The Long Good Dog

The Long Good Dog is the sixth Rachel Alexander mystery from Carol Lea Benjamin, with the New York dog-trainer PI working a case at the Westminster Kennel Club show in Madison Square Garden. The death of a prominent show handler during the competition forces Rachel into the kind of behind-the-scenes investigation that the show world's rigid hierarchies allow only an insider to conduct.

Benjamin's strength in The Long Good Dog is the Westminster texture. The show-floor geography, the handler-and-breeder social politics, the specific rhythm of a multi-day national show, are all rendered with the kind of insider attention only an actual dog professional could provide. Fans of Laurien Berenson's Melanie Travis novels (which also focus on Poodle showing) will recognize the careful dog-show literary tradition.

Dashiell again gets significant page time and is one of the form's best canine characters.

Four stars. A confident series entry. The Long Good Dog Carol Lea Benjamin novel is best read after the earlier Rachel Alexander books; the series develops the protagonist and Dashiell across the run.