Holly comes to herself in the wilderness with physical damage and a deep sense of dread, for which she has no source. When two beautiful dogs come to her aid, she decides in gratitude to adopt them, only to find later they are her own beloved malamutes, Rowdy and Kimi. Feeling her way around, literally and figuratively, she gets herself and the dogs back to her temporary quarters and begins the slow process of finding out who and where she is.

It’s amusing to read Holly’s initial conclusions of who she must be and her opinion of herself as another person (“this Winter person with the silly Christmassy name”). For a variety of reasons, Holly seeks neither refuge nor assistance for her dilemma, choosing instead to stay put and try to figure things out.

Holly seems to be the guest of one Gabrielle Beamon, staying in Gabbi’s guest cottage near Acadia National Park in Maine. As to why she is there, she finds many clues, but no answers. Gabbi herself stops by to remind Holly about the cookout at the main house that evening, and Holly decides to go, hoping for further insights. The party is in honor of Malcolm Fairley, the charismatic founder of the newly formed Pine Tree Foundation, an investment vehicle concentrating on environmental issues and doing well for its investors, many of whom are present.

The main topic of the evening is the accidental fall and death of one Norman Axelrod, a curmudgeonly neighbor who supposedly hated the outdoors, yet died only yards away, Holly realizes in horror, from where she regained consciousness. Overwhelmed by both inner and outer turmoil, Holly finally confides her problem to her father, Buck, whom Gabbi refers to as “my hero,” and together they devise a plan to restore Holly’s memory.

The blush of romance between Holly’s father and Gabbi blossoms into full bloom by the end of the book, even though the pair seem as likely together as a mating between Gabbi’s Bichon Frise and the wolf hybrids Buck was breeding a few books back. That he was an iconoclast we had already gathered, but this time Buck seems to come off as goofier than one would have supposed a former AKC judge and nationally known breeder to be. Still, it does serve to make him more human. And speaking of romance, whatever happened between Holly and Steve, her vet boyfriend? Why is there Another Woman in the picture?

Doggie people will like the accurate portrayal of some of the less attractive facets of dog show life. In the end, the murderer is neatly exposed and Conant sets the stage nicely for continuation of the newly formed human relationships.

--K. W. Becker