“Stop That!” I Said to Myself

Before It’s Too Late – Sara Driscoll

Ever heard the joke about the guy who goes to the doctor and tells her, “It hurts when I do this”? The punchline, of course, is that she says, “Well, stop doing that!” Ba. Dump. Bump. I could say the same thing of the Sara Driscoll F.B.I. K-9 series: “It hurts when I read this; so maybe I should stop.” But I didn’t…

I read book two, Before It’s Too Late, and I’m… not sure why. It’s probably because I didn’t have anything else to read (the latest Virgil Flowers novel wasn’t out yet), and it might be because I really, really love Labrador Retrievers and the K-9 in question is a black Lab named Hawk. More likely both. But anyway, about the book:

F.B.I. K-9 handler Meg Jennings is obviously the target of a serial whackaloon: he kidnaps women who look like her (“black Irish” features) and then sends a coded message addressed to Meg, a message that consists of cryptic clues to where he’s hidden the kidnapped woman. Oh, and the woman isn’t dead yet; he’s killing her slowly by asphyxiation. Creepy dude…

Rollins Rolls out his Series for Dog-Lovers: "Kill Switch"

Kill Switch - James Rollins (and Grant Blackwood)

Tucker Wayne left Afghanistan and the Army Rangers with mad skillz, a best friend and a wee touch of PTSD. Once the pair mustered out together, Tucker and his Belgian Malinois, Kane, became freelancers; although they were apparently on speed dial for Sigma Force. That’s how Tucker and Kane ended up with a “simple” job, helping a paranoid Russian scientist sneak out of his homeland. 

Of course, “simple jobs” never are… Tucker soon learned that the big-dome was being pursued by the most fearsome group in the Russian military, assisted by an elite mercenary team who somehow managed to immediately zero in on the ex-soldier and his trusty companion. And once he actually made contact with the eccentric gentlemen, his demands further complicated matters – “I cannot leave without my daughter!”


That’s how Tucker, Kane, and three Russian scientists found themselves sneaking across the country in planes, trains and submarines – all the while barely a step ahead of a ruthless enemy. But why? For LUCA – plant life that held the capability of being the scariest weapon or the greatest boon to mankind. And which it would be depended on who found it first; and whether or not there was a Kill Switch.