The Dog that Whispered by Jim Kraus

Wilson Steele is a college professor who seems to be a bit of a curmudgeon when The Dog That Whispered begins. His mother,  Gretna, who lives in a nearby retirement complex also seems to be a bit grumpy in personality. Then Gretna adopts Thurman. Thurman is a rescued black lab mix that Gretna sees on a TV ad and decides to adopt him. Only after she adopts Thurman, she finds out she is not allowed to have pets at the complex, so she talks Wilson into taking Thurman.

I don't want to give any of the plot away. However, I would say that I found The Dog That Whispered to be a pleasant read. I appropriately read this book over Memorial Day weekend and I gained insight into what war veterans may face in their minds when they return to the United States. I also appreciated how the author helped bring faith into the character's lives and helped them see the healing grace of God. Sometimes people who may appear grumpy face challenges that we know nothing about. As this book continued on, I found myself truly liking the characters and pulling for them.

This book has a great list of questions in the back to think about on your own, or better yet, to use with a reading group to discuss the book. I found the questions insightful to the story and making it relevant to the reader's life.

The Dog that Whispered is the first book that I have read by Jim Kraus. I plan to get a copy of his previous books as I enjoyed this one so much. I have to add that I love the dog in this cover illustration; he does look like he has something to say and is such a good fit for Thurman.

I received this book from Faith Words. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for the book.