Bloodhound - Tamora Pierce

Title: Bloodhound
Author: Tamora Pierce
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
# pages: Audiobook ~18 hrs, read by Susan Denaker
Date read: May, 2009

Beka Cooper is finally a Dog - a full-fledged member of the Provost's Guard, dedicated to keeping peace in Corus's streets. But there's unrest in Tortall's capital. Counterfeit coins are turning up in shops all over the city, and merchants are raising prices to cover their losses. The Dogs discover that gamblers are bringing the counterfeit money from Port Caynn. In Port Caynn, Beka delves deep into the gambling world, where she meets a charming banking clerk named Dale Rowan. Beka thinks she may be falling for Rowan, but she won't let anything - or anyone - jeopardize her mission. As she heads north to an abandoned silver mine, it won't be enough for Beka be her usual "terrier" self. She'll have to learn from Achoo to sniff out the criminals - to be a Bloodhound...

After the disappointment of Melting Stones it was great to see Tamora Pierce back on track in Bloodhound. I enjoyed it every bit as much as I expected to. It's as engaging as the first Beka Cooper book, and I think the journal style suits the action very well. Odd that I'm not as fond of Pounce as I am of his counterpart in the Alanna series though. He just seems... a lot less sympathetic. Not that I decidedly dislike him, but I didn't mind that he wasn't there for most of this book.

I do think Tamora Pierce tried too hard to be "politically correct" though. One of the main characters is gay, and far too much time is spent on Beka explaining why "that's okay, even though some people don't like it", which ended up really bugging me. If he's gay, he's gay. Just leave it at that. No need to start preaching at the audience.

Susan Denaker did a really good job of narrating the story. She sounded a bit too old to pass for a teenage girl, but did both voices and emotions well, so I can forgive her for not being the right age ;)

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