Diane Kelly is a former tax advisor who inadvertently worked with white-collar criminals. As Kelly puts it, she didn’t want to “end up in an orange jumpsuit,” and decided to write her “Death and Taxes” romantic mystery series. In addition to her K9 mysteries, Kelly has also written five romance novels. For this interview, Kelly revealed the story behind “Above the Paw,” her sixth Paw Enforcement mystery.
“My books are funny and written primarily for light entertainment,” Kelly said. “I do address social and personal issues to give them some depth. In ‘Above the Paw,’ I address the unfairness in our criminal justice system. The news is replete with stories of people of wealth and privilege who get away with their crimes or are so lightly punished as to make a farce of our penal system.”
Injustice in the justice system
“A few years ago, a wealthy, spoiled teenager with a blood-alcohol content three times the legal limit got behind the wheel and killed four people not far from where I live. He was given only probation on the claim that he suffered from ‘affluenza,’ a condition wherein he was purportedly unable to comprehend the potential consequences of his actions due to having lived a life of privilege.”
Diane Kelly said the case outraged those who heard about it. She added, “Celebrities, politicians, and social elites also receive disproportionately lenient judgments in some cases. It’s not fair, and it’s one of the many reasons prison reform has become a political issue.”
So, “Above the Paw” was inspired by the news headlines, but Kelly needed to put her own twist on the subject. Her version takes place on the campus of Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas.
“In recent years, several TCU students, including football players, were arrested for selling drugs. Students at many other colleges and universities have also been arrested for selling drugs to their classmates. As the mother of two college-aged kids, the easy availability of drugs on campuses caused me concern. Drugs create dangerous environments and pose risks not only to the kids who take them but to others as well. I realized a lot of readers would share my fears and find the storyline engaging.”
Three points of view
Kelly has taken an unusual approach in the Paw Enforcement mysteries. She uses three alternating viewpoints: the police officer’s, the K9’s, and the villain’s.
“The dog, Brigit, does not talk,” Kelly said. “But, readers get inside Brigit’s head and learn her thoughts. Readers routinely comment in reviews that they especially enjoy the dog’s chapters and find the alternating viewpoints to be an intriguing and effective way to tell the stories. I have a lot of fun getting into the heads of all three characters. Thinking like a criminal can be surprisingly insightful, if a little disturbing, too. I also write a funny white-collar crime series starring an IRS agent. Yep, tax evasion can be surprisingly hilarious!”
Favorite research moment
While researching K9s, Kelly attended a law enforcement K9 conference. She said seeing the officers interact with their dogs showed her the strong bond that forms between the handlers and their dogs. “My favorite part was hearing the stories of dogs’ occasional misbehavior. No matter how well-trained K9s are, the dogs do not become robots any more than human officers do. The cops talked about their dogs being distracted by squirrels or other animals, and sneakily stealing food while on duty, the same naughty things regular dogs do.”
Kelly’s favorite night of the conference showed just how “normal” K9s can be. The class was being held in a large building, which was an RV manufacturing facility. One of the handlers instructed his dog “Rocket” to find another officer who had hidden in the building.
“Rocket ignored the order and instead sprinted around the circle of students gathered around. But when he made his way to the center of the circle and squatted, we all realized why he’d been defiant. Once he’d ‘lightened his load’ in front of the full audience, he ran off to search and quickly found the hidden officer—amid a chorus of laughter.”
Learn more about Diane Kelly on her website at dianekelly.com.
Happy Holidays! Thanks for the giveaway!
I tried :>(
I love mysteries that include animals! Looks fun.
This series has lots of laughs!
Looks awesome! Thanks for the chance 🙂
Good luck, Margaret!
I am a dog lover so was drawn to your K-9 series and have read most of them. I have some of your Death and Taxes books but haven’t read them yet…but I will as my book club will be reading your books for the last week in February and discussing them.
Wonderful! So glad to hear this! I hope they have a great time with the books. Thanks, Jackie!
Exciting and interesting books
Marilyn
Good luck, Marilyn!
What a great intervie as to how you approached the research and writing of this book. I researched you and the book too and I would love to win a copy, and I will definitely read and revew it one way or the other! I love light, cozy and humorous reads! Thank you for the chance to win a copy!!!! Merry
I’ve learned so much writing this series, both about dogs and police work. It’s been an interesting lesson and lots of fun writing the books!
Love the idea for the book.
Fingers crossed, Susan!
This is such a great series that has nestled into my reading heart. Love hearing about how the K9s and their handlers interacted, how close they are.
You made my day, Jeanie! Thanks!
I love Diane’s series. I also enjoy your blog and book insights along with your writing. Thanks…
Thanks, Kathleen! Good luck in the contest!
Diane Kelly is one of my favorite authors-such wit! Should be another good book. Nice review Terry!
And you are one of my favorite readers, Barbara! ; ) Thanks for stopping by!
what a great giveaway for excellent books
Fingers crossed for you, Paula!
love dogs and always have would like the chance to read this one –
Dogs and dog people are the best!
I love this cover! I haven’t had the pleasure of reading any of these books but they do sound great! Thanks!
Thanks, Terri! My cover artists are the BEST! I always love their work. They capture the feel of the books perfectly.
Great interview! Thank you for sharing and for the contest! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Merry Christmas to you, too, Betty! I hope Santa brings you everything on your list. : )
I’love to win a copy of Above the Paw (& a Starbucks giftcard sounds really good, too)!
It doesn’t get any better than books and hot coffee, does it? Nope!
LOVE A GREAT MYSTERY
Good luck!
I like that part of the story is told from the viewpoint of the dog. Interesting & unique concept.
The dog is a smart cookie, too. Sometimes a smarty pants!
Great interview. Loved reading about the K9 class.
The class and conference were so much fun! Every day is “bring your dog to work day” for the handlers.
Thank you for sharing this book with us. I enjoy your photos of Hawaii.
Terry is making us all jealous, isn’t he? : )
Thanks for the 12 days of scams. What people won’t do to to make a living.
I used to do tax work and it was incredible how many financial scams there are around tax refunds, credits, deductions, etc. Crazy!
Your Book & a Latte Contests are awesome! Thanks for sharing your Joy, excitement and coffee!
Thanks Renee, I’m so happy they’re popular. Plus, I have fun doing them. 🙂
Coffee goes great with a fun read!
Thank you!
Good luck, Alyssa!
interesting cover
Thanks! The cover artists are so creative.
This book looks real interesting about addressing the injustice when it comes to the rich and privileged.
It’s a problematic issue, that’s for sure. Good luck in the contest, Linda!
My four kids all attended local city colleges. Thankfully none of them got involved in drugs. One of them in fact was the head of his college’s EMS unit which also answered 911 calls (he is now head of a city agency’s Emergency Management Unit). I’m also proud of the fact that all four of them also have Masters Degrees and good jobs. I love the IRS series and have read all of them to date.
Wow! Lots for you to be proud of! Your son must have a very calm head to be able to handle emergencies. Good luck in the contest!
K-9 cops have always fascinated me. The extensive training they are put through and their loyalty to their trainer is amazing. Thanks for including Diane Kelly’s book on your blog. robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks Robin. When I saw her book was coming out this week, I knew I wanted to include it. So much fun!
It’s amazing how many different things K9s can do, and they keep discovering new talents. Of course the three dogs I own are mostly experts at shedding and digging holes in the yard, but I guess they can’t all be heroes. Ha ha
Being an animal lover, I know this is a book I’ll be able to “sink my teeth into.” Thank you for another wonderful choice of book for this month, and I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!!
Great pun, Peggy! I “barked” with laugher. : ) Good luck in the contest!
I remember the case Diane is talking about.
Anything to get a rich kid out of trouble.
Would love to read the book – start a new series.
thanks for sharing.
It was crazy and sad. No justice for the victims. But spoiler alert – there’s always justice in my books!
I want to read this now to learn Brigit’s view. What a great idea, different points of view including the K9. Terry, I just read A Damsel for (poor, itchy) Santa. Fun story. And please keep those scam warnings coming. You are so right that they often appear legitimate on the surface and who wants to always be Scrooge and refuse?
Thanks Sally! I hope you’ll consider even a very short review. They really do help!
I loved A Damsel for Santa, too! Terry has a great voice. It really pulls you into the story.
Such fun stories, great for light reading. Sometimes that’s what I need to give me a little lift. I would love to read Diane’s books.
My stories always have a lot of humor. I actually tried to write a dark story once – couldn’t do it to save my life! Good luck in the contest!
Wonderful interview. I learned a lot and i love the story of “Rocket” the K-9 dog. I like how your book has different viewpoints. Thank you for this chance. Happy Holidays!
It’s so fun to alternate the viewpoints. I’ll be launching a new series in about a year and I plan to do that again. It’s fun both for me as a writer and for the readers. Happy holidays to you, too!
This is a new series to me and it sounds fabulous. I like reading books with dogs featured in the storyline. It will be interesting to read more about the great work the K9 dogs do. Can’t wait to read.
Great name, Dianne. ; ) Yep, K9s are absolutely fascinating! Brigit is a very smart dog. She tries to lead the pack, which causes trouble sometimes, but that’s because she’s an alpha at heart. She knows she’s as capable as most humans. ; )
Diane Kelly is a “new-to-me” author. Her books sound wonderful … thank you for the introduction to her books.
Good luck in the contest! If you’d like to try an inexpensive “sampling,” there’s an e-novella in the series called Upholding the Paw that’s only $1.99.
I just love Diane’s book they are so good and so are yours! Hers always has the dog in a good situation for getting the bad guy! Happy Holidays to the both of you and I will continue to review any book I read on a few sites.
Thanks Peggy! Happy Holidays to you, too!
Thanks, Peggy! Happy holidays to you, too!