Dogman

In this little virtuoso turn, Monk Rose touches one nerve that pulses deep inside the reader's head--the one that tells us to beware the routines in our lives that have become commonplace. DOGMAN is a story about a desperate dog trainer who is able to exchange psychic identity with his animals in a plan that flares into exotic violence. To gain publicity and attract business to their failing operation, kennel masters Will Hood and Hobie Hudson rob a bank courier, then offer their dogs to scour the crime scene and track the stolen loot. Their recovery scheme begins to unravel when an intrusive old woman disrupts its delicate balance, and when she bonds with one of his dogs, Will Hood must get rid of her. As the police discover elements of the plot, Hood takes violent steps to protect his interests. It is here that he finds a savage dog whose mind he cannot enter and a person whose gifts of transference are greater that his own. As he has done before in his impressively wide range of focus, Monk Rose has given us a taut story of human failing and retribution. There are echoes in DOGMAN of another little novel, SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON, although the themes are more thoroughly explored here. As always, Rose populates his work with characters whose quirks and nuances enrich every page.