Margaret Mizushima Books

He was suspect number one--the man who tried to kill Deputy Mattie Cobb and may have killed her father thirty years earlier. But when Mattie and cold-case detective Jim Hauck reach the Colorado state prison, where they will finally get to interview him, he's found dead in his cell. There's only one clue: a map leading to Timber Creek and rugged Redstone Ridge. Mattie and her K-9 partner Robo journey into the burned forest surrounding Redstone Ridge. Before they can finish their search, they're called to investigate the death of a young woman found in a campground. There's evidence the woman just gave birth but the infant is nowhere to be found. When new evidence surfaces, they decide that finding the killer will lead them to the baby. Then veterinarian Cole Walker goes missing with a person that Mattie now suspects is the mastermind behind several murders, including her father's. Mattie and Robo take to the trail to find Cole--but the killer has a cold-blooded plan that threatens them all

Winner: WILLA Literary Award for Fiction, Contemporary Fiction Silver Award: IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, Mystery Finalist: Colorado Authors League, Mystery Reunite with Officer Mattie Cobb and her canine companion, Robo, in the sixth gripping installment of the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries—“guaranteed to delight every dog lover” (Booklist) Murder stalks the rugged Colorado high country—and sends Mattie Cobb on a quest to uncover the darkest secrets from her past. A deluge has flooded the high ground near Hanging Falls—but heavy rains aren’t the only menace descending on Timber Creek. While on a scouting mission to pinpoint trail damage, officer Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo stumble upon a body floating at the edge of a lake. Robo catches human scent, which leads to an enigmatic forest-dweller who quickly becomes suspect number one. With help from veterinarian Cole Walker, Mattie identifies the victim, and discovers an odd religious cult whose dress and manners harken back to the 19th century. As the list of suspects grows, an unexpected visit from members of Mattie’s long-lost family sheds new light on her childhood as they help Mattie piece together details of the fateful night when she was abducted at age two. The tangled threads of the investigation and family dynamics begin to intertwine—but darkness threatens to claim a new victim before Mattie and Robo can track down the killers.

From critically acclaimed, master thriller author Margaret Mizushima, comes the eighth installment of the award-winning Timber Creek K-9 mysteries.“Tense and satisfying” (JA Jance), Standing Dead is the perfect read for fans of CJ Box and Longmire. Deputy Mattie Cobb and her sister, Julia, travel to Mexico to visit their mother, but when they arrive, they discover that she and her husband have vanished without a trace. Back in Timber Creek, Mattie finds a chilling note on her front door telling her to look for “him” among the standing dead up in the high country. The sheriff’s department springs into action and sends a team to the mountains, where Mattie’s K-9 partner, Robo, makes a grisly discovery—a body tied to a dead pine tree. Mattie is shocked when she realizes she knows the dead man. And then another note arrives, warning that Mattie’s mother is in desperate straits. In a last-ditch gambit, Mattie must go deep undercover into a killer’s lair to save her mother—or die trying.

Set in the atmospheric mossy forests of the Pacific Northwest, this installment of the Timber Creek K-9 mystery series unfolds with secrets concealed in the fog. The story promises thrilling twists and a captivating exploration of the bond between humans and their canine companions as they navigate the mysteries that lurk in the wilderness.