Shelly's Book Blog

Book One of Scott Emerson's The Adventures of Samuel Blackthorne, a Sherlock Holmes-style detective who just happens to be a dog, is called The Case of the Cat with the Missing Ear: From the Notebooks of Edward R. Smithfield, D.V.M. Of course, Dr. Smithfield is Blackthorne's Dr. Watson. This is a rather odd book, because the dogs are so thoroughly anthropomorphized that the occasional references to their dog-like characteristics seem out of place. They don't even have any dog-like habits that I can remember -- no scratching, sniffing, whining, or growling, so the whole dog motif seems kind of silly and unnecessary.

The mystery of this story, the whereabouts of an accountant named Patrick Kirkpatrick who has mysteriously disappeared, is actually solved quickly. Even after Kirkpatrick has been found and restored to his home, though, Blackthorne still needs to figure out the reasons behind his disappearance. This is when the story gets more serious, as readers learn about the various misdeeds of mobsters and corrupt politicians.

Poor Dr. Smithfield cannot seem to make up his mind about the wisdom of associating with Blackthorne. At times he complains that Blackthorne hides too much from him and gets him in too much trouble (getting arrested, for example); at other times he praises Blackthorne for restoring the joie de vivre to his previously dull life. I'm similarly conflicted about this story. It's great that Blackthorne is so like Sherlock Holmes: noticing telling details that others overlook, and using simple, deductive logic to solve his cases. I felt let down by this story's ending, though. Perhaps this was because there were not enough surprises or twists and turns in the plot to suit me. I guess I'll try book 2 when it comes out and make up my mind about this series then!