CHECK IT OUT:

We are in the midst of the “dog days of summer” when the days are hot and muggy.

Fortunately, Mother Nature has been fairly kind this summer.

The majority of the days have not been sweltering and stuffy, so if you are looking for some entertaining reads to wrap up these dog days, check out these tales about man’s, and in some cases woman’s, best friend.

Dig up the clues with Dixie and her pack in Blaize Clement’s second Dixie Hemingway Mystery, “Duplicity Dogged the Dachshund.”

Dixie Hemingway, a former Sarasota Sheriff, has turned in her badge and replaced it with a leash. She now makes her living as a pet sitter, a seemingly non-perilous profession.

When her latest four-legged client, an elderly miniature dachshund named Mame, escapes from Dixie and heads straight for the woods, Mame unearths more than Dixie bargained for. The dachshund discovers the dead body of Conrad Ferrelli, whose Doberman was once a client of Dixie’s.

Dixie finds herself in familiar territory as she joins Lt. Guidry in the investigation.

Helen Hawthorne, like Dixie, also resides in the Sunshine State. She’s landed a stint at a Barker Brothers Pampered Pet Boutique in Elaine Viet’s mystery “Murder Unleashed.”

Pampered Pet caters to Ft. Lauderdale’s most elite and fanatical dog owners. Helen finds herself in a predicament when she drops off a client’s Yorkshire terrier at home and discovers the pampered pooch’s owner out by her pool, dead. Helen panics and flees the residence in the boutique’s pink Cadillac without reporting the crime.

That’s not the end of it for Helen. Her day continues its downward spiral when a labradoodle puppy is dognapped from the boutique. These two events put Helen on the sleuthing trail. Uncover what happens in this exclusive pet world in Viet’s latest Dead-End Job caper.

For another light-on-its paws tale turn to “Walking in Circles before Lying Down” by Merrill Markoe.

Twice-divorced Dawn Tarnauer discovers her dog Chuck can suddenly communicate with her. Chuck offers his master sage advice and perceptive observations about potential suitors. Follow Dawn on her canine-led quest for love in Markoe’s story filled with drama, dark humor and a cast of dysfunctional characters.

On a more serious note, Paul Iverson, a linguistics professor, comes home to find that his wife, Lexy, has died. The only witness to the death is their dog, Lorelai. Determined to find out if Lexy’s death was intentional or an accident, Paul goes to great lengths to try to teach Lorelei to communicate.

Will Paul obtain the answers he’s looking for? Find out in “The Dogs of Babel” by Carolyn Parkhurst.

Continuing with the theme of animals communicating with their masters, “The Labrador Pact” by Matt Haig introduces the reader to Prince, a Labrador narrator.

Prince communicates with other animals and with his human family by way of tail-wags, sniffing and barks. He lives by the dogma, “duty over all.”

The story begins with Prince admitting he has failed humanity and dishonored the pact all Labradors hold fast to. He is in the vet’s office about to be put down. The reasons are then explained throughout the remainder of the story in a flashback sequence.

From Mame to Prince, these dogs will steal your heart and perhaps provide some laughs and tears along the way. So escape from these dog days and enjoy one of these canine capers to wind down the summer.

CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Hartsen. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at www.newportbeachlibrary.org. For more information on the Central Library or any of the branches, please contact the Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.