The Long Good Boy

A dog trainer–turned-PI and her pit bull go after a killer—with a little help from a courageous dachshund—in this mystery by a Shamus Award winner.
Rachel and Dash have a new client. Well, three new clients. A trio of transvestite working girls want Rachel to investigate the death of one of their own. Rosalinda’s throat was slashed on Halloween right after the Greenwich Village parade. Finding her killer isn’t exactly the NYPD’s top priority—and LaDonna, Chi Chi, and Jasmine are terrified that they’ll be next.
With her cash retainer in hand—and very few leads—Rachel starts digging. What is the connection between Rosalinda and a dead butcher? Soon, with the help of Chi Chi’s mini-dachshund, Clint, Rachel is breaking into a plant in the Meatpacking District. But her future is suddenly on the line when she sets herself up as bait to catch the killer. As Rachel follows a twisting trail with only Dash for protection, she discovers that her foray into “the life” could end with her own untimely death.
The Long Good Boy is the 6th book in the Rachel Alexander and Dash Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
“[Benjamin’s] characters come vividly to life. . . . A mystery worth reading.” —Publishers Weekly
“You’ll find Benjamin’s work first-rate.” —The Plain Dealer
“Vivid New York settings, authentic descriptions of dogs and dog training, and appealing human and canine characters . . . might appeal to readers of hard-boiled New York novels (Lawrence Block, for example) as well as to fans of other canine series.” —Booklist
“Carol Lea Benjamin is as good at writing mysteries as she is at writing about dogs.” —Laurien Berenson, author of Underdog
“Vivid, sympathetic, and amusing characterizations.” —Kirkus Reviews

Carol Lea Benjamin is the author of the Rachel Alexander and Dash mystery novels, which feature a Greenwich Village–based private investigator and her pit bull sidekick. This Dog for Hire, the first book in the series, won the Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel. Benjamin has also been a teacher, worked as a private investigator, trained dogs, and written dog-training manuals such as Mother Knows Best: The Natural Way to Train Your Dog. She lives in New York City with her husband and two dogs.