Sir Edmund of the Wild West: Mystery in the Grand Canyon
by Dusti Bowling (Goodreads Author), Beth Hughes (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

Edmund is a highly-trained British service dog who can detect seizures. He has a new owner, Willy, who makes videos about tracking down ghosts at historic locations. They hike through the Grand Canyon, searching for clues about what might have happened to some river rafters who disappeared decades before under mysterious circumstances. Although dogs can’t talk to the living, they can see and communicate with the dead ghosts that haunt the canyon. Edmund meets a lot of friendly ghosts who kindly lead him in the right direction to solve the mystery.

This was such a fun book! I loved Edmund’s character. He is very proud of his service record and training, and he thinks he’s good enough to serve in Buckingham Palace! At first he is disappointed when he ends up camping in the American West instead, but he discovers that he can be just as brave and heroic for his humble owner, Willy.

It was really heart-warming to see how Edmund comforts his new owner when Willy has nightmares. Willy is lonely and grieving over the deaths of his old friends from the military, and Edmund brings him so much comfort and caring. Their relationship is really sweet!

Edmund also meets some other dogs at the campsite and makes some unlikely friends. At first, Edmund is disgusted by their poor manners and uncouth American ways, but gradually he begins to appreciate their humor and honesty.

I also really loved the illustrations in the book! It brings the story to life and brings the humor forward in the comedic scenes when we see Edmund making funny doggy faces!

The mystery does include some brief descriptions of accidents and ghosts and how they died. One ghost was shot by his mining partner, another died in a plane crash, and one fell over a cliff while taking a selfie. Most of the descriptions are from true history, including the main mystery of the missing river rafters, but they are not described in any gory detail. I appreciated that we could have the mystery, but it was still age-appropriate.

This book has been screened on the Screen It First website. https://screenitfirst.com/book/mystery-in-the-grand-canyon-sir-edmund-of-the-wild-west-2595481

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.