Sick as a Dog
Tracy Carter
BookBaby (2025)
ISBN: 979-8350999976
Reviewed by Kathy Stickles for Reader Views (05/2025)
I need to start with just a personal observation… I Love These Books!! Tracy Carter has created an incredible set of characters, both human and animal, with these stories, and every single book so far in the series has been superb. If you are a fan of animals, excellent mysteries, well-developed characters, or simply looking for an exciting read, then Sick as a Dog is definitely the book for you.
Veronica Kildare and her amazing search and rescue dog, Leda, are back in book 3 of the Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery series and, since Veronica’s life can never just be simple, she is pulled into a new mystery involving the strange deaths of fish and other wildlife that are happening in the woods around her in Colorado. Kimana, an investigative reporter and close friend of Veronica’s, is delving into these strange happenings and wants to find out what is really going on. As the two, along with Veronica’s father, are out in the woods looking around, Leda finds a dead body, and things take off from there.
The group, along with many old friends from the previous books, attempts to figure out the identity of the victim and the cause of her death. They begin to discover that there is a lot more going on than a person or group simply dumping something in the rivers and woods that is killing off the wildlife. These criminals appear to be involved in something much more dangerous and deadly that will have an impact not only on Colorado but on the entire nation and beyond. Of course, while all of this is happening, we are still treated to Veronica and Leda going out on searches for lost hikers and watching her train new service dogs along the way for various types of jobs.
Sick as a Dog is fun and exciting from the very first page to the last, mostly because there is so much going on and the reader will feel involved in every part of it… from the mystery to the life of each character to the lives of all of the various dogs. Tracy Carter has an excellent writing style that really brings the characters to life, and the reader will end up feeling they could be friends with each of them.
Veronica is a very strong and well-developed main character who still has her moments of anxiety from previous dangerous situations and tragedies. You can read about those events in the first two books of the series to fully understand, but she keeps going day after day and never gives up. Her father is an excellent character who goes out of his way to help his daughter in every facet of her life, from dog training to solving crimes, to simply cooking dinner for this extended family and listening to what is going on in their lives.
In addition, if you are an animal lover, the personalities of each of the dogs are really brought to life on these pages, and I find that very impressive. Not only can the reader care about each human character and understand them, but you will feel exactly the same about each dog.
On a side note, while each book in the series can certainly be read on its own, I would recommend reading them in order. I think that, as a reader, you will be doing yourself a huge disservice not to come to know each of these characters completely and who they are. I have no doubt that each one will continue to grow throughout the series, and it is going to be so much fun to watch.
I cannot recommend Sick as a Dog enough to everyone out there. I am very excited to see from the ending of this novel that there will definitely be a fourth book in the series. There is simply no way around it, thank goodness! This series is definitely a winner, and I hope that Ms. Carter continues for a very long time sharing the adventures of Veronica, Leda, and all of their friends and family. 5 Stars!!!