Howl Books In Order

Publication Order of The Howl Books

Howl is a charming series of mystery novels written by JK Brandon. The books stand apart from their many counterparts in the mystery genre because these stories of murder and mayhem are told from the perspectives of dogs.

+The Story

The Howl series tells the story of Taser. Taser is a black Labrador and he has lived a difficult life. ‘A Howl in the Night’, the first book in the series, somewhat explores his incarceration and the difficult years he faced leading up to the present.

However, Taser’s story isn’t a sad one. By the time the Howl series begins, Taser has finally found a home. His owner Robert is a kind and loving master. They live together in an upscale Scottsdale, Arizona neighborhood.

Taser has a roof over his head, good food in his bowl and all the love he ever wanted. However, Taser’s peaceful existence is shattered when murder strikes Scottsdale. Suddenly, the future isn’t so certain for the haunted black Labrador.

There is talk of his human owner Robert packing up and moving to a much safer neighborhood. That cannot happen. Or rather Taser will not let it happen.

The last time a human who owned Taser decided to change homes, the Labrador ended up in the county dog pound. And that is one experience he isn’t too keen on repeating. Fortunately for Taser, he isn’t alone on his quest.

If there’s a murderer in Scottsdale, the black lab will find him with the help of his friend meatloaf and the various other neighborhood dogs.

That premise might sound silly for a series of mystery novels but JK Brandon isn’t afraid to lean into it. The author loves dogs. In fact, Brandon has two Labradors of his own. It is around those two canines that Brandon based the characters of Taser and Meatloaf.

The author’s marketing strategies for the Howl series involved uploading videos of his two dogs and documenting their lives with the intention of giving context to the ideas that appeared in his books.

Brandon sets out to make dogs the main characters of a mystery thriller series of novels and he does just that. He attempts to show readers what he thinks dogs do and say when humans are not watching.

Taser is designed to be a fully realized character with his own personality, attitudes, and traits. The protagonist of the series, by the time the first book closes Taser has taken his position as pack leader of the neighborhood.

The Scottsdale dogs look to him for leadership because of the wisdom and experience he brings to the table. And Taser makes it his responsibility to look after the canines.

Despite its wealthy status, Scottsdale attracts its fair share of trouble. Sometimes it’s the humans with the trouble. And because the dogs in these books are domesticated and, thus, depend heavily on the kindness of their owners for survival, when the humans in the stories are threatened, Taser acts.

In solving the mysteries of their human owners, Taser is ensuring the safety of his four-legged friends. And for Taser, even with his simplistic understanding of human behavior and languages, it doesn’t take much for him to outwit the two-legged opponents who see fit to threaten his neighborhood.

Things are not quite as simple when the threat facing Scottsdale also stands on four legs.

The Howl books are most commonly praised and complemented by dog owners and lovers who have admitted to seeing their own pets in the canine characters that JK Brandon creates.

Brandon knows his audience and he isn’t afraid to lean into some of those tropes and clichés that are likely to fly over the heads of readers with little to no understanding of dogs.

The author has been known to attract criticism from dog owners who find offensive in some of the adult content in his books. It isn’t just sex that the Howl series explore. The books can get violent.

And some dog owners have complained about the distasteful nature of all the fighting and hurting and dying that happens among the dogs. Though, JK Brandon’s fans have defended his Howl books by saying that the stories he tells are realistic and they attempt to depict the precarious life that dogs encounter every time they venture out.

+ A Howl in the Night

Taser tries not to think about the early years of his life. Those were difficult years that he spent in the county dog pound. But Taser doesn’t have to worry about that anymore. He has a home in Scottsdale, Arizona where he lives with a human that actually cares about his wellbeing.

Most dogs wouldn’t care that a woman was murdered on their street. But most dogs are not Taser. The last time the Labrador had an owner who suddenly decided to move house, Taser ended up in the dog pound.

He cannot afford to repeat that experience. So when the murder of a woman in neighborhood incites Taser’s owner to consider the notion of moving, Taser will do everything in his power to stop him.

For Taser, that means using his canine intelligence to find the killer and showing everyone that the neighborhood is perfectly safe.

Taser will undertake the investigation in the company of his buddy meatloaf and the colorful pack of neighborhood dogs they call friends.

But the road to victory won’t be easy. Taser must face off against new dogs vying for the position of alpha. Then there’s the menacing coyote population in the desert.

+The Twilight Howl

Scottsdale has been a good home for Taser and meatloaf. And they thought there time in their neighborhood would last forever.

They did not count on the biting threat of the recession. When financial woes finally strike their rich subdivision, Taser and Meatloaf realize that their master Robert is struggling to make his house payments.

Taser doesn’t really understand money. But he knows their lives are about to face a major disruption and he must do what he can to resolve the situation. This is as criminal elements begin to invade the neighborhood.

If that wasn’t enough, there’s a new dog looking to challenge Taser for the position of Alpha.