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The Wrong Dog is the fifth Rachel Alexander mystery from Carol Lea Benjamin, with the New York dog-trainer PI investigating what initially looks like a pet-genetic-cloning case and unspools into the kind of moral material the cozy form rarely commits to. The investigation involves a wealthy woman who has been cloning her deceased dog and the gradual revelation that the cloning operation is more complicated than the customers had been told.
Benjamin's strength in The Wrong Dog is the moral weight she brings to a premise the form usually treats as a high-concept thriller hook. The cloning material is taken seriously as both science and ethical question, and Rachel's gradually accumulating sense that something is genuinely wrong is handled with patience. Fans of Susan Conant's Holly Winter mysteries or of Laurien Berenson's Melanie Travis novels will recognize the careful dog-mystery register operating at its most morally serious.
Dashiell, Rachel's Pit Bull, again carries significant emotional weight.
Four stars. One of the most morally serious entries in the Rachel Alexander series. The Wrong Dog Carol Lea Benjamin novel is best read with some familiarity with the earlier books. New readers should start with This Dog for Hire.
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