"I have a feeling my troubles are just beginning."
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Sam d'Bear by Michael Marsden Gray Dog Press
book review by Annie Laura Smith
This story originally was the second novel in a trilogy of David Montgomery mysteries. The author notes the big, black Newfoundland dog took over the story by making it more of a human interest story rather than a mystery. The author's own dog, Keeper Bear, was no doubt the role model for Sam. Keeper Bear had traveled with Marsden to Estes Park, Colorado, and into the Rocky Mountain National Park. It is this location where the story begins.
David Montgomery, owner of Fall River Art Gallery and a photographer, is taking nature photographs as the sun rises over idyllic scenes in the Rocky Mountain National Park. He miraculously escapes injury when a camper runs over him and obtains medical assistance for the driver of the camper whose vehicle goes over the cliff. At the request of the rescuer, he assumes care of the dog, Sam, and ultimately adopts him. As the story unfolds, his concern that his troubles are just beginning becomes a reality. Montgomery and Sam d'Bear encounter fires set by two teen age girls, snowstorms, a mountain lion, and even a fire in his own home. The attention from two attractive women also becomes problematic. Sam, ever the faithful canine companion, is there through all of these events to help his new friend in need. This echoes his owner's earlier words to Montgomery: "Sam makes friends with those who need a friend." Together Montgomery and Sam also prove the innocence of a young boy with a troubled past, who is wrongly accused of the arson to Montgomery's home. Marsden's Master's Degree in Forest Biometry and 30 years with the USDA Forest Service provide a background for his lyrical descriptions about nature. His previous ownership of a Newfoundland dog is also shown in his attentive care of Sam.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review