Maddie McGowan Book 1
Kensington Pub
Few 2026
Away To Me by Patricia McConnell is her debut novel. It is not just a murder mystery but explores the deep connection between humans and their furry dog partners. There are scenes with PTSD, both human and canine, domestic violence, and families of dogs and humans. Some of those scenes comes from her professional experiences.
“I really want to write a murder mystery although, I never committed one. LOL. I have written non-fiction for years. I decided to write what I know. My main character, Maddie McGowan, is an animal behavioralist like me. Many of her clients is some kind of mash up of clients I have seen but I did keep their personal information confidential. Like Maddie I do have border collies, a small flock of sheep, and live in Wisconsin. One of the dogs in the story, Bo Peep, the sheep guarding dog, the Great Pyrenees, was my first dog named Bo Peep. LOL. I could not resist naming the dogs Bo Beep who protects sheep.”
In the beginning, readers interestingly learn about why dogs react in a certain way. The animal behavior details were fascinating without ever dragging down the story.
“One of the great things about fiction is readers can learn about subjects they do not know about. Maddie’s world is of an animal behaviorist where she talks about clients and animals. It is a way to get to know Maddie. “Play bow” is when the dog’s butt is up in the air and in dog communication means ‘I want to play.’ “Take a bow” means to calm down and relax. The title, Away to Me, is a cue to a sheep dog to move counterclockwise around the sheep.”
Although in the beginning of the book, Maddie’s good friend and mentor, George, is shot the mystery really begins after she rescues a German Shepherd, Cisco. While Maddie is trying to figure out if George’s shooting was an accident or on purpose, she is distracted by trying to help Cisco who is severely injured and aggressively acts out. Maddie seems like the only one who he allows to get near him, falls in love with him, and takes him home as a foster. She also realizes that Cisco must have been some kind of drug detection or K9 dog. Under her care, Cisco is thriving, and Maddie is very happy to add him to her canine family. But happiness turns into trauma when Cisco is kidnapped and her house is ransacked. Maddie risks her life to find Cisco and discover the truth about George’s shooting.
“Cisco He is a detection dog. He is affectionate. He and Maddie have a common thread and are connected because of the trauma each went through. Dogs have relatively similar emotional brains as humans. They can be traumatized too. Many times, the aggression is defensive because the dog is frightened and scared. Cisco’s behavior is based on fear. Maddie as a behaviorist knows to read the faces of dogs well and can speculate what emotions drive that expression.”
Maddie is a very relatable character. Readers take a journey with her as she tries to rebuild her life after suffering abuse from her husband, who is now her ex. She trains sheepdogs and helps rehabilitate shelter dogs with behavioral issues. She loves her furry family that includes Jack, a border collie she got as a puppy, and the sheep guard dog Bo Beep.
“There are a lot of trainers and behavioralists who have been traumatized. It makes it easier to relate. I wrote a memoir titled The Education of Will, about my past which included some pretty horrible things happening. Like Maddie, I got PTSD. I felt a kind of closeness to dogs who were fearful. Those with PTSD have horrible videos that reoccur in their brain. One of the ways it is diagnosed to ask someone. Obviously, we cannot ask a dog, but I lean on the side that dogs can get PTSD, which is not the same of humans.”
Readers get a two for one with this novel. Not only do they get a story that explores the deep connection between dogs and their human partners they also get a riveting mystery.
