Monday, June 29, 2020

The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton

First Line: Christine Dack was hung over.

Mason "Mace" Reid lives on the outskirts of Chicago and trains dogs in human remains detection. It's been a rough year for him. Not only has his marriage fallen apart, but he's also mourning the death of a beloved dog. Mace adopts a golden retriever puppy he names Elvira, and when Elvira's training as a cadaver dog begins, Mace begins learning just how special the dog is.

With zero warning, Mace and "Vira" find themselves in the middle of a murder case and working with a Chicago police officer named Kippy Gimm. It's up to the three of them to stop a serial killer who now has Mace himself in his sights.

Jeffrey Burton has created a main character with a wonderful voice. Mace Reid had me in the palm of his hand throughout the book, whether he was explaining why his marriage ended in divorce (there's a huge gap between his wife "liking" dogs and Mace's "loving" dogs) or when he was describing a waste-of-space employee named Tommy B.

The mystery in The Finders is a strong one with a fast pace that doesn't let up. CPD officer Kippy Gimm (I hope the next book explains her strange name) insists that Elvira the dog is touched by the supernatural because of something that happened when she was a puppy, but that can be easily overlooked by readers who dislike woo-woo and understand how incredibly tuned to their people dogs can be. One thing is certain, however. Vira isn't your usual dog-in-a-mystery. She does something in the opening chapters that stunned and even made me a bit queasy. (Someone calls her "a tornado that bites".) But that's the only (brief) scene that tender-hearted readers need to worry about.

Burton has created a strong trio in Mace, Vira and Kippy, and I'm certainly looking forward to their next assignment.


The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton
eISBN: 9781250244543
Minotaur Books © 2020
eBook, 288 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Mace Reid K-9 mystery
Rating: A
Source: Net Galley


2 comments:

  1. I like the character background for this one, Cathy. We all go through things, and it's nice to have a novel where the author can acknowledge that without creating the stereotypical 'damaged detective.' And 'Vira sounds like a terrific detection partner.

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    Replies
    1. Mace certainly isn't a stereotype, and Vira is rather exceptional, too.

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