A Taint in the Blood by Dana Stabenow

I was beginning to think that the Jim and Mutt rescue was going to be a regular feature. They rode to the rescue in this one, too, but they were too late - Kate had already rescued herself. More like it.

The title is Roethke again, but at least this time it actually plays pretty well. We don't go back a hundred years for the roots of the crimes, as we did a couple back, only thirty, and most of the principals are still around - or at least they are at the beginning of the book. It's one of those family horror stories.

Almost the entire story takes place in Anchorage, a bit of a departure. Johnny is dumped with Auntie Vi. But it seems that adolescent boys are becoming a bit of a thing. Kate picks up a couple of them in Anchorage - she finds them on a park bench when she is out for a morning run. They have a home, but find it expedient to get out when their parents are drunk and fighting.

And, by the way, Kate has brought Jim to his knees, but he isn't quite ready to admit it yet.