You can take the girl out of Maggody but you can't put quality into the writing. Unfortunately, this is just another example of the poor character development that Ms. Hess is known for. She has come up with such wonderful characters and does absolutely nothing with them, leaving you with a boring book and a waste of several reading hours. There are alot of "cozy" writers out there. I would give this one a pass.

Joan Hess is a very funny writer. Her Maggody series is a hoot. She creates situations and dialogue that make you laugh out loud. But she can't plot a mystery much better than her designated idiot, Kevin Buchanon, probably could. The plot in this one is a muddled mess.

I FELT CONFUSED OF SOME OF THE CONTESTANT AND WHY THEY CALL IT CO-CO NUT

After having read a number of Hess' "Arly Hanks" books, I decided to give Claire Malloy a try. I was disappointed with the characters and, in particular, this story line. Both were much too predictable. I had to keep checking the cover to make sure it was the same author as the one I've always found enjoyable in the Arly Hanks series.

Joan Hess is loads of fun to read and this is one of my favorites. Her characters are delightful and the heroine is someond you can really identify with. Highly recommended

I have recently become a dedicated Joan Hess fan. However, I have been reading her books out of order. Yesterday I started "Roll Over and Play Dead" ready for another light, funny story. Unfortunately, I got a speech from a soapbox. On page 28 one of the "good 'guys'" states: "The National Institute of Health gives away over three and a half billion dollars of your tax dollars so researchers can cut animals up, cripple them, blind them, burn them, infect them with diseases, and in general torture them. Over seventy million animals die this way every year so that someone can determine that you really shouldn't drink paint solvent or put it in your eyes."

WHOA! Where to begin? In the context of this story the reader is led to believe that the majority of these poor animals are pets - cats and dogs. NOT!!! Yes, I have been involved in animal research. I, like the vast majority of whole animal researchers, use rats. Never have I caused a rat undue pain (they are anesthetized by legal and moral code). Never have I pounded nails in a skull or any of the atrocities put forth in this book. In fact, I have never even heard of such a thing occuring in a lab. On the other hand, I HAVE heard of such things in pets homes from a vet tech student of mine. Such horrible cruelties are much more commonly afflicted upon animals by their "loving" owners.

I stuck with this book through the end even after countless assults on scientists and the necessity of medical research. I have never worked with dogs but I still take offense at the insults steeped high in the course of the story.

I respect the views of animal rights groups. However I fully agree with a poster hanging in the lab where I worked. It shows a group of protesters and the caption reads "Because of animal research, they have 20.9 more years to protest." The next time you pop an antibiotic to cure your bronchitis, or a pill to lower your blood pressure thank a scientist and a group of rats.