The Purloined Poodle ~ Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries by Kevin Hearne ~ An IDC #Novella #Audiobook

• Author: Kevin Hearne
• Performed by Luke Daniels
• Released: September 2016 on Audible
• Category: Urban Fantasy
• 

Thanks to his relationship with the ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan, Oberon the Irish wolfhound knows trouble when he smells it—and furthermore, he knows he can handle it.

A great little spin off novella from the Iron Druid Chronicles, the Purloined Poodle is told exclusively from Oberon’s point of view. On a visit to the dog park, Oberon has a run in with a boxer spoiling for a fight. After Atticus has a chat with the boxer’s humans,  Oberon and Atticus, discover grand champions, including a prizewinning Poodle, have been stolen, which explains the boxer’s temperamental behaviour. Strangely, none of the owners have received a ransom demand. Because he is a druid’s hound, Oberon has powers denied to normal dogs he is able to speak with Atticus through a mental link.

Ah. You’ll be fine.

< I know. >

So what happened?

< I just wanted a friendly chase, Atticus, honest! But he rolled a twenty on his aggro and came after me. That’s a seriously disturbed pooch. I’m not saying he’s rabid or anything, just liable to snap at any moment, like Jack Nicholson in every movie ever. >  Atticus looked doubtful so I had to press him. < Do your spooky Druid thing if you don’t believe me! I know you calmed him down but that doesn’t mean you got rid of his issues, right? >

Atticus shifted his eyes to the boxer while he petted me, and after a few hours or minutes or whatever it was he said, You’re right. He’s upset about something.

The police believe the dogs have just run away, so are not making much of an effort to investigate the disappearances.  Oberon and Atticus believe otherwise and decide to begin their own investigation, picking up a new friend in the process, Starbuck, a Boston terrier. Atticus teleports himself and Oberon around the Pacific Northwest in order to interview the owners of the missing dogs and follow leads, the story evolving into a kind of quirky, cozy murder mystery. Quite different to the full length books.

I really enjoyed listening to this well thought through tale. Luke Daniels has done an incredible job with Oberon’s ‘voice’ throughout the series and this is no exception. The lovely bond between Atticus and Oberon is illustrated brilliantly and their interactions are as amusing as ever. The balance is just right in that, although Oberon drives the story, his dogginess is apparent – he is easily distracted, hates squirrels, especially evil ones, and thinks about food constantly. An entertaining and fun listen, everything was wrapped up satisfactorily in the end.

If you’re a fan of the Iron Druid Chronicles this is a must. I hope there will be more Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries.

Book Links ~ Amazon UK | US

About Kevin Hearne

Kevin Hearne lives with his wife, son, and doggies in Colorado. He hugs trees and rocks out to heavy metal and will happily geek out over comics with you. He also thinks tacos are a pretty nifty idea.

Author links ~ Website | Facebook | Twitter