres: FBI agent on the case that Meg and Brian were called to. He had to face local prejudice and did so unflinchingly
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* The murderer…twisted mind for sure
* Being reminded of the Trail of Tears and how badly the Cherokees were treated…along with the many other Native Americans.
* Having to wait for the next book.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

What a wonderful addition to the F.B.I. K-9 series! Former police sniper Meg Jennings works for the F.B.I. with her search and rescue K-9 Hawk. They along with her partner Brian Foster and his K-9 Lacey are on the search for a serial killer. The killer is a bowhunter and kills with precision from a great distance. A proposed dam will take over much of the land and homes in the area. Are the people who are losing their homes willing to do almost anything to stop the dam from being built…including murder? The author seamlessly blends Meg’s personal life with firefighter and paramedic Lt. Todd Webb with her dedication to her job. The description and history of the area along with the suspense as Meg & Brian chase after the killer kept me turning the pages. When the killer targets Meg, will she and Hawk be able to battle nature and survive? A fast-paced thrill ride from beginning to end! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

I think this is the best book in the series to date, and I have read every, single one!

Meg and her dog Hawk are joined by Brian and his dog Lacey, in order to chase down a criminal who is murdering by using a bow and arrow. As the murders continue and the suspect pool keeps on growing, Meg and Brian (and the rest of the team) are running out of time. The murder victims seem to have no connection to each other but Clay McCord is on the case and he starts to piece it together. Todd Webb makes an appearance in this book as well, and I was happy to see him (although my heart was in my mouth when he makes his first appearance - you will see what I mean when you read the book!).

All in all, this was a beautifully written book with a tight plotline and more scary bits than you can point a stick at! Lots of thrills and spills. And a great ending.

My favourite plot for these books is when there is a natural disaster and the teams get to work in that way, but this was a very good story as well.

Looking forward to the next one in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books.

A lot of research obviously went into this book and much of the narrative was taken up with explanations about dams, Native Americans, the details of bow hunting, and mountainous terrain. I learned probably more than I wanted to know about those subjects. A little was interesting but the sheer magnitude of details seemed to bog down the story.

My favorite parts of the book, of course, were when Meg and Hawk were in action. I liked all the characters (especially the dogs!) and actually liked this book much more than a previous book I read in this series. I did guess the killer long before the reveal which makes me feel pretty smug! ha

I'll be reading the next book in this series.

Terrific addition to a great series. It is always exciting to join the FBI K-9 crew and their co-workers, friends, and relatives. A few nail-biting scenes keep one turning the pages.

Now I need to find the rest of this series! I’d like to get to know these characters’ history.
Great characters and it’s always good to have animals as main characters, especially trained working dogs.
I did get a little confused with so many characters—FBI, fire department, sheriffs, a reporter and I’m not sure about the rest.
Love the background and history woven into the story. Important things that never seem important enough for basic study

Well done.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on 12-29-20

Leave No Trace is the fifth book in the series, I have loved the previous books. I will say that this was a much slower read for me than the previous books have been. I do enjoy the chemistry between Meg and Brian, even without any type of romantic intensity. Although it wasn't my favorite book of the series, I would still recommend it to others.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and Kensington and am under no obligation to leave a favorable review, all opinions expressed here are my own.

Each book in the series just gets better. This one kept me on the edge of my seat as Meg and Hawk and Brian and Lacey search for a serial killer in the forests of Appalachia. And I like how the author works in the history of the area, including The Trail of Tears and the TVA, into the story.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping novel

k9 and bow and arrows...what more could you ask for in a book

with bodies showing up murdered with arrows sticking out of them...the k9 unit are called in, though the k9 unit find the trail left behind by the killer they are hours behind and the killer gets away

but with the bow identified and the arrow, custom made they try to shorten the list of suspects down...

can they identify the killer before the next target is murdered

brilliantly written and at times i had tears in my ears, man i love the k9 unit and catching up with these guys..love this series
cant wait for the next one in this series

The FBI K-9 mysteries are a guilty pleasure of mine, and fun to read when I don't want anything too weighty. In the latest outing, Meg and Hawk are sent to Georgia to investigate a suspicious murder of a local police officer and find themselves enmeshed in a brewing controversy about land use. Recommended for those who like Alex Kava's Ryder Creed series and the Sydney Rose Parnell books.

Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for access to a digital ARC.

Although this wasn't as interesting to me as others in the series it's worth a read. The thing I enjoy most about this series is the characters. Meg, Brian and their dogs take center stage in this one. When Men needs a rescue the team gears up beautifully. Hawk is a star!
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Another amazing book for this series. I love how all the dogs are considered characters to the story just as much as the people.

Leave No Trace by Sara Driscoll (FBI K-9 Novel #5) 5 stars

This is a follow-up to last years "No Man's Land". Meg Jennings and her K-9 unit are being sent to Georgia to track the killer of a sergeant in the Georgia State Patrol. Flying out of D.C. and driving to the crime scene they are hours late and the trail is cold. The victim was killed with an arrow and unfortunately this is not the first death. The FBI is dealing with a serial killer that has serious archery skills. After there are more victims, the K-9 unit is moved closer to the area of interest - near the borders of Georgia and Tennessee. The motive appears to be centered on move by the TVA to build a new dam; doing so would displace landowners that have been on the property for generations.

I really enjoyed this book. The author provides a depth of knowledge on the motive's of the killer that indicates through research. Unlike last years "No Man's Land", most of the tracking is done through forest and mountain terrain. There are encounters with wildlife that are nerve racking and scary. As always the supporting characters like Todd, Meg's firefighter boyfriend and McCord, the Washington Post investigative reporter provide their expertise and valuable insight. The bond between Meg and her K-9 partner, Hawk was some of the best parts of the book. I look forward to the next K-9 novel in 2022.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.

New book in the Meg Jennings FBI K9 series. I had not read priors but will be going back now to read them. I totally enjoyed this story well done and believable situations.I received an advance copy of this book via Net Galley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Sara Driscoll's fifth book in her F.B.I. K-9 series, Leave No Trace, is a blockbuster. Lead character Meg Jennings of the FBI Canine Unit and her partner black Labrador Retriever Hawk face many perils as they and their team members must find a serial killer. As I was reading I started to believe that Meg must have been a cat in a previous life as she defied death numerous times in this story. I liked how determined Meg and Hawk, as well as team member Brian Foster and his K-9 partner Lacey were to track down the killer. This was a really tough case for them. There's lots of action and suspense in this story to keep readers turning the pages until the end.