A stray dog, aptly named Hobo, shows up at her door and leads former police sketch artist and current private detective, Rory McCain, back to the dog’s home. Rory enters the house and inherits a pet and a case when she discovers the dog’s owner has been murdered. The victim, Brenda Hartley, had another canine companion named Tootsie, who appears to have been dognapped. Rory is determined to track down Tootsie and find out who took the tiny Maltese.

Rory’s partner, Zeke Drummond, is not happy about this new case. He’s not a dog-lover and thinks time spent on this investigation takes Rory’s attention away from his own case. Zeke and Rory have a very unusual partnership – the former U.S. Marshal was murdered in 1878, and Zeke wants Rory spending time on his cold case, not searching for dognappers.

There are a lot of different things going on in this book. There is a human and ghost detective duo, flashbacks to Zeke’s life as a 19th century marshal, much information about dogs for the animal lover,  Zeke’s murder case, Brenda’s murder case, and the theft of Tootsie, which may or may not be related to Brenda’s murder. Although there are many different storylines, for the most part it works. I like the grudging, but growing friendship between Rory and Zeke. It would be hard enough living with a ghost in  your house, but Zeke is outspoken and protective of Rory and sometimes shows up to assist her, whether Rory wants him to or not. Other people are able to see Zeke, so Rory is trying to keep his existence a secret to prevent the media from swarming. This makes the situation even more stressful for Rory, but amusing to the reader.

I think the concept of Rory’s former profession as a police artist is unique and intriguing. Unfortunately, there are only two scenes in the book when we see Rory use this skill. One of these scenes plays an important part in the investigation, but since the series is called “Portrait of Crime“, I expected to see more of Rory’s drawing throughout the book.

I don’t always like this technique, but the way Zeke’s story was told through flashbacks every few chapters, is effective in this book. Zeke and Rory have an interesting dynamic – plenty of sparks fly, but not the romantic type. They are literally from two different worlds and see things very differently, but have their love of justice in common. When they are getting along, they make great investigative partners!

I like all types of mysteries, but well-written ones featuring professional private investigators seem to be becoming more rare. I enjoy seeing a professional detective in action, so I really liked that aspect of the book. It’s a nice change to see a detective with a paying client asking questions and trying to solve the case.

To Sketch a Thief can’t be called a “nail-biter”, but it has a unique premise with an interesting plot that holds the reader’s interest. This is only the second book in the series, so there is much potential for future books. While Zeke wants his own murder solved so he can finally be at peace, I selfishly hope he stays in this dimension for a while longer. Fans of Nancy Atherton’s Aunt Dimity series will like the partnership of Rory and Zeke.

~ Christine K.