Cleverly written and as fast as a greyhound chasing Rusty, the electronic rhythm-rabbit in the Kennel Club Dog TrackAuthor Anne Gilbert grabs her readers by the throat and quickly pulls them into a story of retribution, revenge, and retaliation in her novel, Mayor of the Dog Park.
A vacant lot reclaimed by a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, the dog park called “Faux Paws” has become a daily routine for designer dogs, pedigrees, bloodhounds, strays and their owners of various “human breeds.” “. Animally related, K-9s and their respective 401K owners seem to be aptly matched in temperament, personality, and intelligence. With names like Moe & Lucky, Gimp & Muffle, Ramon & Lolita and, of course, Mayor Eddie and his dog winning a church award, Bingo, these duos split up each afternoon to go to their respective separate areas inside by Faux Paws; some go to the big dog area, others to the small dog section, while the owners settle into a gazebo to talk.
I must admit, as a disclaimer, that I am an extraordinary dog lover, so reading this book was like rolling onto my back and getting my belly scratched. As much as I have come to love and understand the wonders of “man’s best friend,” I am also emotionally outraged when I hear about animal cruelty; especially when done intentionally. Therefore, I could relate to the emotions and motivations of the human characters in Mayor of the Dog Park; facts seem as logical to me as a border collie retrieving a tennis ball. However, in the interest of maintaining the impact of this story, I will not tell more about the circumstances that are revealed in Chapter 3.
There is a clever foreshadowing regarding Eddie’s house, as it is a lavishly designed home built by one of South Florida’s foremost architects. “The three-story great room was dominated by a massive Gothic-style fireplace and walnut panelling. Probably its most interesting aspect was the ceiling with myriad stars painted on the ceiling,” author Anne Gilbert wrote. The room was specified by Eddie’s recollection of it, when on a trip to London, he saw a drawing of the actual “Star Chamber” used in 15th century England.
Tea Mayor of the Dog Park is a mature reading escape, allowing for the rapid character development of the “Snow-bird” transplant community of Chicago and other northern US cities as they conspire to do what every dog lover plan to do about animal abuse. Anne Gilbert is obviously a dog owner, and judging by her writing speed, agility, sometimes bewildering machinations, and sense of humor, I’ll bet she’s got a terrier of sorts, like maybe a Jack Russell. Regardless of what breed she has of hers, her dog has found a human who can be trained, that’s for sure, trained to write.