Dog in the Manger: An Eli Paxton Mystery

Originally published in 1995, this appealing first in a light crime series from SF author Resnick (Resnick’s Menagerie) introduces hapless Cincinnati PI Eli Paxton. Desperate for work, Eli agrees to track down Baroness, a Weimaraner who won Best in Show at Westminster four months earlier and was recently shipped from Cincinnati to her owner in Arizona, but never arrived. The kennel girl involved in the shipping ends up dead, as do others. Trying to find Baroness leads Eli into a Mexican drug operation at peril to his own life. A breeder himself, Resnick brings firsthand knowledge of show dogs and irrepressible enthusiasm to this tough guy tale along with plenty of Cincinnati local color. The volume concludes with an amusing short story, “Even Butterflies Can Sting,” in which Marlowe, the Westie Eli acquires at the end of his adventures, plays a part. Agent: Spectrum Literary. (Nov.)