Serendipity (Sarah) Dahlquist is a very precocious 14-year-old girl who arrives home from school one day to discover her beloved dog, Groucho, is missing. After checking the usual places and reporting the missing dog to the police, Serendipity decides to hire PI Leo Bloodworth to find Groucho. When Bloodworth refuses to take her case she turns to his office mate, Kasper, who agrees to help. But when Kasper turns up dead, Bloodworth feels compelled to follow up on Seredipity’s case while looking for Kasper’s killer.
Leo, who’s nickname is “the Bloodhound,” looks to be a typical 80’s gumshoe. He’s a hard drinking ex-cop with a string of ex-wives. The last thing Bloodworth needs in his life is a quick-witted, determined and self-sufficient teenager who won’t take no for an answer.
Not long after Bloodworth takes on the missing dog caper, he realizes Kasper’s murder and Groucho’s disappearance are connected. The next thing he knows, he’s on the road with Sarah traveling from L.A. to Northern California. During their search, they come across dog fights, murderers, kidnappers, and the Mexican Mafia. Underneath it all is a mystery to be solved that holds all the answers.
Dick Lochte teams up two highly unlikely characters in “Sleeping Dog” and takes an unusual approach in alternating first person chapters told by the two characters. Even though this book was originally published in 1985, it is still a highly enjoyable and entertaining read today. The dialog between Bloodworth and Serendipity is rib-tickling, the plot is complex with lots of twists and turns. Dick Lochte makes it easy to fall in love with Serendipity and manages to find the human side of Bloodworth making him a likable character.
FTC Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided by its publisher.
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