April Online Book Club: Arsenic and Young Lacy by Kassandra Lamb & Clang! by Darcy Pattison

Arsenic and Young Lacy by Kassandra Lamb

Our German Wirehair Pointer hunting dog does his job based on instinct. Watching Duke’s body freeze in place when he spots his prey, then inch slowly closer until he’s in full point is fascinating. He’s been through training to learn basic commands and how to move with my husband while they’re hunting, but most of it is just natural.  

But tell him to stop barking at passing pedestrians, or not to frighten the Amazon delivery person who visits our house more often than our closest family members, and the only response we get is a blank stare and a long tongue hanging out his mouth in a dopey grin.

Which is probably why I enjoy reading books about professionally trained service dogs who rescue victims of natural disasters or assist people with disabilities. In the case of Kassandra Lamb’s Arsenic and Young Lacy, book two of the Marcia Banks and Buddy Mystery Series, the dogs comfort and protect US military vets who suffer from PTSD. Lacy is assigned to an army nurse who experienced a sexual assault during deployment to Afghanistan, but her past isn’t the nurse’s only problem. She’s currently being stalked by someone intent on scaring her and anyone who gets close to her with increasingly creepy methods. 

Marcia teams up with small town Sheriff Will Haines to solve the mystery and complete Lacy’s training phase of her job so she can get paid. If only it were that simple, right? There’s a budding romance between Marcia and the sheriff but their jobs and life keep getting in the way. It’s a solid mystery with lots of suspects and danger that will keep you guessing until the end. 

One thing I liked about the series is the focus on the actual training process between Marcia and the dogs. I hadn’t really considered how many hours of repetition are needed until the dog knows each new skill. (Maybe that’s why our efforts have failed…) Marcia develops a relationship with each dog and its owner, to the point where she gets emotional when it’s time to turn the dog over.

Looking back at last month, I realized we’ve had two months of dog-themed books! Whoops, I didn’t do that on purpose, but sometimes I just get into a habit of reading similar books in a row. Our real life book club sometimes gets stuck in a World War II phase, or we’ll read three books that have cancer in a row. Then we have to purposely choose a different path the next time. I promise next month: no more dog books. Probably.

This series has 11 books total and you might notice the titles are all puns from classic book and movie titles. In the first book, To Kill a Labrador, a service dog’s owner is accused of murdering his wife, which pulls Marcia into the investigation to clear his name. The author assures readers that NO CANINES were harmed in the making of any of the books. She just does the titles for fun. The first book is free so you can decide whether you like the series, and the rest are available anywhere you buy books. They are also available in audiobook Check them out!

Children’s Book Recommendation

Clang! by Darcy Pattison

Here’s a fun series about important Moments in Science for children ages 8-12. Each book spotlights a different scientist and tells the reader about a pivotal moment in their life that impacted their scientific success. Clang! is about the man who first conducted sound experiments in Europe in the early 1800s. Fully illustrated with wonderful whimsical images, the book is engaging and informative. 

Other titles in the Moments in Science Series include:

• Burn: Michael Faraday’s Candle
• POLLEN: Darwin’s 130-Year Prediction
• Eclipse: How the 1919 Solar Eclipse Proved Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity
• Erosion: How Hugh Bennett Saved America’s Soil and Ended the Dust Bowl
• A.I.: How Patterns Helped Artificial Intelligence Defeat World Champion Lee Sedol
• FEVER: How Tu Youyou Adapted Traditional Chinese Medicine to Find a Cure for Malaria

Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 15 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children’s books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.

Parents, kids, and teachers love the children’s books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through fun, engaging stories. And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have ever lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project coming together the night before it’s due.

A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.