Bloodhound (Beka Cooper Series #2) by Tamora Pierce
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(Hardcover)
- Pub. Date: April 2009
- 560pp
- Sales Rank: 6,893
FOR PARENTS
- Age Range: 12 and up
- Common Sense Rates this for Ages: More
- Reading Level from Lexile: HL730L
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| Available in eBook | $9.99 |
| Compact Disc - Unabridged, 10 CDs | $59.85 |
| Library Binding | $21.99 |
| MP3 Book - Unabridged | $26.14 |
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Product Details
- Series: Beka Cooper Series, #16
- ISBN-13: 9780375814693
- ISBN: 0375814698
Synopsis
Beka Cooper is finally a Dog—a full-fledged member of the Provost’s Guard, dedicated to keeping peace in Corus’s streets. But there’s unrest in Tortall’s capital. Counterfeit coins are turning up in shops all over the city, and merchants are raising prices to cover their losses. The Dogs discover that gamblers are bringing the counterfeit money from Port Caynn. In Port Caynn, Beka delves deep into the gambling world, where she meets a charming banking clerk named Dale Rowan. Beka thinks she may be falling for Rowan, but she won’t let anything—or anyone—jeopardize her mission. As she heads north to an abandoned silver mine, it won’t be enough for Beka be her usual “terrier” self. She’ll have to learn from Achoo to sniff out the criminals—to be a Bloodhound. . . .
VOYA
Two hundred years before Alanna disguised herself as a boy to become a knight in Pierce's The Song of the Lioness quartet, Beka Cooper, the ancestor of Alanna's husband, George Cooper, master thief and spy, joins the Provost Guard to become a police officer. Beka was a trainee in the first book, Terrier (Random House, 2006/VOYA February 2007). In this middle book of the trilogy, she is a junior police officer, and her second year on the force is quite a challenge. She goes through four unsuitable partners and is abandoned by Pounce, her god cat, who is off on a personal mission. Beka gets a replacement in Achoo, a scent hound she rescued from an abusive trainer. The ghosts in pigeons and the spirits in spinning dust funnels still talk to her, which comes in handy when she and Goodwin, her former trainer, go to Port Caynn to investigate who is behind the spread of counterfeit silver coins. The investigation leads her to Pearl, the dangerous Rogue of the city, who is involved in a scheme that puts all of Tortall at risk. Beka also meets and falls in love with a young bank courier, who shows her a good time but then bids her a fond farewell when she returns home. This compelling first-person narrative, recounted by Beka in the pages of her journal, includes a vivid cast of characters and lots of action. It is fantasy, an excellent police procedural, and an immensely satisfying read. Mystery and fantasy fans will be eagerly awaiting the next installment of Beka Cooper's adventures. Reviewer: Bonnie Kunzel
More Reviews and RecommendationsBiography
Tamora Pierce lives in Syracuse, New York, with her husband, Tim, five cats, two birds, and various freeloading wildlife. Visit her online at www.tamorapierce.com.
More About the AuthorCustomer Reviews
- Reader Rating:
- Ratings: 143Reviews: 84
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Reviewed by Samantha Clanton aka "Harlequin Twilight" for TeensReadToo.comby TeensReadToo
Reader Rating:
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January 14, 2010: Rebekah "Beka" Cooper is now a Dog, a fully qualified member of Provost's Guard, which is basically the police force in Corus, the capital of Tortall. Beka is a natural at Dog work - she's observant and persistent, but her magical traits set her apart from the rest. She has the ability to gain information from the spirits that attach themselves to pigeons and the dust and dirt that swirl on the ground called dust spinners. These skills, along with the help from the company she keeps, make Beka a skilled Dog.
Beka has been a Dog for five months at this point, and her fourth partner has just decided to leave her, which sends her back to her (amusing) training Dogs, Tunstall and Goodwin. One her first day back with them, they learn of counterfeit silver coins being used throughout Corus, which begins their investigation on the subject. On the second day, the merchants raise their prices in order to cover their losses, which causes a riot in the Lower City. During the riot, Tunstall is injured and in trying to get him to safety, they meet a group of men from a security caravan, who turn out to be quite useful to them.After the riots, it's found that the counterfeit coins are being brought in by gamblers from Port Caynn and the Port Caynn Dogs don't seem to be doing anything about it. With Tunstall on bed rest, Cooper and Goodwin are sent undercover to Port Caynn to try and locate where these fake coins are coming from - and who is sending them out into the mainstream. Beka and Goodwin must explore the deep world of gambling and find the root of the problem, all in a strange city.Along the way, Beka sees Dale Rowan, a bank courier who sometimes works on the caravan whom she met in the riot. Dale becomes more than just someone to help the women learn about the gambling places, and the eating houses that could help aid them - he becomes someone Beka really begins to like. He is handsome, buys her fine gifts, and becomes a bedmate for her, all in a matter of days. There is just enough romance that you almost want to root for him, but personally I am still rooting for her and Rosto, the Rogue of Corus.With the help of the adorable Achoo, Beka's new scent hound, Slapper, a hilarious pigeon that carries the voices of the dead, and their new friends from the riots, they have just the aid they need to get their investigation started. Things finally start falling into place when Goodwin goes to Corus to report what they have found so far. Once Goodwin is gone, things come together rather quickly for young Beka, and it is up to her alone to keep it all from blowing up before help arrives. And it is up to Achoo to teach Beka that there is more to finding a criminal than the chase, and sometimes you have to sniff them out of their hiding places.I love this story! It's told very well - everything you read is written through Beka's journal and, despite the length of the book, the entire story covers just under three weeks. I didn't read TERRIER, the first book in the trilogy, but BLOODHOUND seems to stand on its own, with only a slight temporary confusion. Some of the terminology is quite different, but there is a dictionary in the back, along with a few other things that are quite helpful when it comes to keeping things straight... Read the full review at www.teensreadtoo.comBeka Cooperby booksRawesome
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September 23, 2009: I have not read Bloodhound so I can only fantisise about it. From what I read in the previous book which I do not own but barrowed from the library, was amazing and a true page turner from the very begining. I loved how Beka toed the line separating the "Dogs" from the "Rats". I was having a problem with a boy who I really liked. Now I know to many of you I just sounded like every other shallow headed girl on the Earth, but I wanted to tell this boy I liked him and I couldn't force myself to call him so I started reading this book, knowing that Beka was kind of having her own problem with Rosto, and then he kissed her. I took this as a message and am going to tell my crush how I feel. It inspired me and I can't wait to read the next book "Bloodhound".
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Why We Rated This Appropriate for Ages 12 and UP
What to watch out for
- Drugs:
Beka rarely drinks (she perfers to keep her head clear), but many of her friends and colleagues do, generally in social situations.
- Sex:
Sex and sexuality are treated very matter of factly. Unmarried characters (including Beka) sleep together, and there's a good amount of flirting and kissing as well. Things don't get too graphic, but Beka does refer to her "peaches" and the... More
Sex and sexuality are treated very matter of factly. Unmarried characters (including Beka) sleep together, and there's a good amount of flirting and kissing as well. Things don't get too graphic, but Beka does refer to her "peaches" and the way that a young man kissing/touching her makes her feel. Two men kiss; their same-sex relationship isn't a big deal -- nor is anyone else's sexuality. Close
- Violence:
The book's world is matter-of-factly brutal, with frequent murders, beatings, and other incidents. Beka and the other Dogs are frequently involved in fights (even riots) and confrontations, and they use various weapons -- though they prefer... More
The book's world is matter-of-factly brutal, with frequent murders, beatings, and other incidents. Beka and the other Dogs are frequently involved in fights (even riots) and confrontations, and they use various weapons -- though they prefer heavy batons to swords, since they'd rather catch criminals than kill them. There are some bloody deaths (human and animal) and serious injuries. Nothing is described in particularly graphic terms, but the violence is pretty pervasive. At one point in the story, Beka saves children from kidnappers (who presumably have dark intentions). Close
- Language:
Plenty of slang and swearing, but it's all in words that are specific to the world of the book (there's a glossary in the back for translation).
What Parents Need to Know
About Bloodhound (Beka Cooper Series #2)
Parents need to know that this fantasy/crime story takes place in a medieval-esque world in which violence is commonplace, sex is sometimes casual, and bribery and poverty go hand in hand. While there's nothing especially graphic, overall the story has a more mature tone than the first book in the series, with the heroine taking on bigger responsibilities and dallying with a young man. There are some deaths and many injuries, characters drink and flirt (and sometimes more), and a same-sex relationship is treated matter-of-factly.
Families Can Talk About
<p>Families can talk about the world the book takes place in. If you've read Pierce's other novels, how does this compare to other stories set in Tortall? Does it feel as much like a fantasy as the other books? Why or why not? Do you miss that element? What do you think of the way the Dogs and Rats co-exist? Does that seem realistic? What era in real human history do you think the book is most closely related to?</p>