Gail Buchalter’s novel Friday Night Fighters: A Forensic Veterinarian Mystery is the first of a kind – an Animal CSI murder mystery. The book combines forensics, investigative procedures and police work as it takes the reader on an eye-opening journey through the world of pit bull fighting.
“I couldn’t conceive how someone could write a fictional book about pit bull fighting that people would want to read, but Gail Buchalter nailed it!” said Melinda Merck, DVM and owner of Veterinary Forensics Consulting, who assisted with the prosecution of Michael Vick, when she was Director of Forensics for the ASPCA. Merck provided Ms. Buchalter with invaluable information through a series of interviews. “Her characters are fantastic and funny – I found myself laughing out loud at times – and could not wait to learn more about them. She’s created an intriguing, gritty mystery with a heartwarming story about animals and the people who work to protect them. An outstanding accomplishment.”
Allison Reeves, a forensic veterinarian, is an avenger of the abused. A New York City transplant, she moved to Maryland’s rural Eastern Shore to live with her boyfriend, K-9 Senior Trooper John Thibert. Today she is the director of the mid-Atlantic Region of the Humane Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty (HSPAC), and is searching for the killer of a black pit bull bearing fighting scars.
She and best friend and partner Jackie Vincente, a lead investigator for HSPAC, and John begin the search for the person who shot the dog. Their investigation turns up more than fighting dogs. They discover dead dog owners and their luckless fighters. Almost as disturbing, Allison discovers previously confiscated dogs are mysteriously returning to the big-ticket Friday night fights.
The trio methodically uncovers the major players in this Mecca of dog fighting, following a trial that leads them to Baltimore County. But the murderer of the black pit bull still eludes them – until Allison risks her life facing down a killer who no longer has anything to lose.
Ms. Buchalter’s background as a journalist (staff writer for People, contributing editor at Parade for nearly 20 years, and arguably the longest-surviving freelancer at Forbes) helped her write this fact-based mystery. Volunteering and becoming a board member of her local humane society and helping organize a feral cat spay/neuter organization only increased her concern and love for animals. Friday Night Fighters: A Forensic Veterinarian Mystery is the culmination of her career and her passion.
For more information please go to www.fridaynightfightersmystery.com. The Buy the Book page has been set up so that any referring shelters or rescues can be referenced so a percentage of the profits from the sale can be donated to it.
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