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The Wrong Dog
Rachel Alexander & Dash Mysteries, No. 5

by Carol Lea Benjamin



      I am always interested when a fiction author explores a scientific subject, especially cloning from the speculative standpoint of science fiction. The Wrong Dog also raises questions of whether extrasensory abilities are environmentally or genetically linked.

Sophie Gordon relies on her bull terrier, Blanche, to tell her when she is coming into an epileptic seizure. This allows Sophie time to take medication to alleviate the trauma and position herself in a safe location. When approached and given the chance to receive an exact genetic replica of aging and ailing Blanche, Sophie agrees to the extraction of the necessary cells. An appropriately marked puppy is delivered, but she seems oblivious to Sophie's seizures. Sophie contacts private investigator Rachel Alexander to find those who cheated her.

Some of the cloning controversy-oriented discussions sound stiff, but none are preachy, though I felt the author was generally in favor of the science. The closest thing to expressing a negative opinion is the statement as to why it took so long to deliver the appropriate puppy. Expecting pets that look alike to be the same animal is one of the horrors of human shallowness, not cloning. While color, type and style are all genetic, specific markings are not. This is why Prometea the horse, an exact cellular duplicate of her mother, does not have the same shape blaze on her face, and why monozygotic human twins look the same, but are able to lead individual and unique lives.

This is a good mystery that had the added feature of the depth to make me ponder its message long after I put it down. It makes me want to get it for both the dog lovers and fellow techno-nerds on my Christmas list.

The Book

Avon
August 1, 2005
Paperback
0060762365
Mystery
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
NOTE: Explicit content - language, sex, violence. Not quite historically accurate. It was first published in 2000 before Dolly passed in 2003. Overall, a neutral look at cloning

The Reviewer

Beth E. McKenzie
Reviewed 2006
NOTE:
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