Review: Bloodhound [Beka Cooper #2]

Goodreads Summary: Beka Cooper is no longer a Puppy. She's a Dog now - a full-fledged member of the Provost's Guard, which keeps the peace in Corus's streets. Beka's natural skills of observation and tenacity are augmented by her unusual magical talents, which allow her to gather information both from pigeons are from the eddies of dirt and dust that swirl on street corners. But even her magic isn't very useful when unrest comes to Tortall's capital in the form of counterfeit coins, which turn up in shops all over the city. Merchants raise prices to cover their losses, and with winter coming on, hikes in food and fuel costs could spell disaster - most of all for the city's poor.

The Dogs discover that gamblers are bringing the counterfeits from Port Caynn - and that the Port Caynn Dogs don't seem to be doing anything about it. Beka and her mentor, Clary Goodwin, are chosen to go undercover in Port Caynn and find out what they can. And wherever Beka goes, so do some of her animals. Departing from Corus with her are the scent hound Achoo, who has been newly assigned to Beka, and the pigeon Slapper, who carries the voices of the dead.

In Port Caynn, Beka and Goodwin delve deep into the gambling world. There Beka meets a charming bank courier, who may be involved in the counterfeiting ring. Things come to a head just as Goodwin returns home to report in Corus. It won't be enough to Beka to be her usual "terrier" self. She'll have to learn from Achoo to sniff out the criminals - to be a bloodhound.

I enjoyed this book almost as much as the first one in the trilogy, I say almost only because I was missing some of my favorite characters in this volume of Beka Cooper's story. Particularly my favorite Rogue. But as always Tamora Pierce has a knack for sweeping you into a new place filled with interesting characters that capture my mind and manage, for the most part, to keep your thoughts off of those that you've left behind.

I don't feel as if we get as much of Beka's shyness, and for most people (unless you're like me and super in tune with it because you too are crazy shy) it doesn't seem like a big deal but it is just one of the major signs of Beka's development. She's really growing into her role of a Dog. And yet, she's not there yet. Despite all of the amazing things that keep happening to her, being in the right place at the right time or collecting the right crew to get her there she isn't perfect. One of the things I love the most about Tamora Pierce's characters is that while they are strong and often clever in their own ways they aren't perfect. They make mistakes. Sometimes fatal ones. Sometimes just little ones but they always muck up sooner or later, if not several times. It just rings so true. And Beka Cooper is no exception.

Needless to say it was wonderful to be back in Tortall again! I loved getting the chance to pick this up, and actually set aside several other books to devour it whenever I could. Bloodhound was a great sequel, albeit a little slower I thought than Terrier, but an excellent glimpse into how Beka will manage on her own. I can't wait to get the third book in the trilogy!

3.5/5