Wednesday, June 29, 2022

The Lost by Jeffrey B. Burton

 
First Line: The guest stirred the stew of fish, crab, salted pork, okra, and herbs with a silver spoon, pushing the polenta off to the side, saving it for last.
 
When billionaire Kenneth Druckman is assaulted and his wife and daughter kidnapped, Mace Reid and his dogs are called in by the FBI. Reid calls his dogs The Finders. They are HRD (Human Remains Detection)-- cadaver-- dogs, and when one of Reid's dogs finds the body of Druckman's wife, the search for Druckman's little girl intensifies.
 
But... the trail Reid's dog, Vira, found leads straight back to Druckman himself. With the help of Chicago Police Detective Kippy Gimm, Reid and his Finders not only need to locate a little five-year-old girl but to get to the bottom of the entire mystery. 
 
Just what in the world is Druckman up to?
 
~
 
Jeffrey B. Burton's series featuring the irreverent Mace Reid and his fabulous pack of dogs keeps getting better, and I enjoyed every single page of his latest, The Lost.  The fast pace, the twists and turns of the plot, and the wit and humor all combine with the human and canine personalities for an exciting, fun ride.

Dog lovers should really get a kick out of The Lost, as each dog has a distinctive personality and knows exactly how to work Mace. I love how Reid chooses his dogs' names from song titles, too-- for example, Maggie (May), (A Boy Named) Sue, (El)Vira. Yes, Reid's star dog's name is pronounced Vira as in virus, not Vira as in veering off course. I'm vintage enough to know all the songs, so the dogs' names have a tendency to create their own playlist in my head.

There are some interesting bad guys to keep an eye on as well. The super-rich (and super creepy) Audrick Verlinden. He's one of these people who is convinced he's above the law, but I do have to admit that I wouldn't mind eating a meal in that dining room of his. Russian mobster Armen Kuznetsov isn't your typical brutish muscle, it's his companion that you need to keep your eye on. And the more you learn about billionaire Kenneth Druckman, the more you want to take a bath. 

As good as the bad guys are, the folks wearing white hats shine even more brightly. I love Mace and his dogs, but the kidnapped five-year-old Eleanor Scarf Druckman stole my heart. What a star! 

Some readers may scoff at how Burton has a tendency to have Mace pull rabbits out of his hat to get out of tight spots, but what saves these situations for me is two-fold. One, the solution doesn't just appear out of thin air; the author actually plants the seeds much earlier in the book and it's up to the reader to see those seeds for what they are and contemplate how they're going to be useful later on. Two, I love how Mace Reid himself describes these moments: Cheeta riding in on a herd of elephants to save the day. Having watched more than one Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movie in my youth, this paints such a vivid picture in my mind that I have to smile.

If you're in the mood for a fast-paced thriller that's a ton of fun to read, by all means, get your hands on a copy of The Lost. There's enough backstory to prevent reader confusion, but don't be surprised if you find yourself looking for the previous books in the series. 

The Lost by Jeffrey B. Burton
eISBN: 9781250808639
Minotaur Books © 2022
eBook, 288 pages
 
Police Procedural, #3 Mace Reid K-9 mystery
Rating: A
Source: Net Galley

14 comments:

  1. This one sounds like so much fun, a good story, fast-paced, humor and a dog. What's not to like? And I like those dogs' names. I do know all of the songs related to their names, as I'm vintage, too, but I thought of Bob Dylan's Maggie's Farm, not Maggie May, although I know that, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think this is a fun read that you would like. It's always good to read something a bit lighter after much darker books.

      Delete
  2. I love the names for those dogs, Cathy! I especially love that they come from songs. The premise for this one sounds intriguing, too, and I can see how Mace would be an appealing character. Little wonder you enjoyed this one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The rapport between Mace and his dogs is wonderful.

      Delete
  3. I love Mace and all his dogs! K-9 mysteries are some of my favorite, because the cute dogs bring such a fun element to them. Can't wait to read this one. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dogs are amazing, so it's little wonder that K-9 mysteries are some of my favorites, too. :-)

      Delete
  4. I love that first line. It would definitely pull me in and make me want to read more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It made my mouth water, too, but the room that food is being served in is a jaw-dropper.

      Delete
  5. I'm already on my library's hold list for this, and your review makes me more impatient for my turn to come!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had a lot of fun reading this one. I think you will, too, Kate.

      Delete
  6. For some reason, I yearned for a Todd Borg book recently. I think it's the descriptions of the environment that got me as the summer sets in. I'm reading The Echoes and savor the descriptions of the night sights and sounds and of the country ambiance. I guess being cooped up in a big city apartment for months, looking at red brick outside is getting boring. So books bring me the descriptions and then I look for photos on-line.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love Borg's descriptions of Tahoe just as much as I love Spot.

      Delete
  7. I only read one of Borg's, but I enjoyed the descriptions of the environment and I did look up photos of Tahoe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tahoe is gorgeous. Denis and I were there for a few days a few years ago. I loved it. (But not a place I'd want to stay in the winter!)

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!