A BRACE OF BLOODHOUNDS

The third (The House on Bloodhound Lane, 1996; Death in Bloodhound Red, not reviewed) in Lanier's bloodhound series again stars Georgia feminist Jo Beth Siddon. And again there's a lot of lore pertaining to the heroine's chosen profession—the breeding, training, and employment (in crime-and-rescue) of those talented, sloppy-mouthed, floppy-eared canines. And again there's a loose- leaf structure that bears no resemblance to plotting as it's normally practiced. Here, Jo Beth's ugly-mean ex-husband beats up her best friend and busts up Jo Beth's love life. Meanwhile, her buddy Jasmine (a very respectable ex-hooker) breaks a leg but gains a lover; a motherless waif is taken in; an abducted child is recovered; a drug operation is foiled; and a corrupt judge is brought low. Jo Beth runs the lives of innumerable neighbors and employees who are entangled in her old-boy (and old-girl) network. She also bullies, not all that benignly, the various government officials who treat her or her doggies with disrespect. Fans of Jo Beth's bossiness and odd predilection for physical punishment will again find her good homegrown company. A restyling and a trim of Lanier's far-flown narrative, though, would add immeasurably to its suspense.