Away to Me

Maddie is living her best second life on a forty-acre sheep farm in the Wisconsin countryside. In addition to her passion for training sheepdogs—including her spirited border collie Jack—she sees all manner of dogs with behavioral problems ranging from biting to thunder phobia as part of her local practice. No stranger to trauma herself, Maddie has worked hard to recover from the ordeal of her previous marriage.

But things take a turn when Maddie's friend and mentor, George, is inexplicably killed by a rifle shot fired from the woods during a sheepdog trial. Maddie is devastated and also baffled—it's not hunting season, and who could mistake a man, standing alone in a field, for a deer?

She's still reeling from George's shooting when a shelter calls her for help with a German shepherd found half dead beside the highway who's too aggressive to feed and care for. The dog flourishes at the farm, but when Maddie returns one day to find her house invaded, it's clear that she has stumbled into a situation far more complex and sinister than she realized. And her romantic involvement with an enigmatic young shelter worker soon leads to even more trouble. As Maddie continues to search for answers to George's death, it quickly becomes apparent that her own life is once again in danger . . .

©2025 Patricia McConnell (P)2026 Tantor Media

outstanding

A wonderful book for any dog lover and mystery book lover. Compelling story of friendships, healing from trauma, dog behaviors and some romance. Just loved it!

Entertaining

I was thoroughly entertained by this book. The animal portions were written in a realistic way that I appreciated as not all books obtain that goal. The story kept me engaged all the way through. All in all a fun read that I would ( and have ) recommend to my dog sport friends for sure.

Dogs + Mystery

Really enjoyed this book! It kept me guessing at the identity of the killer right up until the end. The main character is lovable and her dogs are even more so, plus the author weaved a ton of her knowledge about dog behavior into the story. Highly recommend for dog lovers and mystery lovers. I hope Dr. McConnell writes more fiction!

Please keep writing Dr McConnell!

Fantastic read- especially if you love a story that includes dogs, training, dog behavior, and a mystery

loved this book!

Patricia McConnell writes fiction as if it were her real experience. I hope she'll have more co.ing out soon.