Spotted Dog

It has been seven years since the last installment in the Corrina Chapman series by Kerry Greenwood. Corrina runs a bakery, Earthly Delights, in inner Melbourne. The bakery is situated in a building named Insula, containing small shops at ground level plus a series of apartments in which an unusual assortment of people live. The building that inspired Insula in the book is actually the Majorca Building on the corner of Flinders Lane and Centre Way between Swanston and Elizabeth streets.

In this seventh volume in the series Corrina and Daniel have several mysteries to solve. Who stole Geordie, a dog belonging to ex-serviceman, Alastair Sinlair? Who has been breaking into apartments at Insula and why? How did the malware get on the Cafe Delicious' computer? What is the mystery about Philomela, a new arrival at Insula, who is unable to walk or talk? Are these random events or are they related?

The first priority is to rescue the kidnapped dog and let the police investigate the other events, however the inhabitants of Insula manage to become involved in the bigger picture of events as well. I enjoy this books primarily for the portrayal of inner Melbourne and environs. The characters in the books are generally quirky and there are many reference to food throughout the book. The constant references to the relationship between Corrina and Daniel annoys me a little but I am sure that many other readers will enjoy this aspect of the book as well.