Bloodhound

Book 2 in the Beka Cooper series picks up a few months after book 1 leaves off.  This time, Beka is no longer a trainee "puppy" but a real "Dog" (i.e. police officer) in the middle of unraveling where all the counterfeit money is coming from and halting its spread.  It's a pretty good read, as with all of Pierce's books.

If you're recommending it to teenagers, be aware that there is some sexual content (more than the first book).  Nothing graphic, but definitely some hormones happening, and Beka does actually have sex a couple of times.  (Frankly, I wasn't all that impressed with the guy she chose, but for a teenager, she handled it maturely.)

According to the Find a Book website, Bloodhound is categorized as "High/Low," meaning that it's high interest but low reading level (for vocabulary).  I don't agree with that because so much of the story is told in what Pierce--via Beka--calls "street cant."  Think:  fictionalized fantasy version of Cockney.  It's fun to read, and Pierce does include a glossary at the end of the book, but someone who struggles with reading in general may have trouble with the made-up words and phonetic spelling.

Pierce, Tamora ~ Bloodhound ~ Random, 2009 ~ 549 pages ~ tweens,  teens, some adults.

"I should have known tonight's watch would kiss the mule's bum when Sergeant Ahuda stopped me after baton training. 'A private word, Cooper,' she told me, and pulled me into a quiet corner of the yard." 

This is the second volume in the "Beka Cooper Trilogy." Terrier was the first one. Beka finished being a "puppy" or trainee in the first volume. She is now a "Dog," a regular if junior member of the Provost's Guard. While she loves her work, she has been assigned a low energy partner who makes her life difficult. When a growing problem with counterfeit coins is discovered in Tortall's capital city Corus, she is soon involved. At the same time that the counterfeit silver coins cause people to doubt the currency, poor crop harvests cause prices to increase dramatically. The two problems threaten the stability of the country as a whole. A riot against rising food prices illustrates the seriousness of the crisis. 

Beka unexpectedly finds herself a handler for a scent hound, a valuable assistant in police work. Beka is soon assigned to partner with an especially effective and experienced partner, Clara Goodwin. They are sent to Port Caynn, where the fake coins seem to come from, to learn as much as they can about who is responsible. They pretend to be Dogs sent to a different location to learn how things are done and protect Beka from criminals [rats] she has threatened in Corus. While there, they find themselves in a city where the Dogs seem to ignore serious crime as does the city government. Beka finds herself involved with a variety of strange, interesting, and sometimes threatening situations. She meets a bank courier who may be involved in the fake coin distribution, but is handsome, smooth, and her first real love. Port Caynn is controlled by a female Rogue or leader of crime and criminals. Beka and Goodwin must conduct their investigation, send reports back to Corus, and stay alive.

As in the first volume, Pierce does an excellent job with the world-building, the Dog or police culture/world view is especially well done. The two main female characters are strong, persuasive, and able to respond quickly to difficult situations. The other main characters are well developed and their interactions make the story more interesting and believable. This is primarily a detective story set in a medieval time frame. There is magic and mages do appear to heal and use spells. Beka herself has the ability to hear the spirits of the recently departed speak via pigeons. She can also hear important stories told by dust devils. Other than this access to unique information, it is her determination, wit, and street smarts that allows her to succeed.

Print is large, dark and surrounded by good white space. The jacket art by Jonathan Barket shows Beka and her scent hound Achoo. The front matter contains a first-rate map of Port Caynn. The back matter contains a detailed cast of characters, and a helpful glossary most useful in understanding the cant/slang used throughout. For example, a "cove" is a man and a "mot" is a woman.

Recommendation:

Pierce is an automatic selection for any YA fantasy collection. All of her work is popular, well worth rereading, and appeals to a broad audience which includes many adults. Although her main characters are usually older children or teens, the stories themselves are characterized by appealing characters, good world-building, interesting plots, and writing that flows well from page to page. This series, since it deals with crime, includes more serious issues than some of the earlier works.