Book Review Away to Me –>
While getting through 4 straight days without electricity, internet, cell phone service, and running water due to a massive wind storm, I felt thankful that I’d already bought and downloaded Patricia McConnell’s first-ever murder mystery novel — Away to Me — for my Kindle. Grateful too that my Kindle was 90% charged when the power went out last Thursday. You probably know McConnell from her longtime work as an animal behaviorist and author of many nonfiction books.
Murder Mystery Book Reviews Are Tough
It’s tough to review a murder mystery novel without giving away too much. Here’s what I feel like I can say to give you a preview of the world the book inhabits.
- The (first) murder happens just a few pages into the first chapter.
- The main character, Maddie, is an animal behaviorist in a small-ish town.
- She owns a small farm with sheep, ducks, an Old Horse, some cats, and a few dogs, including a border collie (Jack) and a livestock guardian dog.
- Maddie’s life includes a somewhat secret and traumatic backstory.
- In addition to fun tidbits for dog lovers like us, Away to Me includes insights into training dogs to herd sheep and to be useful in law enforcement.
- There is a little romance and sex in the story.
- I felt a strong feminist streak and chosen family kinship in the book.
Page Turner for Sure
I tend to binge read books. Good books, that is. I can say for sure that Away to Me is a major page-turner. Granted, I felt super stuck — dealing with the lengthy power outage and trying to keep everyone warm, fed, and watered. You should have seen me hauling water in buckets (sometimes up 2 full flights of stairs) and cooking on top of a wood stove like freaking Laura Ingalls! Still, Away to Me provided the entertainment and distraction I needed from real life (both global and personal).
Enjoy these few quotes from the book that struck me and/or made me laugh.
“Family dogs” is what we call them in the behavior business, or “companion animals.” Something about the word “pet” feels like it diminishes them and what we do.
I stared at him for so long that he turned his face and looked at me. As he did, I felt a familiar tightening in my gut. His eyes were flint. “Hard eye” is what we call it in the dog world, when a dog’s eyes go still and flat.
I think I ate most of the cheese plate by myself; people who can’t eat when they are stressed are aliens to me.
Mystery Novels Didn’t Used to Be My Thing
For a long time, I didn’t get the draw of mystery novels. Not sure why. Then several years ago, it all made sense, so I read a lot more books like this these days. When I mentioned it to another author friend a couple years ago, she chuckled that it took me so long to catch the mystery bug. Here’s a link to my review of my pal’s historical fiction novel from 2012. I do read quite a bit of historical fiction too.
I had planned on reviewing Away to Me anyway, so I guess we can thank the wind storm and long power outage for giving me something to write about this week.
Insider’s note: Years ago, I wrote an asked if she’s read and write a supportive blurb for my book — Heart Dog: Surviving the Loss of Your Canine Soul Mate. Alas, her team wrote back that she didn’t have time to do it. I asked a lot of people in the dog space. Most of them turned me down. Totally normal for a nobody like me.