Dogged Pursuit

A Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery, Book 1

By: Tracy Carter

Narrated by: Alyssa Baumann

Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

The debut book in the Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery series opens with escalating suspense and intensifies into a resilient fight for survival. With its engaging combination of canine and human personalities, thrilling plot, and gorgeous Colorado backdrop, Dogged Pursuit will appeal to dog lovers, outdoors enthusiasts, and mystery lovers alike.

Veronica Kildare cannot believe her luck–being shot at, again, by the bad guys. The sound, the feel of the bullet, and the hatred resonate for more than just the transitory moment of impact. She has relocated to a new state, but brutality has rampaged into this life as well. As the survivor of a senseless act of violence in her former life, Veronica struggles to recover from the lingering physical and emotional scars by working as a dog handler near Boulder, Colorado. Empowered by her intense bond with her search and rescue and drug detection dog, Leda, she finally begins to shake off the pain of her past. Then Veronica is drawn into the puzzling search for a scientist who has vanished near Rocky Mountain National Park.

Dr. Randy Jeffers has inexplicably disappeared on the eve of his testimony in the high profile murder trial of a pro basketball player and the police are baffled. As Veronica and Leda traverse rugged Roosevelt National Forest in a desperate search testing the limits of their abilities, it is not initially clear who has targeted Dr. Jeffers, or why. But it becomes shockingly obvious that someone will stop at nothing to silence him forever. The kidnappers with murder on their mind have guns, but Veronica has Leda and her own blossoming resilience as her weapons in their struggle for survival.

©2022 Tracy Carter (P)2023 Tracy Carter

Critic reviews

"An action-packed adventure blended smoothly with mystery and hope.... The character development is well done and complete.... The plot twists...are smooth and deliberate. Carter did an excellent job of making the story feel authentic and realistic through dialogue and rich imagery. It was well-written, and engaging and the narrator was the right fit!.... Alyssa Baumann captured and projected the personality of Veronica perfectly. She is very adept at projecting emotions and situations in a clear and intense manner. The excitement and energy she brought to the book were spot-on." (AudioBookReviewer)

Great Listen!

I was engaged with this story from the beginning and had a hard time putting it down to get some work done. The author takes you along on a stunning adventure that, unlike some mysteries, is completely believable. The detail the author used to explain dog training, wilderness survival, water treatments, etc. were a delightful addition for me. I enjoyed learning while I was thoroughly entertained.
The book takes you into the world of canine search and rescue with authentic characters and dogs. The style-first person, and present tense really made me feel like I was right there with Veronica every step of her journey. Veronica, her dad, Michael, Leda and Cocoa are all part of my family now, and I look forward to seeing them in more adventures-SOON!

Interesting story

Story kept me listening but narrator almost sounded computer-like at times. Syntax a bit odd

Action-Packed and a Thrill a Minute

Veronica Kildare has relocated and changed her career. She trains dogs to be guards, drug/disease sniffers, and more. When Dr. Randy Jeffers disappears and bad guys make another appearance in her life, Veronica doesn’t back down. With her dog, Leda next to her Veronica sets out to find Dr. Jeffers and elude the bad guys.

The author, Tracy Carter, crafts an action-packed adventure blended smoothly with mystery and hope. The storyline is polished and clever. The character development is well done and complete. By the end of the book, I felt connected to the characters and cheering them on. The plot twists she devised are smooth and deliberate. Carter did an excellent job of making the story feel authentic and realistic through dialogue and rich imagery.

The narrator, Alyssa Buamann, captured and projected the personality of Veronica perfectly. She is very adept at projecting emotions and situations in a clear and intense manner. The excitement and energy she brought to the book was spot-on. Alyssa Baumann added to my enjoyment of this story!

I enjoyed this story. It was well-written, engaging and the narrator was the right fit!

There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.

Pretty good

Pretty good story, and I enjoyed learning the details of dog training. However, the author sometimes goes into unnecessarily long descriptions and detail about certain things. At times it’s like she copied and pasted large blocks from tour guides, history books and other reference material, and it detracts from the story line. The narrator has perfect enunciation; however, her voice inflections border on monotone. Overall an enjoyable read, will probably continue the series.

Great New K-9 Mystery Series

I loved the first book in this new K-9 mystery series with Veronica and her working dog Leda. In many K-9 books the dogs are just a tool but the author, Tracy Carter, has managed to make Leda and all the other dogs individual characters and an integral part of the story. As a dog lover I very much enjoyed reading about the basic training tips as well as all of the skills that a trained working dog can offer that were woven into the story.
I felt that the mystery itself was very interesting and well thought out with twists and turns that keep you guessing. The action and suspense kept me wanting to read more. I loved the characters and by the end of the book they were like friends I would like to spend more time with.
And finally, I thought that the narrator did an excellent job. She made the characters come alive with distinct voices that matched their personalities. She handled the technical information smoothly and I felt like I was with Veronica, Bob, Michael, Tim and Sylvia through the whole adventure!
I can’t wait for Book 2!

Dog training

Like the interaction with dogs; characters fine. Story a little weak. Stretched out. Has potential.

At Last a Great K9 book - Don’t miss it!

I love K9 stories, but so often, K9 stories put more emphasis on the humans in the story than the dogs. Tracy Carter has written a splendid story of dogs and their humans, of the relationship between dog and handler and of strength of family and friends and their dogs. Dogs were present in every aspect of the story. In telling the story Tracy paints beautiful pictures of the Colorado forests. She describes, in detail, how the Kildare dogs are trained. Veronica is a strong, compassionate female lead and her relationship with her father is great to see.

I listened to this book via Audible and was very pleased with Alyssa Baumann’s narration

Tracy, I hope this is the beginning of a wonderful series. Thank you.

Slow

I liked this book however there seemed to be a lot of repetitious and repeating of herself. Like her fears , her dads fears.
There wasn’t enough action until the end.

er

the dog and training was very interesting. I enjoyed the idea of the parts about the locality

Dog training

The performance sounded robotic. I had to stop listening to her periodically. I feel like she needed a little more enthusiasm.