Barking Up the Wrong Tree by Janice Thompson Book Review

About the Book

Book: Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Author: Janice Thompson

Genre:Christian Fiction / Mystery / Romance

Release date: January 1, 2023

Inquisitive, detail-oriented, Veterinarian Kristin Keller prides herself on winning over any dog. But has this self-proclaimed dog whisperer finally met her match in a Sheltie named Remington who has just won the Texas state agility course competition? The champion pooch is acting out of sorts—almost as if he is not the same dog. Has he, by chance, been switched out with another dog just before the next big competition? Kristin and the other Lone Star employees will do anything to help the Atkinson family figure out this mystery surrounding their beloved Remington.

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My Review

This is a good cozy style dog mystery for lovers of animals and all things southern. It is a fun immersion into the southern atmosphere from food to dialog. It is also a mystery with the missing champion dog. The characters are sort of hit and miss in trying to find the dog with many frustrated attempts. In the process, we readers learn a bit about dogs and their care, such as dogs have unique DNA and that rawhide is a choking hazard. The main characters are compassionate people and it was good to see them help others but it was hard to read about the mistreatment of some dogs. There are also a couple of romance threads running through this novel.

There are several people working at the veterinarian office and several suspects in the dog abduction, making this a study in character too. There are some that are willing to help those in need while others are willing to take advantage of the naive. There was a plot twist near the end that was both disappointing yet realistic in character revelation.

I enjoyed this fun mystery and romance. While it is the third in a series, it read well on its own. There's a yummy recipe at the end too.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

You can read my reviews of the earlier books in the series: Off the Chain and Dog Days of Summer.

About the Author

Janice Thompson, who lives in the Houston area, writes romantic comedies, cozy mysteries, nonfiction devotionals, and musical comedies for the stage. She is the mother of four daughters and nine feisty grandchildren. When she’s not writing books or taking care of foster dogs you’ll find her in the kitchen, baking up specialty cakes and cookies.

More from Janice

Barking up the Tree is book three in the Gone to the Dog series. Kathleen Y’Barbo and I are writing six books, in total, and we’re very excited about this series. I happen to be in the dog rescue business. I’ve worked with multiple Houston-based dog rescues over the past five years and have been blessed to care for over fifty dogs in nearly every shape, size, and breed. I am always interested in dog-themed stories.

As a Texan I wanted to place this series in my neck of the woods. Kathleen and I settled on Brenham, Texas, a town not far from where we both live. It’s the home of Blue Bell ice cream (yum!) a favorite here in the Lone Star state. We created a large fictional cast of characters and placed them in a town we know and love.

Along with writing books I’m also a baker and run a baking blog (www.outoftheboxbaking.com). With that in mind I would love to share a recipe from the book. Enjoy!

Nanny’s Coconut Pecan Cake (aka Italian Cream Cake)

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

• 1 white cake mix
• 1 yellow cake mix
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup sweetened coconut (flakes)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 small box instant vanilla pudding (powder) 

FOR THE FILLING/TOPPING:

• Toasted coconut
• Toasted chopped pecans

FOR THE FROSTING:

• 1 cup (two sticks) salted butter (softened)
• 1 block cream cheese (softened)
• 1 rectangle Crisco (can omit if you prefer traditional cream cheese frosting)
• 1 bag (7-8 cups) powdered sugar
• Clear vanilla extract

Instructions

MAKING THE CAKE:

• Combine all ingredients except nuts and coconut. Mix well.
• Work in the nuts and coconut.
• Grease and flour three 9” pans.
• Divide batter between the three pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (approximately) until cake springs back to the touch.

MAKING THE ICING:

• Bring ingredients to room temperature.
• Mix butter and cream cheese until soft and creamy.
• Add Crisco and continue to beat until incorporated. (You can leave out the Crisco if you prefer traditional cream cheese frosting.)
• Add extract and then lower the speed of your mixer to add powdered sugar (more or less to desired consistency).

FILLING AND ICING THE CAKE

• Level all three cakes.
• Put one cake on your cake board and add a layer of cream cheese frosting.
• Pipe a ring around the edge of the cake and add some toasted pecans and coconut.
• Continue to stack and fill.
• Turn the top cake upside down, so that it’s bottom up.
• Ice the cake with a crumb coat and chill.
• Once chilled, ice liberally with frosting.
• Add chopped (toasted) pecans and coconut to the sides and top then pipe trim or rosettes to add further décor.

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, January 26

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, January 26

Tell Tale Book Reviews, January 27

Remembrancy, January 27

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 28

For Him and My Family, January 28

Texas Book-aholic, January 29

deb’s Book Review, January 30

Mary Hake, January 30

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 31

Cover Lover Book Review, February 1

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 1

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 2

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 3

Pause for Tales, February 4

The Book Club Network, February 4

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 5

Blogging With Carol, February 6

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, February 7

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, February 7

Labor Not in Vain, February 8

Divine Perspective, February 8

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review. The rest of the copy of this post was provided by Celebrate Lit.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)