Striking Range: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Margaret Mizushima, the seventh novel in the “Timber Creek K-9 Mystery” series, takes place in the Colorado Rockies.

Sheriff Deputy Mattie Cobb meets with cold-case detective Jim Hauck at the Colorado state prison with the intention of interviewing the man who tried to kill Mattie and who may have killed her father thirty years before. But when the prisoner is summoned, he is found dead in his cell. They’re left with only one clue: a hand-drawn map leading to Timber Creek and rugged Redstone Ridge.

Mattie and Robo, her K-9 German shepherd, and detective Jim Hauck, attempt to find clues from the map to solve that mystery. Before they can finish their search, Mattie is called to investigate the death of a young woman found by elk hunters in a nearby campground. The victim appears to have recently given birth, but the infant is nowhere to be found. The weather worsens, covering the forest with a layer of ice and snow, making the search for the infant even more difficult, dangerous and desperate.

In the meantime, veterinarian Cole Walker, Mattie’s love interest and often her partner in solving crimes, is occupied at his clinic delivering a valuable litter of pups. Cole also remembers the deceased pregnant woman being in his clinic just the day before with her dog. Cole is eventually freed from his duties and joins in the search for the infant.

When Cole goes missing and is stranded and alone in the high country with a person Mattie suspects is the killer, she and Robo begin their search for Cole. But, it seems, the killer is one step ahead.

I was intrigued with this mystery, and especially appreciated the information given along the way about police K-9 service dogs. Also of interest to me were details of systematic law enforcement procedures. People who like mysteries, and especially people who love reading about working dogs, will enjoy this novel.