When I saw the title of Lorrie Moore’s latest book, Bark, I was hoping there might be a tale or two about dogs included in the short story collection, but it appears to be metaphorical — hence, the pic of tree ‘bark’ on the cover.

However, after listening to author, Walter Kirn, on NPR talking about his new Talented Mr. Ripley-like thriller about befriending a master manipulator (wait, that definitely sounds like a dog!), Blood Will Out, I learned that a Gordon Setter plays a big supporting role in the story. Like all great books, Kirn’s starts with a dog — when he agrees to shuttle a crippled rescue dog across the country to meet a supposedly wealthy, pooch-loving Rockefeller — who turns out to be a psychopath. But don’t worry, at least the dog doesn’t get killed! (NPR)