'Twas The Bite Before Christmas (©2005)

by Lee Charles Kelley

Maine kennel owner and ex-cop Jack Field was hoping to spend a quiet evening in front of the fire with his canine pals and his smart and sexy ladylove, state medical examiner Dr. Jamie Cutter. But his plans go up in smoke when a young housemaid is found murdered in the Bright mansion a few nights before Santa's big day.
      Jack quickly determines that there are three main suspects -- a convicted killer, a chauffeur with a shady past, and a mysterious con-man professor. Add to the poisonous eggnog Daisy, a kidnapped Dalmatian puppy; Max and Fritz, two superbly trained Doberman pinschers; and a vengeful Russian mob boss, and it's no Christmas miracle that Jack, Jamie, and their canine cronies are sniffing around something that could very well come back to bite them or, even worse, take them on a doggone Christmas slay ride!     (366 pages)