BOOK REVIEW: Until the Last Dog Dies
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by Dell Smith Klein
Dancing Word Reviewer
Title: Until the Last Dog Dies
Author: John Laurence Robinson
Publisher: River Oak
ISBN: 1-589190-211
Genre: Inspirational/Detective/Mystery
Joe Box became a Christian last August. He’s a private eye with a tough past and right now he’s facing an even tougher future. One of his Vietnam buddies calls Box in the middle of the night. Box hasn’t heard from this man, known in Vietnam as Little Bit, for 30 years. He listens as Little Bit tells about receiving a tarot card—the death card—from a mysterious “him.” Box hangs up, figuring Little Bit is too drunk to be rational.
A few hours later, Box faces the mysterious deaths of some of the men who had been in his platoon in Vietnam. At that point, Box begins tracking down the killer while at the same time, juggling his new found Christian lifestyle with that of his life as a hard-boiled private investigator.
In Until The Last Dog Dies, John Laurence Robinson weaves a frightening story of a former Vietnam vet with a fear of dying a fiery death. Robinson’s characters are well defined. Angela Swain, Joe Box’s girl friend, stands out as a wholesome woman, very different from the women found in private eye books. Angela is an architect and one of the church’s prayer intercessors. Tim Mulrooney, a cop whose attitude collides with Box. Mulrooney really tests Box’s faith. And there is that sad little creature, Noodles, who lives with Box.
Until The Last Dog Dies is written in 1st person point of view and is filled with dialogue and narrative. The book is attractive with a dark cover showing a hint of a red sunrise over the skyline of the city. Lettering is shades of white and gray.
As a mystery Until The Last Dog Dies held this reviewer’s attention. The book deals with occult practices, psychic phenomena and mind control. On the other side, it deals with God intervening in the lives of human beings as they pray. The balance keeps the reader guessing. While I might prefer less supernatural intervention, it doesn’t detract from the story. Robinson certainly kept me reading and I’m ready to pick up his third book.
One Final Comment: Until The Last Dog Dies includes a six-page guide for personal reflection or group study called, “Branching Out.” Because of the element of fear of death in the book, Branching Out lists several Scriptures for the reader to look up and respond to. Branching Out ends with a quote by Mr. Sapperstein, a storekeeper. “In this crazy world, when everything falls, God stands.”