Detective Trigger and the Grand Gobbler

Detective Trigger and the Grand Gobbler by M.A. Owens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second entry of author M.A. Owens’ Detective Trigger series opens with the eponymous Chihuahua investigator looking into a murder, a letter, and the eponymous MacGuffin, owned by a fellow Chihuahua named Agatha who agrees to see the PI when hearing of a murder involving her prized possession. Trigger visits the Swindler’s Den to seek clues as to the Grand Gobbler’s whereabouts, ultimately getting information from a cat named Fernando, who had visited Agatha, after a brief fight. Trigger then seeks an individual who goes by the alias of Bad Kitty, a prime suspect in the theft of the Grand Gobbler.

When a status that appears to be the MacGuffin makes itself seen, there’s strong suspicion it isn’t real, with Trigger eventually talking with Petey at the police station and the feline Kerdy. References occasionally abound to the incarcerated Mr. B from the first book, with Trigger revisiting Agatha, who is to receive compensation for her lost property, Trigger himself receiving “hush money”. A Doberman named Lady, who serves Agatha, becomes a new suspect in the thievery of the Grand Gobbler, with the identity of Bad Kitty soon revealed, and a chase for the confirmed criminal occurring in the final chapters, a trial and wedding winding up the second book.

All in all, the second entry of Owens’ series is a general fun read, with plenty of action, mystery, and animal characters, although as in its predecessor, one can occasionally find it difficult at times to remember which species they belong to, given the absence of the Kindle X-ray feature that would have very likely resolved the issue, but they’re pretty much restricted to cats and dogs. The twists are reasonable and believable, and the callbacks to the book’s predecessor definitely help prevent the story from feeling too disconnected. Ultimately, I will definitely continue to read this series.

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