It is here that Jack meets petite groomer Dina Wexler. Because Dina works several jobs in order to make ends meet and cares for her chronically ill mother, Jack decides that Dina must be the burglar, though he is unable to come up with enough solid evidence to take his suspicions to the police. Jack gets distracted when his ex-wife Belle is murdered and the police decide he’s the prime suspect (having a little more circumstantial evidence on Jack than Jack had on Dina). 

Soon Jack is not only investigating the Calendar Burglar, but trying to prove his own innocence.  To make matters worse (in Jack’s mind), he has become something of a Pied Piper, with a PI wannabe stalking him, having a neurotic Maltese tagging along and now Dina, who has watched too many crime show reruns and insists she can help clear his name. 

  Let Sleeping Dogs Lie has a somewhat disorganized feel to it, as Jack jumps from one conclusion to the next, perhaps logical in his mind, but not necessarily logical to the reader. The characters are uninteresting, and Jack’s final declaration to Dina is unbelievable after spending a book learning what a loner, who enjoys casual relationships, Jack can be. Jack even admits that marrying Belle was one of the worst things he ever did for their relationship and that they are much better friends since the divorce. 

The dueling plots compete for center stage, and though, of course, they are connected, the investigation is not a smooth, logical one. Dog lovers may be concerned for Jack’s cavalier treatment of the dogs he borrows during the course of his investigation, not evening remembering their names long enough to register them, but will enjoy the Maltese and hope that Dina sticks around long enough to ensure his well-being. Fans of Suzann Ledbetter’s previous, usually very funny, novels will be disappointed in this one.  

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry