Review: The Purloined Poodle by Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid #8.5)

The Purloined Poodle (Iron Druid Chronicles #8.5)
Kevin Hearne
Published: Sep. 30, 2016 (Subterranean Press)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review 

Reviewed by: Margaret

Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars

Note: While review will be spoiler free, it does make reference to previous books. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, Hounded.

I kind of felt like Oberon was the real star of Staked, the latest Iron Druid novel. (Well, Oberon and the poutine.) And apparently I wasn’t the only one who thought so, because now our favorite Irish Wolfhound has gotten his own book.

One day at the dog park, Oberon encounters a very cranky boxer whose owner explains that his other dog, a champion show poodle, was recently dognapped. In fact, several prize-winning pooches have gone missing in the last few weeks. The owners all belong to the same online group, leading Atticus to conclude that the thefts are connected. Oberon, with his unwavering (if inexplicable) affection for poodles, and having recently watched Sherlock, decides they should solve the case and rescue the dogs.

Seeing everything from a dog’s perspective is a little bit different. Oberon notices what kind of grass is in the yard and occasionally gets distracted by squirrels. He spouts random facts about meat more often than most people would. And apparently he watches a lot of TV, referencing everything from Aladdin to The X-Files. But, maybe because this is novella length, I never felt like it was a gimmick or a distraction.

It’s not a particularly twisty, red herring-filled mystery, but The Purloined Poodle was still a fun read. The plot doesn’t have much bearing on the rest of the series, though we do find out how Atticus plans to pay the yewmen. But that means there also aren’t a lot of spoilers so you could read this book even if you’re behind in the series.

I know a lot of people who love the Iron Druid series on audio. I had heard snippets of Luke Daniels’ Oberon and frankly, I hated it. I thought it was too cutesy for such a sophisticated hound. I mean, the dog knows Shakespeare and Gatsby and Doctor Who. But I watched his live reading of the beginning of the book on Facebook and I think he’s toned it down some. Or maybe the voice just grew on me, but I actually heard it as I was reading the rest of the book. So if you are one of those audio-loving people, definitely check this one out.

Sexual content: references to humping