Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 03/15/2023 It’s been two years since the McDade kids collared a thief in the dog-obsessed town of Camelito, but due to a dearth of mysteries, their detective agency has since disbanded. Eleven-year-old Elrond “Rondo” McDade, an introverted Houdini expert, is looking forward to a quiet spring break despite the family B&B having been temporarily turned into the set of his favorite canine-detective TV show. The increasingly busy family is growing distant, and the siblings, including older Epic and younger Elvis, aren’t as close as they once were. But when dognapping incidents threaten to halt the production, the kids find themselves at the heart of another mystery and pull back together to stop a canine cast member from disappearing. The hilarious whodunit works splendidly on its own, and fans of A Dog-Friendly Town (2020) will be thrilled to reunite with familiar characters from a different child’s perspective. Brisk pacing, interspersed podcast transcripts, and dog puns aplenty keep the proceedings compelling for younger readers. Supersleuths and dog lovers will lap up this clever caper. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.