fuonlyknew

I’ve read several books in the Mac Faraday Mystery series and was so excited after reading the synopsis for this newest one.

Gnarly, Mac Faraday’s german shepherd and my favorite four-legged friend, is running for Mayor of Spencer. Most folks in town don’t care for either of the candidates running on the ballot. Sound familiar? They jump on board to vote Gnarly in. Of course, the other nominees aren’t taking this lying down, and they dig for the dirt. I don’t think they’ll find anything. After all, Gnarly is man’s best friend. Well, except for the thing about the disappearing food. His partner in crime, Storm, knows all about that, and she’s not talking.

What started as a lark snowballs, and the fun begins. Can you imagine Gnarly debating the other candidates? How about kissing babies and shaking hands? Gnarly is on the campaign fast track. I wonder if his four-legged companions will be allowed to vote.

In between all of the crazy political scheming, the gang is working a cold case. Secrets are uncovered and the town of Spencer might not survive the fallout.

I love that Lauren’s characters are all animal lovers and their pets go wherever they go. And they are just as individual in personality as the humans. It’s a load of laughs to see what they get into.

When an author can spin a good mystery and keep me in stitches at the same time, it’s all good. I loved this book and it’s now one of my favorites in the series.

GUEST POST by Lauren Carr

You Nominate a Dog as a Joke. Then He Wins.

I have started a lot of books with a joke that was only supposed to last a page.

In Candidate for Murder, the joke is an election. Spencer, Maryland, is being offered two mayoral candidates who could not sell water at the lake. Police Chief David O’Callaghan, who is Mac Faraday’s half-brother and occasionally his common sense, decides the town should see what it is being handed. He nominates Gnarly.

Gnarly is a German shepherd. He has been thrown out of the Army. He has opinions about sandwiches, wedding rings, and furniture. He does not have a platform. David does not think he needs one. The point is the insult.

Spencer misses the point.

Overnight the dog is the front-runner. Someone prints signs. Someone writes ads. A campaign manager appears, which is how you know a bit has escaped the outline and is now paying rent. The human candidates, who were happy to sneer at a stunt, stop sneering when the poll numbers move. If you are behind, you dig up dirt. If the front-runner is a dog, the dirt is whatever you can find in a military file.

That is where the book stops being a comedy sketch. The opposition does not only want Gnarly embarrassed. Somebody wants a body in the race. Mac is not even supposed to be running this circus. He comes home to a town that has elected itself a problem, and a rumor that his dog killed the soldier who handled him.

I did not outline “dog for mayor” as a thirteen-chapter bit. I outlined a fed-up police chief and a bad ballot. The rest is what happens when a small town is funnier, and meaner, than the author.

If you have met Gnarly before, you already know he will not apologize. If you have not, you can start here. The race is on the front page. The murder is not a civics lesson. Bring a pencil if you like guessing. Leave it in the drawer if you came for the dog. He does not share.