First Line: Lester Darrell told his wife it wasn't safe to be on his mobile phone with all the lightning strikes.
When Ryder Creed was fourteen and his sister, Brodie, was eleven, Brodie disappeared from a rest stop along the interstate. Her disappearance ripped Ryder's family apart. Now a Marine Corps veteran, Creed devotes himself completely to his K-9 business in which he takes abandoned dogs and turns them into scent detection dogs. Together, they find the lost and the missing. And always-- always-- a part of his heart hopes that, someday, he will find Brodie, too.
A thousand miles away from Florida, FBI agent Maggie O'Dell finds a clue that may finally explain what happened to Creed's sister, but in order to learn more, she's going to have to make a deal with a madman, and the search that follows will be an agonizing one for Creed.
~
I enjoy Alex Kava's Ryder Creed series so much that I dole out each book sparingly. I know I'm going to enjoy the read, and I never want to run out of them, no matter how much I love Creed's relationship with his dogs. Lost Creed was no exception.
In Lost Creed, we learn Ryder's backstory, of what led to his sister's abduction and the aftermath that destroyed his family. We get to meet Ryder's mother, who's made a name for herself in the field that Martha Stewart made famous. But most of all, we get to be partners with Creed and FBI agent Maggie O'Dell on another high-octane thrill ride as they search for the information they need in order to find out what happened to Creed's sister. Also helping us piece things together are occasional chapters from the point of view of one of the abducted women.
In the meantime, we readers also follow along with Creed's employee, young Jason Seaver, a vet with a prosthetic limb whose troublesome attitude is slowly mellowing out. He and his young dog, Scout, are on their first solo mission, and it's Jason's chance to really learn the meaning of Rule #1: "Trust Your Dog."
Lost Creed has excellent pacing, ever-increasing suspense, and characters who make you come back for more. Kava has done so much to inform her readers about how talented dogs are, and what makes this series even more special is the fact that all of the dogs in Creed's K-9 Crime Scents business are rejects-- many of them abandoned at the end of Creed's driveway. He gives them all stability, love, and training, and as a result, many of his dogs have become heroes. Creed's primary objective is to make sure none of his dogs are ever hurt again, and you just have to mentally hug the stuffing out of him for his resolve. (At least I do.) However, this is a mystery series, not only for dog lovers but also for those who love fast-paced suspense.
Now that I've read Lost Creed, I'm going to have to force myself to stay away from the next book in the series. As I said, I enjoy these books so much that I never want to run out. But... my resolve is weakening...
Lost Creed by Alex Kava
eISBN: 9780997389791
Prairie Wind Publishing © 2018
eBook, 295 pages
Police Procedural.Working Dog, #4 Ryder Creed mystery
Rating: A
Source: Purchased from Amazon.
What a great premise for a story, Cathy! And, of course, I love the K-9 angle. I like it when an author can weave some backstory into a series like that, so you get to know the main character better. Balancing that with telling the story isn't easy!
ReplyDeleteNo, it isn't, but Kava makes it look easy!
DeleteI can't recall having heard of this author or this series so once again you have introduced me to another addition to my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteGoody! I aim to enable. ;-)
DeleteI didn't realize that the dogs in this series were abandoned. I love that! I have had this series on my TBR since the last one you reviewed (or maybe two), now I just need to get to it!
ReplyDeleteYes, you do-- hopefully soon! :-)
DeleteI loved this book; but then I love Ryder Creed and this whole series. I'm all caught up, but ready to go back and start rereading them. Jason is a fun addition to the team. And all the dogs are so awesome.
ReplyDeleteI love Grace and always laugh at the way people usually react to her. I'm not a re-reader which is why I ration myself with these books. :-)
DeleteI'm current on this series because I pounce on the new entries as they are released. I have others that I stretch out, though, so I know the feeling.
ReplyDeleteYes, for those rare times when we don't have a book immediately spring to mind when we're looking for something to read. :-)
DeleteLove the dogs and that they are so smart and have such good senses of smell. Have learned a lot from the two books I read. Interesting humans, too.
ReplyDelete