Standing Dead by Margaret Mizushima starts out slowly but rapidly gains traction. The author is a skillful writer and the suspense keeps building and building. Now I just have to wait to see where she takes Matty and Robo next.

"Standing Dead" is a K9-detective mystery. It's the 8th in a series. You can understand this book without reading the previous ones, and this book didn't spoil the previous mysteries.

The main characters were likable and complex, and they acted realistically to events. I cared about what happened to them. They dealt with personal struggles while solving the mystery. Mattie and Robo (her loyal and talented working dog), Cole (the veterinarian who loves her), and the rest of the sheriff’s department worked to solve the crimes. It was fun to see them all working together as a solid team. This was a clue-based mystery. It also had a lot of suspense due to the danger to the good guys, especially Mattie's family.

The crime scenes were not described in gory detail. There were no sex scenes. The were a couple of uses of bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this interesting and exciting novel.

Margaret Mizushima is a master story teller with a series of mysteries, each of which weaves seamlessly into the ongoing plot involving Mattie Cobb, Robo, her K-9 helper, and her fiance, the veterinarian Cole Walker. Mizushima is a gifted writer whose endearing characters; compelling, complicated, and fast-moving plot; and sterling descriptions and settings create books that are impossible to put down. I can't, honestly, think of any mystery writer today who can compete with Mizushima's skill and imagination, and who can so thoroughly and deftly draw the reader into the world of the Colorado west. Quite simply, Mizushima's books are brilliant, and I will try to be patient while eagerly waiting for the next one.

Thank you to Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read Mizushima's books.

A great continuation I’m for the Timber Creek Series! I enjoyed following Mattie as she uncovers more information about her family’s past while continuing to grow her relationship with Cole and his kiddos. An easy, keep you on your toes read!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy!

A continuance of the story of Deputy Mattie Cobb by the inimitable Margaret Mizushima. I love this series about Mattie Cobb and her K-9 companion and her Veternarian boyfriend with two young daughters. In this one more of the mystery surrounding her mother is solved. I'm anxious to get Mattie and her Vet married and keeping house but it seems she keeps have more mysteries to solve. Fun series!

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my own honest opinion.

The newest installment to the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery is a pulse pounding ride with Mattie Wray formerly Mattie Cobb. Previously Mattie had learned about the murder of her father and located her mother who had been in hiding because she was afraid for her own life even years later.
Now Mattie has learned that her mother is missing and the body count in Mattie's backyard is growing with people she has or had a connection with.
How does all this tie together and where is her mom?
Cryptic notes begin to appear warning Mattie what is coming and what she is expected to do.
In the mean time her sister goes missing as well and now Mattie is going to do whatever it takes to get her family back.
This is the best book in the series so far and the action is non stop.
I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series.

Thank you #NetGalley #CrookedLaneBooks for this ARC

Deputy Mattie Cobb and her sister Julia travel to Mexico to inform their mother of the death of a man who had a role in their father's death. Upon arrival, they discover that their mother and stepfather have taken off, destination unknown, When Mattie returns home, she finds a note telling her to look for him in a certain location. When she goes there with her K-9 Robo, she discovers her dead stepfather tied to a tree with a note in his pocket stating that the person responsible has her mother. As she and the sheriff's department investigate the death and her father's cold case with the help of the FBI, more cryptic notes appear - family and friends are all in the sights of the killer. Will Mattie be able to save not only her mother but also her kidnapped sister before someone else dies? An intense page turning read.
#StandingDead #NetGalley

A satisfying episode in the Timber Creek series. Mattie has begun using her birth name and building connections with her sister and abuela while pushing to have the cold case of her father's murder reopened. When her mother and then her sister go missing, and taunting notes addressed to Mattie appear, she knows its her last chance to uncover the mystery of her father's death and her abduction. It's great to see how far Mattie has come in this series, learning how to trust and love.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for access to a digital arc on NetGalley.

This is an intense and gripping page-turner! I love these characters and the relationships between them. This book concentrates on the mystery surrounding Mattie, her late father, her mother and sister. It’s suspenseful and action packed, and hard to put down! As usual, the talents of the K-9 Robo continue to amaze and intrigue me. A definite must read!

A wee bit slow in places but this had me hooked. The plot, the characters, the writing style were all amazing. I hadn't read any of the series previously and still loved this one. I can't wait to go back and read the entire series now. I'm hooked and can't wait to read more about the characters

Mattie and her K9 partner Robo work with the sheriff's department in Colorado. This case is personal. When Mattie was a child, her father was murdered and she eventually went into foster care. Now the people involved in her father's death all those years ago are after not only Mattie, but also her family and friends. Murder, cryptic notes, and kidnapping are part of the plan, and it all leads to the exciting conclusion, when Mattie must confront the perpetrators to save what is left of her family. Recommended for anyone who enjoys thrillers, especially dog lovers. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The eighth entry in Mizushima’s Timber Creek K-9 series picks up where Striking Range (2021) left off. Mattie and her sister Julia travel to Mexico, planning to convince their mother it is now safe to tell what she saw the night their father was killed. Instead, they find Ramona and her second husband have left without any trace. Mattie returns to Timber Creek and finds a menacing note “from a friend of your father’s” on her door. The sheriff sends a search team to the mountain hunting camp base, and Robo, Mattie’s K-9 partner, finds a familiar-looking dead man whose pocket contains a note warning Mattie’s mother is in “bad shape.” Mattie, Robo and the Timber Creek sheriff’s department are in a race to find her family and stop the killer before time runs out.

Mizushima keeps the tension high while providing satisfying insight into the workings of a K-9 team. I also enjoy the veterinary aspects brought by Cole, Mattie’s fiancé, and how Mizushima ties them into the plot. The Timber Creek series is best read from the first book to enjoy the character development and long-term plot thread of Mattie’s history.

This is a great read for fans of Sara Driscoll, Donna Ball (Raine Stockton) and Paula Meunier. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC; all opinions expressed are my own.

Really love this series from Margaret. Mattie and Robo make such a great team and I am looking forward to more books in the series.📖📖📖

This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, and some good police ! The storyline was interesting and flowed nicely! It was definitely a decent read and worth reading but it was just ok for me?! I would recommend reading this book as its worth reading, Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. The characters are likable and come alive n the pages. The setting adds to the story. What will happen next? Will the protagonist save her mother? Is she still alive? What did she disappear? Can the man they found dead hold the clues they need. The story is slow at times, but the author is gifted in the details.

Let me start by saying that I am a fan of the Timber Creek series of which this book is the latest installation. A detective, Mattie Cobb and her dog Robo, are just what I enjoy - as a mystery and dog lover.

Standing Dead find Mattie and her sister going to visit their mother who has disappeared without a trace. A mysterious note at her doorstep telling her to to find a mysterious "him" launches search in which Robo finds a dead man tied to a tree. He is familiar to Mattie.

The next note states that her mother is in extreme danger. It is up to Mattie and Robo to find her mother before it is too late.

Timber Creek is set in the mountains of the Colorado Rockies and enhance the story with it's descriptions of this beautiful backdrop. Mizushima writes in a straight line and knows how to engage a reader from page one. She is not following a script for how to write a mystery and each book is fresh.