Fallen Creed by Alex Kava

 

First Line: "You need to get out of the house!"

 

Ryder Creed and his scent dog, Grace, have returned to Nebraska to help FBI Agent Maggie O'Dell in an ongoing case, but they're interrupted when a rural postal carrier finds a black plastic bag in a ditch. Even seasoned investigators are shocked at what's inside the bag.

 

That same morning, a young woman has gone missing. Is her disappearance connected to the find in the ditch? Ryder agrees to search for her, but an impending snowstorm will put Grace's skills to the test. She's never worked in snow or cold before.

Maggie searches for answers, but it takes a while before she realizes that no one has heard from or seen Ryder since the snow began to fall. Maggie starts to fear that he and Grace have walked into the path of a killer.

~

If you're a dog lover who enjoys reading mysteries, you have to read Alex Kava's Ryder Creed K-9 series. She's created some high-octane thrill rides for one of my favorite casts in crime fiction. In Fallen Creed, she puts Ryder and his favorite scent dog, Grace, in the path of a snowstorm and a killer, and while I was anxious the entire time I was reading the book, I knew Ryder would come through-- and so would Grace. One of the most important things to know about Ryder Creed is that this former Marine K-9 handler can-- and will-- sacrifice his own well-being for that of his dogs. 

In this latest installment, Grace is showing her skills in detecting electronics, a skill for which many trainers use food as a reward. Ryder refuses to do this:

"Many of the dogs that found their way to K-9 CrimeScents had been discarded or abandoned by their previous owners. Some, like Grace, had been on their own for long enough that they were skin and bones, scraping for what food they could find. To make that daily meal a reward for work rendered was something Creed would not even consider. Every dog in his kennel, whether working or not, deserved to be fed."

You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat animals, can't you?

Fallen Creed has fellow dog handler Jason and Creed's sister, Brodie, loading up a truck with their dogs Scout and Hank and driving from Florida to Nebraska to help in the search. Both suffer from PTSD, and Brodie is experiencing a growing attachment to Jason-- one to which he seems oblivious. While I'm on the subject of attachments, Maggie O'Dell's attachment to Creed deepens as well. This is a well-developed cast that is so so easy to get wrapped up in. I care about what happens to each and every one of them, whether two-legged or four-.

Another thing that I love about these fast-paced tales is that I always learn something: how scent dogs can detect electronics, how human trafficking is more lucrative because drugs can only be sold once but humans can be sold over and over (makes your skin crawl, doesn't it?), or how social media sites are one of the biggest threats to those in Witness Protection. It is possible to learn while feeling anxious about fictional characters...

While you don't have to start at the beginning of this series to enjoy Fallen Creed, I would hope that you choose to do so. (The first book is Breaking Creed.) There is absolutely no reason to deprive yourself of reading so many excellent books!

Fallen Creed by Alex Kava

ASIN: B09LSLZLKX

Prairie Wind Publishing © 2022

eBook, 401 pages

 

Law Enforcement, #7 Ryder Creed K-9

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Desperate Creed by Alex Kava

 

First Line: Chicago. Frankie Russo's head was already throbbing when her cell phone started blaring salsa music.

 

Francine "Frankie" Russo is not happy when her young co-worker, Tyler Gates, calls at 5 AM for a video chat, but her irritation turns to horror when seconds later, two men murder Tyler and pick up his phone. Now they know what Frankie looks like... and more. They'll be coming for her next, and the only thing she can think of to do is get out of Chicago and head for the Florida Panhandle to her friend, Hannah Washington.

 

While Frankie is en route, Hannah's friend and business partner, Ryder Creed has taken his best scent dog, Grace, to Alabama where a series of devastating tornadoes means there are survivors to find. Ryder's employee Jason and Jason's K-9 partner, Scout, are on their way to help.

 

With killers on her trail, Frankie is trying desperately to get to Hannah and the meeting that Hannah has set up with FBI agent Maggie O'Dell, but the weather is proving to be the biggest handicap of all. With threatening clouds and screaming tornado sirens, Ryder, Jason, and their dogs are witnessing tremendous devastation while Hannah and Ryder's sister, Brodie, are at home, worrying and waiting... and Frankie is trying to outrun two killers. This is a race against time and the weather, a race that no one can afford to lose.

 

~

 

I've been an ardent fan of this series since the very first book, Breaking Creed. Ryder, Hannah, Jason, and Maggie are strong, intelligent characters, and I absolutely love how Ryder has created his business: "Hannah liked to say they rescued abandoned and discarded dogs and turned them into heroes"-- and that's exactly what Ryder does. In Desperate Creed, Ryder's behavior with his dog, Grace, during a tornado made me love the man even more.

Ryder's sister, Brodie, has been added to the cast, and her adjustment to life after captivity is both life-affirming and heartbreaking. (I'm purposely not saying much about Brodie to prevent possible spoilers because I want all of you to read this series!)

As much as I enjoy the interactions of the characters, the high-octane plot of this book almost blew me away. There are the killers following Frankie from Chicago down to the Florida Panhandle. They are professionals. She is a rank amateur. Are they going to catch up with her? But, first and foremost, there are the tornadoes. I once lived in Tornado Alley, and I've had a few close encounters. I've also experienced earthquakes, blizzards, fire, and hurricane-force winds. What scared me most? Tornadoes. To put characters whom I feel so strongly about right in the path of a weather phenomenon that petrifies me? I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

Desperate Creed thrilled the adrenaline junkie in me to pieces, and it's the type of book in which readers should make a point of reading the Afterword. If you're in the mood to read a book you won't be able to put down, this is definitely the one you need to get your hands on.

Desperate Creed by Alex Kava

eISBN: 9781732006416

Prairie Wind Publishing © 2019

eBook, 321 pages

Law Enforcement, #5 Ryder Creed mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger

 

First Line: Cork O'Connor first heard the story of the Windigo in the fall of 1963 when he hunted the big bear with Sam Winter Moon.

 

Cork O'Connor loses his job as sheriff of a small Minnesota town after a confrontation between whites and Native Americans on the nearby reservation causes him to shoot a local white resort owner. The loss of his job also led to the loss of his marriage. 

Even though he's begun a new relationship with Molly Nurmi, he hasn't lost hope of rebuilding his marriage-- primarily because of his children.

When a judge commits suicide and a local boy goes missing, Cork finds himself drawn to investigate regardless of the fact that there's a new sheriff in town. The long-buried secrets he's going to find are going to ignite a powder keg.

~

Having seen William Kent Krueger several times at events held at my local independent bookstore, I've always intended to read his Cork O'Connor 0mysteries-- especially since I loved his book, Ordinary Grace. A few years have passed since I first had that intention, so it was time to pry that particular paving stone out of my personal Highway to Hades. 

Iron Lake is the first Cork O'Connor mystery and introduces us primarily to Cork, his estranged wife, Jo, his girlfriend, Molly, and his mentor, Sam Winter Moon. Cork is one-quarter Native American, and I loved the way Krueger wove the Ojibwe and Anishinaabe culture and folklore into the story. The winter landscape of northern Minnesota also figured prominently, and I don't think anyone is ever going to be able to convince me that sweating myself silly in a sauna and then running out and jumping into a lake through a hole in the ice is a fun thing to do.

The mystery is solid, and the pacing is steady and true as Cork works his way through all the secrets that have been kept over the years by several of the townspeople. Some extremely suspenseful situations and a chase over the lake ice kept me glued to the story.

Was there anything that I didn't care for? Yes. The two women were a bit too stereotypical for me. Jo was such a "wronged woman" that I rolled my eyes so far back in my head that they almost stuck. As for Molly, she was the typical love interest of the hero. Even though I hate to admit it, I never really warmed up to Cork himself, and I'm not sure why. As much as I did like Iron Lake, I can certainly see myself reading the next book in the series to see if Mr. O'Connor improves upon acquaintance.

Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger

Narrated by David Chandler

ASIN: B003NGXOQ0

Recorded Books © 2010

Audiobook. 11 hours, 57 minutes.

 

Law Enforcement, #1 Cork O'Connor mystery

Rating: B

Source: Purchased from Audible.

Bad Little Falls by Paul Doiron

First Line: The last time I saw Lucas Sewall, he left a school notebook under the passenger seat of my truck.

 

Just because Maine game warden Mike Bowditch has been sent into exile in a remote area at the Canadian border doesn't mean his life has gotten quiet and uncomplicated. When a blizzard roars in, he's sent to a cabin where a frightened couple has given shelter to a raving and half-frozen man who claims his friend is still out there, lost in the storm. 

 

What starts out as a search and rescue mission turns into a murder investigation, for the friend lost in the storm turns out to be a known drug dealer, and the half-frozen man becomes their prime suspect. Mike isn't so sure but decides to stay out of it. His vow to not get involved is sorely tested when he becomes strongly attracted to the half-frozen man's sister and her strange young son. The boy seems to know something about what happened out in the blizzard, but he's not saying anything, choosing instead to keep all his thoughts locked up in a notebook filled with drawings and ciphers.

Alone in an area filled with people distrustful of game wardens, Mike is going to have to rely on his own wits-- not only to find a killer but to survive.

~

I like Paul Doiron's Mike Bowditch mysteries because I love stories about sparsely inhabited areas and because I get to watch an impulsive, heart-on-his-sleeve, young man solve mysteries and grow up along the way. He is very...very... slowly learning that he doesn't know better than everyone else, and it's an attitude that needs to change before it kills him.

Bad Little Falls, like the other books in the series, gives readers an excellent feel for the wilds of Maine and the independent-minded, insular people who live there. As Doiron states at the end of the book, "No law enforcement organization in Maine has suffered more deaths in the line of duty than the Warden Service." That statement alone gives readers a better perspective on what Doiron's main character has to face.

Reading about an impulsive, know-it-all, looking-for-love, young man could wear a person out, so it's good that the cast also contains folks like veteran bush pilot Charley Stevens, "gimlet-eyed lesbian" county sheriff Roberta Rhine, and Lucas, the strange little boy who fills his notebooks with all the words he will not say and all the thoughts he refuses to share. In many ways, Lucas is my favorite character in Bad Little Falls. He can provide a little light humor when he ponders the subject of "Abnormal [Abominable] Snowmen," and he can also give you the shivers or even break your heart.

Populated with interesting characters, this solid mystery has plenty of misdirection to keep you guessing. It also provides a harrowing portrait of an area in this country that most of us know very little about. I enjoy gaining knowledge with my fiction. That's why I'll keep coming back to Mike Bowditch deep in the Maine woods.

 

Bad Little Falls by Paul Doiron

ISBN: 9780312558482

Minotaur Books © 2012

Hardcover, 320 pages

 

Law Enforcement/Police Procedural, #3 Mike Bowditch mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Book Outlet.

Reckless Creed by Alex Kava

 

First Line: Tony Briggs coughed up blood, then wiped his mouth with his shirtsleeve.

 

Mysterious deaths aren't anything new. In Chicago, a young man jumps to his death from the thirtieth floor of a hotel. In Missouri, hunters find a lake covered in dead snow geese. In southern Alabama, Ryder Creed and his search-and-rescue dog Gracie find the body of a young woman who filled her pockets with rocks and walked into a river. Seemingly unrelated, right? But when FBI agent Maggie O'Dell and Ryder Creed begin to investigate, very disturbing facts begin to show themselves. These deaths are connected, and if Maggie and Creed are right, they're searching for potentially the most prolific killer in the United States. 

 

~

 

Alex Kava's Ryder Creed series is one that I have to keep myself from gobbling up like a starving woman, and Reckless Creed is no exception. The stories are exceptional, and I love the relationship between Creed and his amazing dogs. Kava goes a long way into explaining just what remarkable talents dogs have. 

 

In an article about Creed and his business, K9 Crime Scents, a journalist talking about his success said, "They did it by rescuing abandoned and discarded dogs and turning them into heroes." In fact, as Creed's success becomes better known, more and more people are abandoning pets at the end of his driveway. This has the conflicting effect of making me angry and my being thankful that at least the dogs have a much better shot at a good life.

Published in 2016, having a story revolve around dogs that can sniff out diseases ratcheted up the tension and chill factor now that we are battling a pandemic. In Reckless Creed, we learn more about young Jason Seaver, a vet with a prosthetic limb and an often troublesome attitude, as well as the plight of other returned veterans who must deal with the search for proper-fitting prosthetics and doctors who seem to love to over-medicate. Creed has Jason training a young dog, and it's good to see them learning to work with each other.

 

If you enjoy exciting stories, fantastic working dogs, and a passionate main character you can believe in, Alex Kava's Ryder Creed series is the one for you. I'd suggest that you start at the beginning with Breaking Creed. It was one of my Best Reads of 2019. 

Reckless Creed by Alex Kava

eISBN: 9780698160699

G.P. Putnam's Sons © 2016

eBook, 336 pages

 

Law Enforcement/Working Dogs, #3 Ryder Creed mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

The Hiding Place by Paula Munier

First Line: Summer 1999. Beautiful women kept you waiting with a clear conscience because they really believed that the party didn't start until they got there.

 

When her late grandfather's dying deputy hands Mercy Carr the cold case that's always haunted him, the timing couldn't be worse. The man who murdered her grandfather has just escaped from prison, and a fellow Army veteran has turned up, claiming that Elvis is his dog, not hers. What does finding Beth Kilgore twenty years after she disappeared got to do with these events that are threatening everything she holds most dear?

 

It's the last straw when her beloved grandmother goes missing. Mercy needs help, and it means that she has to forgive Vermont Game Warden Troy Warner long enough to enlist his aid. With time running out, Mercy and her dog Elvis must team up with Troy and his search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear to unravel long-buried secrets and find her grandmother.

~

Paula Munier's Mercy Carr series gets stronger with each book. In this third entry, The Hiding Place, much of the mystery and the action concern Mercy's relationships with all the people in her life. A great deal of tension also comes from Hallet, the Army veteran who is determined to take Elvis away from Mercy. Readers of the series will know how important woman and dog are to each other, so I have to admit that I was often more concerned with deducing how Hallet could be convinced to leave well enough alone than I was with all the other elements in Munier's multi-layered mystery.

 

There's much to like about the "bones" of this series. Mercy herself is a strong, fascinating character as are others like game warden Troy Warner. Munier also brings her setting of the Vermont outdoors to life. Of course, there is also the very strong draw of the resident working dogs: Elvis the Belgian Malinois, a former war dog suffering from PTSD, and Troy's search-and-rescue Newfoundland mix, Susie Bear. (I do wish that Munier would stop referring to Susie's "pumpkin head" so much, however.) There's even the added bonus of a third dog, a gorgeous golden retriever, Sunny, whom Mercy calls the "mood ring of dogs."

If you enjoy multi-layered mysteries set in the great outdoors and filled with marvelous dogs and strong humans, you should become acquainted with Paula Munier's Mercy Carr series. Do that, and you've set yourself up for some mighty fine reading.

 

 

 

The Hiding Place by Paula Munier

eISBN: 9781250153081

Minotaur Books © 2021

eBook, 336 pages

 

Law Enforcement/Working Dog, #3 Mercy & Elvis mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

Silent Creed by Alex Kava

First Line:  Daniel Tate clenched his teeth and looked away just as the needle pierced a vein in his arm.

The only real reason why Ryder Creed and his best search and rescue dog, Bolo, are at the site of a landslide in North Carolina is that he owes his former superior officer a favor. Once he's there, Ryder's all business as he and Bolo search for survivors in the treacherous terrain.

As dangerous as the terrain is, what's now below ground is even more deadly: a top-secret government research facility, and the danger increases when bodies of employees at the facility are found shot to death. It doesn't take Creed and FBI agent Maggie O'Dell long to figure out that certain people are more concerned about recovering what's in that building and hiding their tracks than they are about finding survivors.

The first book in the Ryder Creed series, Breaking Creed, knocked my socks off, and this second installment is a pageturner, too-- even though readers who don't like cliffhangers are probably going to be furious. If you enjoy being immersed in the world of working dogs, Alex Kava's series is for you. A veteran of Afghanistan, Ryder Creed has a compound in the Florida Panhandle where he trains search and rescue dogs. What earns him a lot of Brownie points from me is the fact that the dogs he trains are rescues themselves. In Silent Creed, we get to see two of his best dogs at work, a Jack Russell Terrier named Grace and Bolo, part Rhodesian Ridgeback and extremely protective of Ryder.

The plot is based on fact and may get readers' blood boiling since it does concern how cavalier some of these secret research facilities are with their test subjects. Kava also brings home how dangerous it is to work search and rescue in a landslide area.

Besides the dogs and the storylines, I enjoy these books for the characters. It was good to see FBI agent Maggie O'Dell again because she works well with Ryder Creed, who's much more comfortable with dogs than he is with humans (although he has a tough time keeping his eyes off Maggie... and vice versa). I also hope to see a minor character named Daniel Tate again.

Even though I did find the ending rather jarring, I have the feeling that the character involved is going to figure prominently in some future book, and I look forward to the return engagement.

Silent Creed by Alex Kava

eISBN: 9780698160682

G.P. Putnam's Sons © 2015

eBook, 338 pages

Law Enforcement/Working Dogs, #2 Ryder Creed mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

 

Blind Search by Paula Munier

First Line: Henry Jenkins was lost.

It's a bad time to be lost in the Green Mountains of Vermont: it's hunting season, the most beautiful and dangerous time of the year. It's not the first time nine-year-old Henry has been lost, but this time he's seen something terrible.

Former Army MP Mercy Carr and her retired bomb-sniffing dog Elvis have found Henry after discovering the body of a young woman killed with an arrow to the heart. Mercy thinks the woman was murdered. She also thinks Henry knows something about it. But the young autistic math genius isn't talking.

It soon becomes clear that there's a murderer hiding among the hunters in the forest, and it's up to Mercy and Elvis and their other crime-solving friends, game warden Troy Warner and search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear, to find the person before the death toll gets any higher--and to protect Henry at all cost.

A strong mystery combines with strong characters in Paula Munier's second Mercy & Elvis mystery set in the Vermont wilderness. Speaking of that wilderness, it comes to life under Munier's pen. I can feel the snowflakes on my face, smell the trees, and hear the crunch of the snow under my boots as I follow the characters along on their search for a killer.

For those of you who may worry about a child being endangered in Blind Search, I want you to know that I was wondering about that myself. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that you shouldn't worry too much about that. Munier has it covered, and covered well-- and she still keeps the story exciting.

She also has her characters covered well. Henry took center stage for me, and I really liked how both Mercy and the two dogs related to the young boy. Elvis and Susie Bear are stars, which should please dog lovers everywhere. Troy and Mercy have their own baggage to deal with which makes a relationship between them somewhat prickly, and if there's anything that didn't sit well with me in Blind Search, it's the appearance of a character from Troy's past. It's something that's been done so often that it's tired and worn out.

If you're in the mood for a fast-paced, exciting story with strong, likable characters and two marvelous dogs, it sounds to me like you should pick up a copy of Blind Search. As for me, I'm looking forward to my next visit to Vermont to see Mercy and Elvis.

Blind Search by Paula Munier

eISBN: 9781250153067

Minotaur Books © 2019

eBook, 352 pages

Law Enforcement/Working Dogs, #2 Mercy & Elvis mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley


 

Breaking Creed by Alex Kava

First Line: Sweat slid down Amanda's back.

It was never Ryder Creed's intention to wind up in the spotlight, but that's exactly what's happened to him and the dogs he's trained for search and rescue, finding cadavers, and sniffing out drugs and bombs. Creed may not like it, but his partner says the publicity's good for their fledgling business.

One job has Creed and his Jack Russel Terrier named Grace searching a commercial fishing vessel off the coast of Florida. They discover that the Colombian cartel's latest shipment isn't drugs-- it's human.

Meanwhile, FBI agent Maggie O'Dell is following the trail of a brutal assassin. She's worked with Creed once before, so when she discovers a hit list with his name on it, she immediately goes into action. Hopefully, she isn't too late...

Last September, I happened to read an article about the top mystery series featuring working dogs, and Alex Kava's Ryder Creed series was on it. I've already sampled the others on the list and thought that it was high time I cracked open Breaking Creed. Boy howdy-- once I did, I didn't want to stop reading!

Breaking Creed has all the hallmarks of a thriller: the breakneck pace, lots of action, multiple locations,  and just the type of loathsome bad guys that made audiences boo! and hiss! in the old silent movie theaters. If that was all it had, it would be a good book, but it has a lot more.

I loved getting to know Creed and seeing the perfect set-up he has for his dogs-- the kennels, the fact that he trains rescue dogs, and that he's building facilities for a veterinarian. I pretended that I was part of the audience in one of those old silent movie theaters when I learned what many of his neighbors were doing, and then there was the pleasure of seeing Creed at work with his dogs. I'm the type of person who believes one of the best things in life is to find oneself in the middle of a romping pile of puppies, so you know I'm thrilled with the burgeoning subgenre of working dog mysteries.

There are some interesting secondary characters as well, like young Amanda and Jason, a vet who served in Afghanistan. Having Maggie O'Dell make an appearance from Kava's other series undoubtedly brought many Maggie fans over, but I'd never read a Maggie O'Dell mystery before. Guess what happened? Now I've added the Maggie O'Dell series to my Need-To-Read list.

What can I say? I'm the type of reader who is disciplined enough to put my book down when it's necessary, but I was enjoying Breaking Creed so much that I read until I finished the book at 5 AM. I'm certainly looking forward to reading the other books in the series, but in the meantime... anyone got a couple of toothpicks so I can prop my eyelids open?

Breaking Creed by Alex Kava

eISBN: 9780698160675

G.P. Putnam's Sons © 2015

eBook, 309 pages

Law Enforcement/Working Dogs, #1 Ryder Creed mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon. 

Solus by Peter Bowen

First Line: Du Pré looked at the young doctor who was looking at a file on his computer screen.

When you're a good man with a family who needs a place to hide out from the bad guys, there's no place better than Toussaint, Montana, and no better man to help you than Métis Indian and former cattle inspector Gabriel Du Pré. Du Pré already has his plate full; he has an ailing granddaughter back home from college, a meddling medicine man, and an eagle hunter from Kazakhstan keeping him busy.

Hoyt Poe was a guard at a Kabul prison and witnessed his fellow soldiers abusing the inmates. His testimony is going to expose the military contractor responsible for the prison's brutal interrogation program. That military contractor wants Poe dead, and he'll do anything to achieve his goal. How long will it be before his mercenaries find Poe and his family hiding out in Toussaint?

I've loved this series since the first book, Coyote Wind, but I do know that it is not for everyone. The main character is a Métis Indian-- a tribe descended from Canadian Indians and French trappers that moved down into Montana. He and his extended family and all their friends there in Toussaint are not politically correct. They speak in a gentle sort of dialect that shows their French roots, and it's amazing how Bowen accomplishes this using little more than well-placed commas and a few missing prepositions. These people may not behave the way we more "civilized" people want them to, but they are good people, fiercely independent, and much more willing to stand up for their principles than most of the rest of us. When Du Pré and his friends are given the task of protecting Hoyt Poe and his family, they take it very seriously indeed.

Solus is more social commentary than mystery, although readers will wonder who survives and how as they turn the pages. If you do not like politically incorrect people and if you dislike good people who speak out against the present government, please don't bother to read this book. It will only raise your blood pressure.

Besides the stories and the humor, one of the things I love the most about this book-- and the entire series-- is the cast of characters. From fiddle-playing Gabriel to his fizzy pink wine-loving Madelaine to Bart's wife who is ex-FBI and a steel-spined force of nature called Pidgeon, each character is special. Even the ones you never get to meet like Hoyt's Granny Dulcie, who "found the good in people and made them live up to it."

Reading Bowen's novels reminds me of my childhood when I would sit behind an easy chair or underneath the kitchen table and listen to the old folks talk. These relatives in their seventies, eighties, and nineties knew the previous century, and they certainly knew how to tell a tale. Listening to them, I learned that you took care of your own, you helped other folks when they needed it, you stood on your own two feet, and you never started a fight-- but when one was forced upon you, you finished it. And since I come from a long line of farmers, it sounds normal to me when customers walk into the Toussaint saloon for a meal and a good time and ask, "Who are we eating tonight?"

Solus ("a man alone" in Latin) isn't just about Hoyt Poe, although he's certainly one of the loneliest people on the planet with so many bad guys after him. It's also about people like Gabriel Du Pré and his friends. As I said before, this may not be a book or a series for you, but if it does sound intriguing, please give it a try. For the right reader, Peter Bowen is a very special writer.

Solus by Peter Bowen

eISBN: 9781504050906

Open Road Integrated Media © 2018

eBook, 226 pages

Law Enforcement, #15 Gabriel Du Pré mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.


 

A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier

First Line: Grief and guilt are the ghosts that haunt you when you survive what others do not.

In an attempt to walk off grief, ex-military policewoman Mercy Carr and ex-military bomb-sniffing dog Elvis go deep into the Vermont woods every single day. Each day reminds Mercy that Elvis, a Belgian Malinois with canine PTSD, was her fiancé's partner, and-- now that Martinez is dead-- to Elvis, Mercy is never going to be more than second best.

It's the busy Fourth of July weekend and the entire town of Northshire has been gearing up to celebrate for days. To Mercy and Elvis, it's just another walk in the woods until Elvis alerts to explosives and they find a squalling baby abandoned near a shallow grave that appears to contain human bones.

U.S. Game Warden Troy Warner and his search and rescue dog Susie Bear respond to Mercy's 911 call, and the four of them find themselves working together to find a missing mother, solve a cold case, and keep the citizens of Northshire safe on what could be an incendiary holiday weekend.

I've quickly become hooked on mysteries featuring working dogs-- especially military or police dogs. I think it's because the bond between human and dog is so strong and because the dog's capabilities are extraordinary. When I learned of this first Mercy and Elvis mystery, I knew I had to read it, and the only thing I can say now is that I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

A Borrowing of Bones is fast-paced and well-plotted, with a mystery that keeps readers guessing. Munier also makes her Vermont setting come to life, so much so that I wanted to book the next flight there. Not only do you get a feel for the lifestyle of the people living there, you can also do a bit of fantasizing since the main characters have what would be to me dream homes. (Mercy and Elvis in a perfect cabin deep in the woods complete with a fireplace and a wall of books, and Troy and Susie Bear in a converted fire lookout tower.)

However, the characters of Mercy, Elvis, Troy, and Susie Bear are what really matter. Mercy has a lot of sharp edges and bad memories. With the special bond between Martinez and Elvis, she's always felt like an outsider, as though the man and his dog were a closed circuit. She's got a lot to work through, and Troy quickly discovers that it's going to be a challenge to get to know her. I also liked the fact that Elvis has canine PTSD since most people probably aren't aware that dogs can suffer from it. Yes, compared to Mercy and Elvis, Troy and Susie Bear are big softies, so this is a relationship that's going to be fun to watch develop.

If you like fast-paced, intriguing mysteries in vivid settings that are filled with multi-faceted characters and wonderful working dogs, I strongly recommend that you get in on the ground floor of the Mercy and Elvis series. A Borrowing of Bones is a winner.

A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier

eISBN: 9781250153043

Minotaur Books © 2018

eBook, 352 pages

Law Enforcement, #1 Mercy & Elvis mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

The Dark Side of Town by Sasscer Hill

First Line: Dense fog enveloped the backstretch at Saratoga Race Course that morning, leaving the Oklahoma Training Track virtually invisible.

Now an official employee of the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau (TRPB), Fia McKee is working undercover as a hot walker at Saratoga Racetrack to investigate trainer Mars Pizutti since the horses Pizutti trains are suspiciously lucky and lucrative at crossing the finish line.

Fia's bosses  are convinced that Pizutti's success has a lot to do with illegal drugs and deceitful methods, but when she witnesses the tragic aftermath of a jockey's suicide, Fia learns that the rider's death is just the tip of an iceberg involving death threats, the mob, and a crooked racing hedge fund. She's got to work fast to learn the truth before anyone else dies.

Although I grew up loving horse racing and books, I've never read one of Dick Francis's mysteries; however, I'm positive that Sasscer Hill is creating a series that is a worthy successor to his renowned mysteries taking place in the glamorous and seedy world of racetracks. Hill has an insider's knowledge that you can feel as you turn the pages, and she's equally adept at painting the beauty of horse racing as well as its seamy side.

The Dark Side of Town is fast-paced and has scenes in which you'll find yourself holding your breath-- sometimes literally-- but I'm not going to give you any more information about those so the surprises won't be ruined. Even though the overriding theme of the book is horse racing, there's an excellent cast of characters for those readers who enjoy more of a human element in their mysteries. Fia finds herself dealing with the mother who deserted the family when Fia was a child, and there's a young jockey anyone would want to befriend.

Then there's her burgeoning relationship with fellow TRPB employee Calixto. Every time Fia is around this sexy agent, she's so charged up that the Saratoga city fathers should hook her up to the power grid. (Wow...) Now I'm one of those females who doesn't like much romance in her mysteries, but most of the interactions between Fia and Calixto make me smile. I don't know if it's because I'm picturing that Saratoga power grid or what.

A fantastic setting, a complex mystery, chills, thrills, and a solid cast of characters-- let The Dark Side of Town take you across the finish line in style.

The Dark Side of Town by Sasscer Hill

eISBN: 9781250097026

Minotaur Books © 2018

eBook, 320 pages

Law Enforcement, #2 Fia McKee mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley 

Whispers of the Dead by Spencer Kope

First Line: Darkness-- nearly complete.

It's difficult to identify a dead body from just the feet-- at least that's what Magnus "Steps" Craig of the FBI's Special Tracking Unit learns when he walks into the house of a Federal judge in El Paso, Texas. There are no clues as to the identity of the killer, the victim, or the reason behind having the feet inside a cheap styrofoam cooler; the only thing the authorities feel safe in saying is that this isn't the killer's first victim, and probably not his last.

Part of an elite team, Steps is the best tracker in the world, but only three people know that his talent lies in a kind of synesthesia that allows him to see whatever each particular person has touched in a unique color.

With the team still trying to come to grips with the case in El Paso, they discover an earlier victim with the same feet-in-a-cooler presentation-- and somehow they know that the "Ice Box Killer" has just begun.

In 2016, Spencer Kope wowed me with his first Special Tracking Unit mystery, Collecting the Dead, and I'm thrilled to say that he hasn't taken his foot off the gas for Whispers of the Dead. There's a razor-sharp investigation here, as well as a fast pace, and a group of characters who are more like family than mere work colleagues.

The way Kope puts the clues and the investigation together is completely absorbing, partly due to Steps' special gift of synesthesia. An FBI tracker can't go to the police and say, "Here's your killer. I know he did it because he left a dark olive and lime green 'shine' on the body and the murder weapon, and his tracks led right back to his apartment." No, that would be a sure way to get a ride to the psych ward at the local hospital. Steps not only has to interpret the shine-- the unique colors individuals leave on everything they touch-- he has to find the evidence that will hold up in a court of law. It's not always easy, but he and his partner Jimmy Donovan are professionals.

Whispers of the Dead isn't just about the investigation; it's got a very human element. Kope shows the damage a life in this sort of business can cause to a marriage and a thing or two that can be done to make sure this doesn't happen. In addition, he has a way of making you think differently about some of the characters than you think you should. Steps is also coming to realize that he should've told a couple more people about his gift a long time ago. Now it's going to be awkward when he finally does.

Not all readers like continuing storylines in the books they read, and there is one here. The Ice Box Killer investigation is successfully concluded, but there's another killer-- one even more intelligent and dangerous-- who's been taunting Steps for quite some time. Steps calls this killer "Leonardo," and I'm really looking forward to the book when Steps can concentrate on bringing him to justice. I've gone from thinking Spencer Kope's first book is brilliant to knowing that he's creating a fantastic series. Hopefully, you'll join us on the journey (if you haven't already).
 

Whispers of the Dead by Spencer Kope

eISBN: 9781466884847

Minotaur Books © 2018

eBook, 320 pages

Law Enforcement, #2 Special Tracking Unit mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley


 

Flamingo Road by Sasscer Hill

First Line: My name is Fia McKee, and I was a Baltimore City cop until that November night when I drove through West Baltimore alone.

Put on leave from the Baltimore Police Department, Fia McKee is given a second chance and grabs at the opportunity to work undercover for the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau (TRPB) at Gulfstream Park in Florida. Working as an exercise rider and keeping an eye on two racetrack workers whose horses consistently outperform all expectations, she moves in with her brother Patrick and his daughter Jilly who live near Gulfstream.

Fia's job becomes increasingly complicated with teenage horse lover Jilly living in the same house, a Cuban gang living off the grid, a group of unscrupulous gamblers, and a very handsome do-gooder. She's a busy woman indeed.

This is a very good racetrack-themed mystery that's only marred by the main character being attracted to two men at the same time. That's mere personal preference; however, so if you do prefer romantic triangles you'll have even more reason to enjoy Flamingo Road. 

Sasscer Hill has created an excellent racetrack setting with doping schemes to improve the horses' performances on the track, gamblers whose greed leads them to form syndicates looking for the next big drug that will escape detection by organizations like the TRPB, and owners who want to turn over a fast buck and refuse to spend time or money on their horses if they don't win races. Racing can be a cutthroat business, and Hill portrays this very well indeed.

She has also created a topnotch main character. The murder of her horse trainer father still haunts Fia McKee, but she is one sharp, gutsy person when it comes to working undercover. One of the things I like the most about her is that she doesn't run around taking one unnecessary risk after another-- she uses her head. 

I enjoyed this fast-paced mystery that looks deep into the heart of horse racing, and I'm looking forward to Fia's next investigation.
 

Flamingo Road by Sasscer Hill

ISBN:  9781250096913

Minotaur Books © 2017

Hardcover, 320 pages

Law Enforcement, #1 Fia McKee mystery

Rating: A

Source: publisher 


   

Boar Island by Nevada Barr

First Line: Fists white-knuckled on the crutches, sweat running into her eyes, Heath grunted like a sumo wrestler.

When Heath Jarrod finds her adopted daughter Elizabeth in the midst of a suicide attempt, she calls in the cavalry-- her Aunt Gwen and her friend Anna Pigeon. Anna has had to deal with quite a lot throughout her career, but cyber-stalking and bullying is alien territory. The three adults think it best to take Elizabeth away from her stalker, and since Anna is about to assume her temporary post as Acting Chief Ranger at Acadia National Park in Maine, the other three follow her and stay in a house on Boar Island.

But the move does not solve the problem. Elizabeth's stalker has followed them east, and Heath, Elizabeth, and Gwen are not alone on their small island. Anna also has a big distraction on her hands: a violent murder has been committed by a killer who's uncomfortably close to her.

I've been a fan of Nevada Barr since the first book in the series, Track of the Cat, but this one is not one of her best. For one thing, the setting of Acadia National Park was a bit of a stretch, and it never really came to life as other parks have under Barr's tender loving care.

It was certainly good to see paraplegic Heath Jarrod and her adopted daughter Elizabeth again, as well as their dog Wiley. In many ways Heath is Anna in a wheelchair: prickly and opinionated, an animal lover with the heart of a lion who enjoys her own space and doesn't know how to quit. When spending time together with Heath, Gwen, and Elizabeth, Anna finds herself examining the choices she's made in her life and how well she fits in this small family group. Readers also get to see that time is beginning to catch up with Anna; in fact, she loses a bit of her super woman status (and not just because Heath is the larger focus of the book).

Two mysteries fuel Boar Island: Elizabeth's cyber-stalker and the killer who's running loose in Acadia National Park. For the most part, the focus is on the killing and two women-- Denise and Paulette-- with close ties to the murder victim. With the emphasis on the murder, this means that the second mystery concerning the cyber-stalker is put on the back burner and loses much of its suspense and tension. In fact, I forgot about it most of the time. 

By book's end I was wondering where Barr had misplaced her magic fairy dust that she's so often used to lift her books head and shoulders above the rest. That dust that makes her story so real that I'm literally cheering Anna on in her latest battle. It may be missing here, and this book may not be one of the stronger ones in the series, but I will always be on the lookout for the next Anna Pigeon mystery. She's family. 
 

Boar Island by Nevada Barr

ISBN: 9781250064691

Minotaur Books © 2016

Hardcover, 384 pages

Law Enforcement, #19 Anna Pigeon mystery

Rating: B-

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.  


 

Collecting the Dead by Spencer Kope

First Line: She had small feet.

The elite Special Tracking Unit of the FBI has only three members. Diane, who works in the office, is brilliant at uncovering information. She's also the glue that holds the unit together. Special Agent Jimmy Donovan and Magnus "Steps" Craig find themselves spending a lot of time at crime scenes. Steps is known as "the Human Bloodhound," and there's a secret to his success that only three people know. He has a kind of synesthesia that allows him to see the essence of a person (what he calls "shine") on everything they've touched. Every person's shine is unique in color and texture.

When the remains of a woman are found, Steps recognizes the shine left by the murderer from another crime scene he worked. By piecing things together, he and Donovan find themselves on the trail of a serial killer-- one who's not afraid to come after the Special Tracking Unit in order to keep his secrets hidden.

From almost the first page, I was blown away by Collecting the Dead. Steps Craig has the world-weary voice of a man who's in his late forties or fifties, so I was shocked when I put two and two together and discovered this character is only twenty-seven. I suppose that's what happens when you refer to yourself as "just the undertaker's front man."  

This is a tale marvelously told, from its well-paced, engrossing plot, to its lyrical descriptions and multi-faceted cast. Spencer Kope has written a barn
burner of a book that can have readers laughing one second and trying not to cry the next. And... like Diane is the glue that holds the Special Tracking Unit together, the entire cast holds Collecting the Dead together. 

For the most part (but not always), the various police jurisdictions work together well with the FBI. These are professionals whose main aim is to save innocent lives, and this dedication adds a sense of urgency and tension to the book. Some of the more interesting scenes come when Steps and Jimmy Donovan try to find acceptable ways to divulge their "shine" findings to the police. But this "shine" often takes a backseat to the grunt work of checking and rechecking facts, reports, photos, interviews-- the very things that often break cases wide open. Kope walks a fine line between Steps' synesthesia and the more "mundane" police work extremely well.

Throughout Collecting the Dead, we watch Steps collecting information about a serial killer he calls Leonardo. It's his aim to catch Leonardo, and I sincerely hope readers get to watch him do so in a second book. I was buried so deeply in this story that my husband had to clap and shout at me to get my attention. I want to have that happen again. I want more Steps Craig-- and I'm certain you will, too!
   

Collecting the Dead by Spencer Kope

ISBN: 9781250072870

Minotaur Books © 2016

Hardcover, 320 pages

Law Enforcement, #1 Special Tracking Unit

Rating: A+

Source: Amazon Vine