Holly soon finds Eumie dead of a drug overdose on one of her visits to their home. While the death appears to be an accident, Eumie's daughter from her first marriage, Caprice, who is a non-social reclusive, overweight Harvard coed, thinks that the death is nothing less than murder. Ted also has a very moody son who really doesn’t seem to care a whit about the death of his stepmother or what caused it. Dolfo is a love who just needs some constant care and coaching to become the dog that he should be, and Holly aims to make him into that wonderful creature that we all know is buried under the rogue who won’t obey.

Good mystery with touches of homey recipes and little facts about her favorite breed, the Alaskan malamute, and all steeped in the true-life concern for those pets we all so dearly care about. All this is intermixed with the strongly humorous portrait of the Boston-area therapeutic community that is so far out of touch with the everyday world that it makes you shake your head a few times in wonderment.

Gaits of Heaven is a great little cozy book to cuddle up by the fireplace with. Conant’s many readers will enjoy this as much as I did. She has done a fine job of writing this sweet book about her loving pups and some quirky people. This book may just well be her next best seller and bring her the notice that she deserves.