FBI K-9 #8
That Others May Live by Sara Driscoll is a little bit of a deviation from my usual cozies, as it is much more of a thriller mixed with a procedural, but still qualifies as an animal detective cozy. This is the eighth book in her FBI K-9 series, and it’s very emotional and engaging. The main protagonist Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue K-9 dog, Hawk, are faced with the horrors of a collapsed twelve-story condo. Given that the collapse happened in downtown DC, there are plenty of law enforcement agencies on high alert, and plenty of fears and conjectures. However, that isn’t what Meg and her fiancée firefighter Todd are concentrating on. They are most concerned about any potential victims that could still be alive and waiting for rescue. While the outlook seems impossible and grim, for their own mental health and that of the rescue dogs they refuse to accept that there might not be anyone to save.
At the same time their friend and investigative reporter Clay McCord gets busy investigating what could have caused the collapse. Luckily as he investigates and digs, readers are provided with plenty of definitions and explanations as they go over building blueprints and construction terms. Sara Driscoll even starts each chapter with a construction term and its definition. She uses these epigraphs throughout the book. The information is vital to unraveling the mystery, and, luckily, Meg, Todd, and Clay are all ready to put their heads and information together to solve it. Clay McCord does the press credit as he not only digs into the disaster, but remains tactful and considerate to the victims’ families as he moves forward with his investigation and articles. But as he goes he makes sure to keep the local authorities, including Meg’s FBI rescue unit, apprised as to what he finds. And what he finds is that this might not be a one-off tragedy, but the start of many acts of domestic terrorism. Needless to say, this starts a race to find who could possibly be behind it and how they can stop them.
I do feel I should give readers a little warning: That Others May Live does contain the detailed descriptions of a collapsed building and the victims of the collapse. While it’s very accurate and immersive, it could also be damaging to those who either suffered a traumatic loss or simply are unable to handle descriptions of such large scale tragedies. I would suggest being honest with yourself about handling those kinds of details. Sara Driscoll manages to accurately capture the emotional trauma everyone surrounding a tragedy such as this has to face, and the realities of what such a collapse means rescue-wise. The procedure the rescuers have to follow, and even the details into the architecture of the building are very authentic and really help submerge readers into the story.
Determination to find out who was behind it and see them brought to justice will spur readers through the book, as Meg and Clay delve deep into not only those who had lived in the building, but also the dark web. I will say I found the ending to be satisfying, and am curious about Sara Driscoll’s previous work. However, you don’t have to have read the previous novels in order to enjoy this one. Given that this team reacts on an emergency by emergency basis, That Others May Live is able to stand on its own. All the characters and their interlinking dynamics are laid out from the start so readers are never confused. I suggest this for readers who enjoy an in-depth procedural thriller first and foremost, and for the cozy reader looking for a little bit more of a thrilling and emotional read second. – Carla Schantz