Gathering Mist is the 9th in the Timber Creek K-9 series and it continues to just be such an interesting series. I love that the books fully incorporate how tracking dogs work. This time, the focus is on air tracking when the 9 year old son of an actress wanders off of a movie set. Set in the Pacific Northwest, it’s a very different climate and setting from Colorado. Mizushima does a great job of giving the reader a real sense of the locale. I felt cold just reading about the constant rain, fog and wind.
I adore the relationship between Maddie and Robo. They are proof that these working dogs can definitely be treated like loved ones, including sleeping together and lots of kisses.
There’s the perfect amount of personal life included as Maddie’s and Cole’s wedding fast approaches and his mother is less than enthusiastic.
This is a strong addition to the series and I can’t wait to see where it goes next. This would work fine as a standalone.
A warning - if you can help it, don’t read the blurb. Why do publishers feel the need to give away so many plot points in the blurb?
My thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance copy of this book.

Deputy Mattie Wray (formerly Cobb) and her K-9 partner, Robo, are called to Washington state for a search and rescue operation. The son of a movie star has disappeared from the movie set into the deep, dark and wet Pacific Northwest forests, a week before her wedding is set to take place. Unfriendly locals lead Mattie to suspect there is more than a simple disappearance happening. When the SAR dogs start getting sick and then members of the team also get sick, Mattie calls her fiancee, Cole Walker, to come north from Colorado to help the dogs and the rescue effort. Another boy went missing a year ago, and the team discovers graves in the middle of the forest. Can Mattie, Cole and Robo find the missing boy before it is too late. I enjoy this series a lot, the characters are engaging and the books are well written. Recommended for anyone who enjoys tales of dog derring-do.

I went into this with a bit of trepidation. Firstly, it's not the sort of thing I usually read, I find that some dog handlers have very odd (brutal) ideas about dog handling. Also, I was a bit worried about the idea that one of the dogs is poisoned - does he/she die? Suffer? Is it more than one dog? (She doesn't die, she does suffer but it's not described in great graphic detail, and there are no other dogs poisoned. There are a few deer and a raccoon that do die, very sad).

Having said all that, I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed it. The characters are believable, relatable and well-fleshed out. Mattie and Cole are lovely, the girls are great, Cole's housekeeper is a gem, and Sarge, Stella, Piper et al are all guys you want on your side. The movie star and her husband were a bit iffy but I suspect that was intentional - in real life iffy would be a kind description of a flimsy, shallow mother and absent father.

The real stars of the show, however, are the dogs, Robo especially, but Banjo comes a close second. I gained a fair amount of interesting knowledge about dog training, and I loved the interaction between the dog and their person. There are very few people who would have your back like these dogs do, they are awesome, in every sense of the word. Brave, joyous, loyal, full of love and devotion, the descriptions of them are so evocative they come to life. I have to make special mention of Banjo, the cadaver dog, with his sad mournful eyes and lumbering gait reminded me of a wise old gent with his pipe and slippers in his well-stocked antiquarian library. Robo is everything you want in a friend, a side-kick, a partner - it's like having your very own Justin to have your back (Justin is from The Secret of Nimh, and if you know you know).

The description of the landscape and area is also spot-on, slightly eerie, breathtakingly beautiful and dangerously secluded, you get a distinct feel for the difficulty that the team faced in finding the lost child. I also didn't clock the bad guy, although I did have a few other suspicions (ah, red herrings, ye old knaves!). I was delighted to discover this is part of a series (number 9 nogal, how it escaped my attention I'm not sure, but will be remedying that asap).

The 9th installment of the Timber Creek K-9 series just may be one of my favorites! I love the time I've spent with Mattie and Robo and their big extended family. I love the way that Mizushima sets her scenes - I can often feel the rocks beneath my feet or the twigs brushing through my hair. She does a fantastic job of putting me on the trail with Mattie and Robo, and it's clear that she has done her research on Search and Rescue (SAR) protocols.

In my opinion, this series is best read in order, so be sure to start at the beginning with Killing Trail. This installment has the same sense of adventure, imminent danger, and found family that I've come to expect from this series. My whole heart belongs to Robo and I have loved watching Mattie's evolution as a richly drawn character.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley, and Margaret Mizushima for taking me back out onto the trail with you in exchange for my honest review. Until next time!

Always a pleasure to read this series. Deputy Mattie Wray (also known as Mattie Cob) and, her K9 partner, Robo are called to a movie set to search for the missing child of the main actor.
She joins a whole team of SAR dogs to search an unfriendly forest, locals who are wanting to stay off grid, … the child wander or was it kidnap? As the days go on Mattie quickly settles on kidnapping. When SAR dogs are getting ill, her soon to be husband/veterinarian joins the search team.

Mizushima knows what she’s writing about, be it a search and rescue operation or the life of a large animal vet. Carrying flagging tape, moistening a k-9’s mouth for better scent intake and details of vegetation and terrain all add to the immediacy of the story. I thought I knew where the story was going but a twist caught me out. I enjoyed the look into Cole’s background and the continuing evolution of his and Mattie’s relationship. I also appreciated that a mutual aid pact took Mattie and Robo to Washington on their SAR mission. Although the 9th in the series this can be read alone. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

A decently well written and executed book that’s good for anyone with an interest in mysteries. It was tough to get into but once you did you were in.

I’ve been so excited to finally get around to reading this newest installment from one of my fave detective duos, Maddie and Robo. This one takes place a few days before Maddie and Cole’s wedding. The book summary pretty much lays out the primary storyline of Maddie and Robo being called out to help find the missing child, River, of an actress who is filming a movie. It is believed that the child wandered off the set – again (he has a habit of doing this). However, from the get-go, Maddie suspects that the mom knows more than what she’s saying and her behavior and emotions don’t ring true to Maddie.

What the book summary doesn’t mention is that in the past few years, two other kids had also gone missing in the area. It's not long before a dog is poisoned and it’s this event that brings Cole out to WA to assist in finding out that a local creek, where the dog drank from, is laced with high levels of arsenic. Most of the story revolves around the search for River along with talking to a smattering of people who live in this very remote wilderness.

The first half was mostly spent on setting the plot up that was interesting, engaging and even a little scary in a few parts. This had me staying up way past my bedtime on a work night and using the “just one more chapter” chant because I was simply just too engrossed to go to sleep. In the second half, after the discovery of some disturbing findings, the search for River amped up considerably and the story became so much more intense. The ending was scary and very intense for Maddie and Robo and a bit of a shocker of who the villain was; didn't see that one coming. However, the very last chapter was absolutely wonderful!!! A huge tear-jerker for me because I absolutely adore these characters and this series. I look forward to the next installment.

I love search and rescue (SAR) stories with amazing dogs and their handlers. They add so much to the crime thrillers and murder mysteries that I love so much. The continuing character development of Maddie and Cole and the girls, Angie and Sophie, is so nice to see, especially now that they are all going to live together very soon. The additional character development of Cole’s parents seems interesting and is sure to add some drama to future installments. The storyline and pacing were interesting and steady to intense respectively. The writing was wonderful and so indicative of Mizushima’s style and expertise, and, of course, that ending! For me, a great ending is an essential part of an author’s writing style. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.5 that I will be rounding up to a 5star read.

I want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #CrookedLaneBooks #GatheringMist

Auto Buy Author! I have enjoyed this series from Book 1. Each book we see the character development. Mattie has had a challenging past and watching her grow along with K9 Robo who is trained in SAR and so much more has been entertaining, informative and always provides a twisty thrilling mystery. Gathering Mist is no different. You are gaining knowledge on K9, SAR, while your being entertained. Just one week before her wedding to Cole (Vet) and Mattie struggles with the decision to go, knowing in her heart that people in need come first. We feel the mist, the darkness, the rain as Mattie and the rest search for the boy. There are twists, red herrings and a shocking ending, as in shocked with who the perp is. Though it did cross my mind fleetingly and then I went nah. The epilogue was emotional and beautiful. I really do not want that to signal an end to this series, I have not heard one way or the other. If there is a new series to come I will read it! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read early. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #GatheringMist #TimberCreek #MargaretMizushima #CrookedLaneBooks #NetGalley

Mattie and her K9 Robo are called to the Oregon wilderness by her K9 trainer Sarge when a young boy goes missing. Despite it being a week before her wedding, she can't resist since the boy is the same age as Sophie, her to be step daughter. Mattie and Robo, Sarge and his K9 Banjo, along with Drake and his K9 Fritz arrive and find the rainy and muddy conditions worse than expected. Worried for the young boy, they push themselves to the limits to search the woods. Once a K9 seizures with the possibility of poisoning, Cole, a veterinarian and Mattie's fiance, decides to go there to help. Once there and with no results to show, the team begins to wonder if this is a stunt put on by the mother or if there is something more sinister at work. It becomes a race to find clues and when things take a dark turn, the number of suspects is expanded. The twists and turns of this story have you reading as quick as possible to find out what is going to happen next.

The last chapter has the ending that has been coming for this series as well as ending on a high note which is nice after all the turmoil during their time in the mists of the Oregon woods.

Mattie is getting married in less than a week, but she agrees to travel from Colorado with Robo to help search for a missing child in Washington State. The child's mom is a well-known actress, and some wonder if she has staged her son's disappearance as a publicity stunt. He wasn't alone for very long, but his nanny and bodyguards were, unfortunately, not around at the right time. The search area is very challenging-- Robo and the other search dogs haven't found much, but then there is a breakthrough, and the horrifying truth comes to light. Revisiting these characters is always a pleasure, and the author has obviously done research on search and rescue dogs, so the books are always enlightening and well-written. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Mattie Wray and Robo are summoned to Washington's Olympic peninsula to search for an aactress's missing
child. When Matttie meets the actress and observes her behavior, she wonders if it's all a publicity stunt.
Heavy rain and the dense forest makes tracking difficult. Deer and other creatures found poisoned in the forest
require identification of the source. Interactions with residents in the area provide Mattie with necessary information to continue the search. Robo's ability to catch scents in the air are vital to finding the boy. Will the boy be found in time for Mattie to return home for her wedding?
Another exciting read in the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries.
#GatheringMist #CrookedLaneBooks #NetGalley

In Gathering Mist, Mattie is just a week away from her wedding to Cole. Then a call comes in from Washington state. A young boy (an actress’s son) has gone missing and they want some of the Denver SAR team, including Mattie and Robo, to come out immediately to join the hunt.
Mattie is used to the drier Colorado area for search and rescue, so the very wet Pacific Northwest is quite a change. I love the descriptions of the forests and weather and the chilling effect of that damp weather! Having grown up in the Northwest, the descriptions were great and very evocative of the area.
In addition to the envir0nment, the description of the use of the search and rescue dogs is fascinating. The mystery was well-done and it all winds up with Mattie and Cole’s wedding. This was a terrific story and if you haven’t read the whole series, do yourself a favor and get started! I feel this could still be read as a stand-alone.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

In the ninth installment of Margaret Mizushima’s Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series, we find Mattie and her partner, Robo, flying to Washington state to help in the search of a 9-year old boy. It is only a week before her wedding to Cole but she couldn’t resist the need of a missing child. When one of the Search and Rescue dogs has a seizure, Cole flies out to join Mattie and the crew to help keep the dogs safe. This is an excellent suspenseful mystery with all the twists and turns that kept me guessing to the end. Add in the difficult weather conditions and thick forest vegetation, this book was hard to put down! Although each book can be read as a stand alone, I appreciate the character development that comes along with each subsequent story. I highly recommend this book and the entire series!

Mattie Cobb and her brilliant SAR dog, Robo, are summoned to Washington’s Olympic peninsula for an urgent search and rescue mission to find a celebrity’s missing child. It's only a week until Mattie and Cole's wedding, but leave Timber Creek she must!

The descriptions and the setting are beautifully developed, and the mystery was so intense that I didn't want to put Gathering Mist down!!

Read. This. Book. I highly recommend it!! Hands down, it's my favorite of the series!!

Many thanks to both #CrookedLaneBooks and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Gathering Mist. This book is #9 in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series, with the expected publication date of October 8, 2024.

#SAR #MargaretMizushima

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review "Gathering Mist".
This is the 9th book in the "Timber Creek K-9 Mystery" series by Margaret Mizushima, which all feature Detective Mattie Wray and her K-9 SAR (Search And Rescue) dog, Robo.
It's just days before Mattie and her fiancé Cole Walker's marriage is to take place, and everyone is busily preparing for the big day; but duty calls, and Mattie and Robo are whisked away to Washington state to join the search for a missing child.
River Allen is the son of actress Chrystal Winters (great name, by the way) and he's been on location with her as she's shooting her latest film in the wilds of Washington state; but surrounded by bodyguards and his long-time nanny, so what could possibly go wrong? Everything. Events have conspired to leave young River alone in the trailer for a short time, during which he seems to have wandered away.
With the child all alone in the forest, searchers and law enforcement know that time is of the essence, so everyone within range who can assist is called in. It's definitely a daunting task, with so many miles of impenetrable forest to comb through. Coupled with this is the fact that more than one child has gone missing in the vicinity in past years - and has never been found.
When one of the search dogs is taken grievously ill, suspicion begins to grow that something else may be going on.
A series of discoveries begin to point the detectives and searchers in the direction of a possible abduction rather than just a random disappearance, and the search ramps up into high gear. Mattie and Robo are at the forefront of the search, along with Sarge and his bloodhound. Together, they follow the clues that begin to pile up until they lead them to more than one terrible discovery.
Why, exactly, did River Allen disappear? And can he be found safe and healthy? Mattie certainly hopes so, and with the addition of her veterinarian beau on the scene, she vows not to stop until the end; and then they will return home to take their vows.
Certainly be read as a standalone as there is sufficient backstory, but the series is well worth the time - you'll come to love the canine stars of the books, as well as their people. Highly recommended.

Mattie and Robo head to Washington state to help locate a missing child right before her wedding. Did he wander off, was it a publicity stunt or was it something much worse? Awesome series.
Goodreads

Margaret Mizushima's Gathering Mist (Crooked Lane Books 2024), Book 9 in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series, is as good as you'd expect. A trained police dog Deputy, a search-and-rescue dog, a missing child, the rugged Pacific Northwest terrain, and a clock on finding the child--who needs more drama, appealing characters, or challenging setting? Deputy Mattie Wray and her K-9 partner, Robo, are called in as part of a K-9 search and rescue to find a missing child. It's only a week before her wedding, but in true Mattie fashion, everything is second to finding the child. From the beginning Mattie is suspicious of the famous actress mother, but as the search progresses, more than just questionable answers worry Mattie. When one of the SAR dogs becomes ill, Mattie's fiancée and skilled vet, Cole Walker, is called in to help determine what made the dog sick and is anyone else in danger. In the end, as always, it is up to Mattie’s cop instinct and Robo's superior nose to unravel who the good and bad guys are and where the child is hidden.

This series is always interesting with a heavy focus on not just Robo but the workings of SAR dogs and the community. If you like this sort of story, you'll need to read this.

What an enthralling story. I was hooked. The rush I felt for them to solve the case so that Mattie and Cole could get married! The twists and turns of suspects and the worry I felt for a fictional child was immense. So well written.

Ooh, this newest book was so good I read it in one day (I stayed up into the wee hours to do so)! Maddie and her SAR/drug dog Robo are asked to go to the Pacific NW to aide in the search for a missing child but much more is in store for the searchers than they anticipate and litgle isnwhat it seems. Although this is a continuation of the series, the author is very good about including why the deputy SAR dog handlers do the things they do, including how they handle their canine partners (it's very informative information), which just adds another dimension to the story. She also continues the character development/relationships in a way that makes you think of these characters as real people and makes you wish the final situation wasn't real.