Living the Life of Gnarly: (Story of a K-9 Sidekick), By Lauren Carr

 

 

This guest post is the story of Gnarly, German Shepherd sidekick to Mac Faraday, the star detective of Lauren Carr’s Mac Faraday Mysteries. For those who are new to the Mac Faraday Mysteries, Gnarly is the only German Shepherd to be dishonorably discharged from the United States Army. (Don’t ask them what happened. They refuse to talk about it and tend to get nasty when asked.)

 

Mac Faraday was a homicide detective in Washington, DC, when his life changed in one day. With the pound of a judge’s gavel, Mac’s twenty-year marriage was over and his wife got everything. He was wiped out financially. As he was leaving the courtroom, a lawyer approached him. Fearful that he was about to get another financial hit, Mac ran for three city blocks before he felt sorry for the little man chasing him. 

 

With the expression of a child bursting to tell his secret, this lawyer informed Mac Faraday that the teenaged girl who had given him up for adoption forty-seven years earlier had grown up to become Robin Spencer, world famous murder mystery writer. Upon her death six weeks earlier, she had left her entire estate to her only child.

 

Mac Faraday also inherited Robin Spencer’s dog—Gnarly.

 

Here’s Gnarly’s story, as dictated to Archie Monday, because Mac has grounded him from using the computer after ordering a $2000 Home Pet Spa, complete with a massage attachment, on his credit card. 

 

Take it away, Gnarly!

 

I was born a poor German Shepherd at Beck’s Kennels, located in a small town in West Virginia called Inwood. Okay, maybe I wasn’t exactly poor, but let’s face it, it was a far cry from Spencer Manor on Deep Creek Lake, Maryland.

 

Well, I could tell you about my life in the Army, but then I would have to kill you. So, I guess you want to hear about how I ended up as chief of security at Spencer Manor, Mac Faraday’s multi-million dollar estate.

 

It all started after the Army decided they needed to get rid—I mean, it was time for me to leave my life of service in the United States Military.

 

Eventually, I ended up on Spencer Point, assigned to protect this less-than-nice woman named Katrina Singleton. Let’s just say she and I didn’t see eye-to-eye. I kept trying to tell her that someone was seriously stalking her, but she wouldn’t listen and kept telling me what a bad dog I was because I was digging up her yard. She kept locking me in the garage. Hello! It was my job to protect her and she’s locking me in the garage. How am I supposed to protect someone when I’m locked up?

 

But there was this nice police officer, David O’Callaghan. He listened. When Katrina’s murderer almost killed me when I tried to apprehend him, David took me to the vet. Katrina’s husband ordered them to put me to sleep, but Robin Spencer, the nice lady who lived next door to Katrina, saved me. 

 

Life with Robin Spencer (until she died a couple of months later); and then Mac and Archie Monday (Robin’s assistant) is the best. Mac has a tendency to get testy on occasion—like when I find things and bring them home. He especially gets mad when David, who it turns out is Mac’s half-brother, shows up in his role as chief of police and accuses me of stealing this stuff that I have found fair and square. 

 

But, I flash everyone my big brown eyes. My favorite female human, Archie will jump to my defense and plead temporary insanity. David will agree to abuse his position as chief of police and cover up my crime. (He’s even paid off some of my victims to drop their complaints, but you didn’t hear that from me.) Mac will grumble, glare, and ground me.

 

I must confess that some people are easier to win over than others. I have found that those who don’t like me have their own issues. Archie seems to be the only one who follows my lead in that regard. Like our latest adventure (Blast from the Past), started out innocently enough. 

 

It all started when Archie was taking me to the groomer. Misty is only the hottest dog groomer on Deep Creek Lake. Her full body massages are to die for. Of course, Mac thinks my monthly appointment with Misty is extravagant. He thinks everything is extravagant. Come on! He’s a multi-millionaire! You know, there are dogs in Beverly Hills who eat steak every single day. I only want one stinking full body massage a month!

 

Back to the story: So Archie is driving her SUV along Deep Creek Lake and this police cruiser falls in behind us. Well, my nose told me immediately that those police officers were not any of David O’Callaghan’s people. I smelled trouble and wanted to go right at them. But Archie was cool, I tell you. She had everything under control and told me to get down.

 

Next thing I know, Archie whips her pink handgun out of her purse and we have two dead hit men lying in the street.

 

A car full of tourists came by right then. There was yelling and screaming and tires squealing.

 

My dear sweet Archie was standing there holding her pink handgun. She was shaking like a leaf until I kissed her on the cheek. I guess she was in shock.

 

After we checked out the two men and found that yeah, they were really truly dead, I went over and sat down in front of her. “What just happened here?” I asked with a tilt of my head.

 

She petted me on the head and said, “It’s a long story.”

 

Wow, it was a long story. You won’t believe what happened next. But even if you don’t believe it, it makes quite a story. So get Blast from the Past and find out. It’s a Blast! 

 

Blurb:

In this fourth mystery on Deep Creek Lake; Mac Faraday finds himself up to his eyeballs in mobsters and federal agents.

After an attempted hit ends badly with two of his men dead, mobster Tommy Cruze arrives in Spencer, Maryland, to personally supervise the execution of the witness responsible for putting him behind bars—Archie Monday!

Mac Faraday believes he has his work cut out for him in protecting his lady love from one of the most dangerous leaders in organized crime; but when bodies start dropping in his lakeshore resort town, things may be hotter than even he can handle.

 

 

 

 

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About the Author:

Lauren Carr fell in love with mysteries when her mother read Perry Mason to her at bedtime. The first installment in the Joshua Thornton mysteries, A Small Case of Murder was a finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Award.

Lauren is also the author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. It’s Murder, My Son, Old Loves Die Hard, and Shades of Murder, have all been getting rave reviews from readers and reviewers. Blast from the Past is the fourth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series. The next installment in the Mac Faraday series will be released in October of this year.

Released September 2012, Dead on Ice introduces a new series entitled Lovers in Crime, which features prosecutor Joshua Thornton with homicide detective Cameron Gates. The second installment in the Lovers in Crime series will be out in 2013.

The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors. This year, several books, over a variety of genre, written by independent authors will be released through the management of Acorn Book Services, which is currently accepting submissions. Visit Acorn Book Services website for more information.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She also passes on what she has learned in her years of writing and publishing by conducting workshops and teaching in community education classes.

She lives with her husband, son, and two dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Visit Lauren’s websites and blog at:
E-Mail: writerlaurencarr@comcast.net
Website: http://acornbookservices.com/
http://mysterylady.net/
Blog: Literary Wealth: http://literarywealth.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lauren.carr.984991
Gnarly’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/GnarlyofMacFaradayMysteries
Lovers in Crime Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/LoversInCrimeMysteries?ref=ts&fref=ts
Acorn Book Services Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/AcornBookServices?ref=hl
Twitter: @TheMysteryLadie