Wednesday 29 August 2018

Review: A Healing Justice by Kristin von Kreisler


Two years ago, police officer Andrea Brady fell madly in love with a black-muzzled, slightly rumpled German shepherd who showed up at her house one misty autumn day. Now, with the brave and intuitive Justice as her expert K-9 drug sniffer, she's found an unbeatable partner. Then the unthinkable happens. A savage attack leaves a teenager dead and Andie trapped in every cop's worst nightmare. Placed on administrative leave, she's pursued by media and investigated by a deputy sheriff whose handling of the high-profile case could earn him a coveted promotion.

Haunted by self-doubt, Andie is in danger of losing everything--her career, her freedom, and the critically injured dog who's her soul mate. But as she finds kind allies in her Puget Sound island community, the road back becomes a journey of healing for both Andie and her canine companion. And Andie learns important lessons about justice--and about Justice--as she struggles to find the courage to forgive herself and reclaim the gift of her life . . .

Paperback, 256 pages
Expected publication: September 25th 2018 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Terri's Thoughts

**I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I am a sucker for any book that involves dogs.  I am a huge dog lover and I am blessed to have an adorable, lovable, beautiful and slightly sassy golden retriever in my household.  It was clear that von Kreisler is as well.  This story was filled with as many as I like to term it "dog voice overs" as my household is and I could certainly appreciate it.  While German Shepherds are not necessarily my favorite breed, I can still recognize them as loyal companions.

I am not going to dig in to the plot as I feel the book description does a good job doing so.  This story is essentially about love, forgiveness and loyalty.  It didn't go unnoticed that these are also traits of a canine companion.  The reader sees Andie experience a traumatic incident in which there is a death and then all of the subsequent events and emotions that follow in the aftermath.  Let me tell you I may have shrieked a little (lot) when Justice was injured as well.

I can't really put my finger on what it is that really made me enjoy this story.  Yes there is my love of dogs, but there was something else.  It may have been how the story flowed, or how the romantic aspect was a backstory as opposed to the focal point or it may just have been von Kreisler's writing style.  Whatever it was, I am going to continue to seek out further work from her in the future as this story was a winner for me.



About the Author

Kristin von Kreisler was born on October 4, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, and all her life she has loved and rescued animals. She writes bestselling books about them and has spoken about their welfare on Coast to Coast to 560 U.S. cities and on the Voice of America to 123 million people.

Her most recent book, Earnest is a novel about a couple in conflict over custody of their Labrador retriever. Before that, Kristin wrote An Unexpected Grace, a novel about a woman and a golden retriever helping each other recover from violence and abuse. A memoir, For Bea, is about Kristin's beagle who came from a medical lab and influenced her to become an animal writer. Her books have been translated into ten languages.

Kristin lives on an island in Washington, where, she says, she'd rather work in her garden than breathe. Her kale grows to looming giants, and her lavender and catmint are sirens calling bees. From her desk she watches ospreys and seals, and every hour a ferry passes by. She and her husband have just renovated a historic Victorian farmhouse, where the island's first postmistress and sheriff once lived with their seven children.

Before moving to the island, Kristin lived in California and freelanced for magazines and newspapers. Her articles have appeared in anthologies and textbooks and in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, Woman's Day, and Reader's Digest, where she was a staff writer. She has taught English at the University of Hawaii and journalism at California State University at San Jose


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