Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima

 

First Line: Weather could make or break a search and rescue mission, and the wind would play havoc with the scent trail today.

 

Deputy Mattie (Cobb) Wray and her dog Robo are summoned to Washington's Olympic Peninsula for an urgent search and rescue mission to find a celebrity's missing child. Mattie doesn't really want to go-- it's only a week before her wedding-- but she and Robo are needed.

 

The mission is a difficult one: dense forest, rain, and unfriendly locals all combine to hamper progress, and when one of the SAR dogs becomes ill, Mattie's fiancé, Cole Walker, suspects poison and quickly joins the team as veterinary support. 

As the teams search, secrets come to light. The missing child was kidnapped, and the search becomes a full-blown crime scene. The missing child has to be found before it's too late.

~

This latest installment of Margaret Mizushima's Timber Creek K-9 series is a nail-biter. Putting Mattie, Robo, and Cole in the unfamiliar territory of Washington's Olympic Peninsula certainly ratchets the suspense. The mystery is a strong one, too, so strong that I misidentified the bad guy, which doesn't happen often. 

But as good as the setting and mystery are, it's the characters that I always come back for in this series, and Gathering Mist is no exception. Of course, there are the wedding and family dynamics to deal with because there just has to be at least one person opposed to Mattie and Cole's wedding, but there's always more. 

Mattie and Cole's relationship and the relationships between Mattie and Cole's daughters and their indispensable housekeeper are very important, but I'm always drawn first to Mattie's relationship with Robo. Mizushima does such an excellent job of showing readers what goes into the training of search and rescue dogs and their handlers. Over and over again, this author shows me how indescribably valuable and wonderful these dogs are. But what touches me even more is how the closer Mattie gets to Robo, the harder it is to let him do his job. They get into so many dangerous situations that Mattie is afraid of losing Robo-- and readers certainly can't blame her.

If you enjoy atmospheric, compelling mysteries chockful of wonderful two- and four-legged characters, the Timber Creek K-9 series is one you should read. Due to character development, I would recommend that you begin with the first book, Killing Trail.

Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima

eISBN: 9781639108954

Crooked Lane Books © 2024

eBook, 256 pages

 

Police Procedural, #9 Timber Creek K-9

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

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.

The Dead Years by Jeffrey B. Burton

 

First Line: It was the same dream.

 

After their parents' deaths in a tragic accident years ago, siblings Cory and Crystal Pratt live in the family home, and their working lives sometimes intertwine. Crystal is a detective in the Chicago Police Department, and Cory has two human remains detection dogs as well as a dog training academy.

 

Both are called in when a string of recent murders seems to be connected to a Netflix documentary, but when the pair begin investigating, the killer focuses on stopping them.  

~

I have enjoyed previous books by Jeffrey B. Burton. He has a knack for creating irreverent, sympathetic characters and pairing them with working dogs-- always a potent combination in my book. Although the same framework is present here, I found The Dead Years to be less satisfying.

The story is told from Cory Pratt's perspective, and I liked this twentysomething's voice. However, I found his angst over the deaths of his parents a bit of a yawn. (Why do so many characters in mysteries have parents who died tragically?) His canine partners, Alice the bloodhound and Rex the springer spaniel, did their jobs well, and Cory's sister, Crystal, is the more logical, grounded one of the pair. 

The serial killer in The Dead Years is a bit different, resurrecting his reign of terror after becoming incensed over his portrayal in a Netflix documentary, and he also plays a role in Cory's dreams. Readers learn the killer's identity before Cory and Crystal do, but once they do know, it's a race to the finish.

 

I did enjoy this book. It's all there: fast pace, engaging story, sympathetic characters, but I have to admit that it felt as if I'd read it all before. Even a winning formula can become tired.

The Dead Years by Jeffrey B. Burton

eISBN: 9781448312405

Severn House © 2024

eBook, 224 pages

 

Thriller, #1 Chicago K-9

Rating: C+

Source: Net Galley

Hidden Creed by Alex Kava

 

First Line: Blackwater River State Forest. Sunday, June 14. The scream sounded human.

 

When Ryder Creed's scent dog, Grace, discovers a shallow grave during what was meant to be a training course, it's the beginning of a nightmare. The body was found in Florida's remote and difficult-to-access Blackwater River State Forest-- and Creed's dogs rapidly uncovered more graves. 

This spot has been the dumping ground of a serial killer for years, and he never intended for it to be found. As the investigators begin their work, they're going to find out just how far this killer will go to stop them and keep his secrets hidden forever. 

~

I enjoy this series so much that I can't keep to my intended one-a-year pace. At this rate, I'll soon catch up and be forced to cool my heels waiting for the next book.

If you're a fan of Alex Kava's Ryder Creed series, you know to pay attention to her acknowledgments at the back of each book in which she often tells readers where she got the inspiration for that particular one. Hidden Creed is no exception. Learning about her writing process is interesting as well.

Although I did find the serial killer element of the book a bit tame, I really enjoyed Hidden Creed. In it, Kava shows readers some of what is involved in training medical alert dogs. I never cease to be amazed at how incredibly talented canines are. Kava is working some magic with two of the secondary characters.  Jason, the young Army veteran, is slowly working himself out of depression from losing an arm as well as PTSD. As he becomes more open, he comes in contact with more people. I love watching his healing process. I also love watching Creed's sister, Brodie, as she recuperates from her own ordeal. She's an incredible young woman who's very tired of everyone treating her like she's going to shatter into a million pieces. I look forward to what she will do in the next book. 

If you love fast-paced thrillers with marvelous working dogs and two-legged characters who rapidly come to feel like family members, you really need to read this series. Start at the beginning with Breaking Creed. You can thank me later.

Hidden Creed by Alex Kava

eISBN: 9781732006447

Prairie Wind Publishing © 2020

eBook, 329 pages

Police Procedural/Working Dog, #6 Ryder Creed mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Ambush by Barbara Nickless

 

First Line: The call came late on an August evening while Jeremy Kane was upstairs, rocking his infant daughter.

 

When she was in the Marines, railway cop Sydney Parnell made a promise to Malik, a young Iraqi boy. Unfortunately, Malik has secrets that an assassin Sydney knows only as the Alpha wants.

 

In order to keep her promise to the boy, Sydney travels to Mexico City and back to Denver, Colorado. With the help of her ex-war dog, Clyde, she is determined to track down the Alpha and keep her promise to Malik. 

 

~

 

Barbara Nickless certainly knows how to write compelling thrillers with strong main characters. Former Marine and railway cop Sydney Rose Parnell suffers from PTSD. In Iraq, she served in Mortuary Affairs, the detail that prepared soldiers killed in action to be returned to their families in the U.S. In her own words, "We were the Marines the other Marines avoided. The pariahs, the bad-luck charms. The ones no one wanted to risk being near." Combine that with her other combat experiences and it's no wonder that she has PTSD. At least, now in her job as a railway cop, she has her former war dog, Clyde, at her side to help her out.

Ambush centers on the promise Sydney made to a young Iraqi boy and the lengths to which she will go to fulfill that promise. The narrow escapes she has from the killer known as Alpha show how determined he is to keep his secrets, but they also show that Sydney refuses to quit. Her guilt and the promise she made to the Iraqi boy, Malik, prove that nothing will stop her in her quest to ensure a good life for the boy-- even if it means getting to the bottom of why Alpha will go to any lengths to cover his tracks. 

Sydney Parnell is a strong, nuanced character that readers can really sink their teeth into, and her investigations can really keep hearts racing. I know I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Ambush by Barbara Nickless

eISBN: 9781503901513

Thomas & Mercer © 2019

eBook, 356 pages

Police Procedural/Working Dogs, #3 Sydney Rose Parnell mystery

Rating: B+

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.

Lost Creed by Alex Kava

 

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.

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

Gideon's Rescue by Alan Russell

 

First Line: The Arctic air had brought bitter cold to the Colorado prairie.

 

LAPD detective Michael Gideon and his K-9 partner Sirius literally walked through fire to catch an infamous serial killer known as The Weatherman. Gideon still suffers from fire dreams and PTSD. 

 

To help the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, Gideon has been strong-armed into visiting the Weatherman (AKA Ellis Haines) monthly with crime scene photos they want Haines to analyze. This month's visit sparks a discovery: there's a new serial killer on the loose, and he's seeding his crime scenes with messages meant for Haines.

This isn't the only thing on Gideon's plate. He's searching for a young woman's fiance who's gone missing, and he's trying to bring down a dogfighting ring after meeting a sweet pitbull named Emily who was left for dead. No rest for the weary...

~

As much as I like this author's ability to create an exciting scene and put me right in the middle of it, no matter how much I like watching his K-9 partner work, this is the last Gideon & Sirius mystery I'll be reading. Why? It's got nothing to do with the marvelous Sirius and everything to do with the human half of the partnership, Gideon.

In the first two books, Gideon angered me by not paying attention to what Sirius was trying to tell him, and both times Gideon got the stuffing punched and kicked out of him. (That's what you get for not paying attention, stupid!) Here in Gideon's Rescue, he didn't ignore any canine messages, but he showed callous disregard for the situations he put a very traumatized dog in. Not only that, but he rationalized the need to put himself in a TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) moment, and if not for the clear thinking and action of a friend, Gideon's bacon would have been well and truly fried.

This is a shame because Russell does know how to tell a good tale. The investigations into the missing fiance and the dogfighting ring were very well-done, and the whole serial-killers-communicating-with-each-other scenario gave me plenty of food for thought. I tend to be a pacifist, a live-and-let-live type of person, but there are times when I think throwing the switch is best. Just how many serial killers are being kept alive because they're "helping" law enforcement? And how many are actually providing information that brings closure to grieving families or puts killers behind bars? Pardon me for being cynical in my belief that the number is a very low one. There is no real reason to put any faith in a serial killer because they've proved time and time again that their only concern is for themselves.

As you can see, although I've run as far down this track with LAPD Detective Michael Gideon as my patience will allow, Alan Russell does create stories that draw me in, keep me interested, and make me think.

 

Gideon's Rescue by Alan Russell

ASIN: B07CHPDQTM

Three Tails Press © 2018

eBook, 305 pages

 

Police Procedural/Working Dog, #4 Gideon & Sirius mystery

Rating: C-

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Striking Range by Margaret Mizushima

First Line: Today Deputy Mattie Cobb could interrogate the man who had once tried to kill her.

 

Deputy Mattie Cobb traveled to the Colorado state prison to find out if the man who tried to kill her also killed her father thirty years ago. But when she and cold case detective Jim Hauck show up for the interview, the man is found dead in his cell. After going through his things, Mattie can find only one clue: a marked map showing the rugged Redstone Ridge area right outside Timber Creek.

Mattie's used to working with veterinarian Cole Walker, but Cole is busy with the first litter of puppies sired by her K-9 partner Robo. She and Robo have barely started their search when they're called away to a nearby campground where the body of a young woman has been found. Identification of the deceased woman points to her recently having given birth, but no baby is to be found.

Mattie and her fellow police officers believe finding the young woman's killer will also find the baby. Unfortunately, they must begin their search in a storm that leaves the mountains covered in ice and snow. When Cole Walker goes missing, Mattie and Robo kick into high gear. Mattie believes Cole is stranded with a killer, and she's not about to let him go it alone.

~

 

Time can certainly fly when you're reading an exciting series filled with characters that you've grown to love. It's hard for me to believe that this Timber Creek K-9 series is already on book seven. Readers have been following Mattie Cobb's professional life as a police officer and K-9 handler as well as her training of Robo and her dealing with the emotional baggage of her personal life. We've also had much the same journey with veterinarian Cole Walker as he's dealt with divorce, raising two young daughters, and his busy practice. 

Mizushima does an excellent job of showing readers just what is involved in being a K-9 handler and keeping working dogs like Robo in top form. The relationship between Mattie and Robo is one of the reasons why I enjoy this series. I'm not one to care for much romance in my mysteries, but somehow this author manages to continue to develop a relationship between Mattie and Cole that brings real depth to both characters (and doesn't make me want to roll my eyes). Actually, it's been known to make me smile.

Even though I found the bad guy to be rather easily guessed, I still enjoyed the journey to this person's unmasking. I like watching the Timber Creek sheriff's department work together to get things done, and Striking Range wouldn't be another strong story in this series without an exciting chase/search/rescue high in the mountains.

If you're a reader who enjoys reading strong mysteries involving working dogs, the great outdoors, and an intelligent cast, you need to read Margaret Mizushima's Timber Creek K-9 series. You can read Striking Range as a standalone, but if you love character development, I'd advise you to start with the first book, Killing Trail-- and I won't be at all surprised if you then join me in my annual visit to the Colorado Rockies.

Striking Range by Margaret Mizushima

eISBN: 9781643857473

Crooked Lane Books © 2021

eBook, 288 pages

 

Police Procedural/Working Dogs, #7 Timber Creek K-9 mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

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

The Sleeping Nymph by Ilaria Tuti

 

First Line: Teresa often thinks of death.

Superintendent Teresa Battaglia is pleased when a cold case lands on her desk because it means that there is no killer on the loose who must be tracked down as quickly as possible before more people die. She's not so pleased when her boss is temporarily replaced by a man from her past, a man who's determined to bring about her ruin.

As Battaglia and her team begin working the case, they find themselves in the Resia Valley, one of Italy's most isolated, untouched regions, and a place where the stories of the partisans who fought the Nazis during World War II have never gone out of fashion. When someone is brutally murdered, Battaglia finds herself not only battling a ruthless killer, but her own deteriorating physical and mental health. It's this crippling stress that could prove her downfall, but if anyone can emerge triumphant, it's Teresa Battaglia.

I was very impressed by the first book in this series, Flowers Over the Inferno, and I couldn't wait to see what sort of investigation Teresa Battaglia found herself dealing with next. Battaglia probably has the worst health of any main character I'm currently reading about-- she's in her mid-sixties, has diabetes and the first signs of Alzheimer's-- but she also has the greatest determination to survive and to succeed. Can you imagine trying to keep on top of a rapidly moving investigation while trying to remember whether or not you've given yourself your insulin... and while hoping against hope that your mind doesn't suddenly decide to go walkabout? The woman is so worried that she doesn't drive anywhere after dark, and she wears a bracelet that is inscribed with "My name is Teresa Battaglia." This woman has a will of iron, and maternal instincts any mother would envy. Battaglia feels that it is one of her most important duties to "shield the people who relied on her," and there's nothing her team wouldn't do for her as a result. Speaking of her team, I hope they figure more prominently in future books. I need to know more about them and why Battaglia feels that they need so much protection.

On the whole, I found the book to be bloated. There was too much going on: Teresa's health, the complicated personal life of her second-in-command Massimo Marini, her new supervisor who wants to destroy her, and learning all about the Resia Valley, an isolated region populated by people with a unique language, history, and customs. The mystery kept taking a backseat to everything else that was going on which became so frustrating that I began to wonder if characters like Albert Lona (the Teresa hater) were really necessary. At least my two favorite new characters, the blind Blanca Zago and her HRD (Human Remains Detection) dog, a scruffy mongrel named Smoky, played an important role in the mystery. I hope Blanca and Smoky appear in future books, especially since they are based on a real woman and dog.

The Sleeping Nymph suffered from what some have called "too much middle," but the mystery is absorbing, and it introduces two fascinating characters. With Teresa Battaglia's health conditions, this should be a short-lived series, and I don't intend to miss a single one of her investigations. You see, I have discovered that I'm just as loyal to her as the members of her team.

The Sleeping Nymph by Ilaria Tuti

Translated from the Italian by Ekin Oklap

eISBN: 9781641291224

Soho Press © 2020

eBook, 456 pages

 

Police Procedural, #2 Teresa Battaglia mystery

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley

Murder at the Falls by Arlene Kay

First Lines: Call me grateful. Not a do-gooder and certainly no philanthropist, but someone who firmly believes in giving back and doing my part.

Keats and Poe, the two Malinois war dogs belonging to army veteran Persephone "Perri" Morgan, have earned their therapy dog certification, so Perri and her best friend Babette Croy take their dogs to an upscale senior living facility to spend time with the residents. The Falls may have all the comforts (and then some) of home, but secrets fester behind its walls: missing valuables, feuds, and one resident even fears for her life. Magdalen Melmoth swears she's being targeted because she's the granddaughter of Oscar Wilde-- and her legacy includes an unpublished Wilde novel which could be worth millions if authenticated.

With the help of her boyfriend, investigative journalist Wing Pruett, Perri wants to outsmart a very determined killer before anyone else dies.

I really, really wanted to like Murder at the Falls, especially as I learned more about Persephone "Perri" Morgan. An orphan, foster child, and army veteran, her voice drew me right into the story. I also liked the working dog aspect and how Keats and Poe (both war heroes with the medals to prove it) could be retrained as therapy dogs to work with seniors and in such programs as Children Reading to Dogs. But... there were problems.

One resident at The Falls, the upscale senior living facility, described what Perri and her friends were doing as "Murder, She Wrote with dogs." That's a superficial fit all right, but Jessica Fletcher wouldn't write such a disjointed story. Too many aspects were trotted out and then disappeared for many chapters. Magdalen Melmoth? Here for a few chapters and then gone. The hunt for the Oscar Wilde manuscript? A hot topic, and then it, too, disappears. The whodunit wasn't particularly difficult either once I began tallying up which characters vanished for a while and which ones didn't.

However, when all is said and done, there are two things that got right up my nose more than the disjointed plot: the characters of Wing Pruett and Babette Croy. Wing Pruett did help out from time to time, but his main function seemed to be window dressing-- as if Perri was supposed to have a handsome boyfriend so-- ta dah!-- here he is. As for Babette Croy... I'm afraid that, once I get started on her, I won't know when to stop. Suffice it to say that she's a "diva-Zilla," the one type of character guaranteed to make me want to throw a book against the wall. Southern-deep-fried, beauty pageant winner, Miss Congeniality winner, she calls in airstrikes on any gray hair or wrinkle that comes within ten miles. Naturally, her clothes and makeup must always be perfect. It goes without saying that she must also be the center of attention at all times, and... gack! Consider that subject closed, y'all!

This is the first Creature Comforts mystery that I've read, and although there are things about Murder at the Falls that I liked, I won't be returning. I'm afraid of what I would do to Babette.

Murder at the Falls by Arlene Kay

eISBN: 9781516109326

Lyrical Underground Press © 2020

eBook, 296 pages

Cozy Mystery, #3 Creature Comforts mystery

Rating: D

Source: Net Galley

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

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.

 

The Secrets of Bones by Kylie Logan

First Line: Wally the puppy was a nineteen-pound ball of boundless energy with more sass than a three-year-old kid, and more common sense than one, too.

When St. Catherine's has a no-show at Assembly Day, the Catholic school for girls is short one professional woman to talk about possible career choices. Employee Jazz Ramsey is persuaded to bring in a cadaver dog and talk to the students about the dog's training, which will include planting bones for Gus the dog to find.

The girls are impressed when Gus finds the first bone, but instead of finding the second, Gus heads in a completely different direction. Since he is a professional, Jazz takes a look and finds the skeleton of a  woman who used to teach at the school-- one whom everyone thought had resigned and left.

Bernadette was a controversial teacher, and as Jazz tries to find her killer, she realizes that there are plenty of people who wished her ill. The trick will be to find the killer before the killer becomes nervous and tries to stop Jazz in her tracks.

The first book in this series, The Scent of Murder, showed a lot of promise, and this second entry certainly begins fulfilling a lot of that. Jazz has learned a better way to question her suspects (in the first book she tended to infuriate everyone which is dangerous), and her relationship with a local detective aids in her investigation. There's the usual cop who poo-poos everything she says, but he's not obnoxious to the point where I wanted someone to run him down with a patrol car. (I take out any latent aggression in the fiction I read.)

Logan has a main character with a voice that captures my attention and won't let it go. In The Secrets of Bones, she's also crafted an excellent mystery that kept me guessing all the way to the reveal. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book, although this author stomps all over one of my pet peeves.

Cozy mysteries usually have some sort of "hook" to capture a reader's attention and make them pick up and read the book. When Logan once again fell hook, line, and sinker for one of my peeves, I had to look up two things. One was my reading history with this author. She's written several series, and I've read books in two of her others. One button shop series I picked up because I love buttons. Yes, there was some information about buttons at the beginning of the book, but if they showed up again it was because someone threw all the buttons on the floor and the main character had to pick them up. Buttons were the hook that was quickly dropped after the beginning of the book.

The second thing I had to look up was more information about the literary or narrative hook: "It appears at the beginning of the story and may contain several pages of a novel, several paragraphs of a short story, or it might be only an opening sentence..."  So I learned that my expectations were rather high, and Logan is following the letter of the literary hook law. But... my expectations are still high. If this series is supposed to be about a woman who trains cadaver dogs, may we please have more than a couple of pages about the process? Pretty please?

Will I read the next book in the series? I've already said yes because I do like the main character and the mystery was excellent. I just wish I could train myself not to be so annoyed when hooks don't last as long as I want them to!

The Secrets of Bones by Kylie Logan

eISBN: 9781250180605

Minotaur Books © 2020

eBook, 336 pages

Amateur Sleuth/Cozy Mystery, #2 Jazz Ramsey mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

 

The K Team by David Rosenfelt

First Line: It was the type of situation John Lowry knew he should avoid.

Corey Douglas and his K-9 partner, Simon Garfunkel, may be recent retirees from the police force, but they're not quite ready to stop chasing the bad guys. Together with a fellow former cop, Laurie Carpenter, and her investigating partner, Marcus, they form the K Team, in honor of Simon.

Their first job as private investigators comes to them from Judge Henry Henderson, who's known as a tough but fair judge. It's hard for the K Team to believe, but Judge Henderson is being blackmailed and extorted, and he doesn't want to involve the police. He wants the K Team to get to the bottom of it.

In this first book in a new series from David Rosenfelt, we see everything through the eyes of retired cop Corey Douglas, and I found his jaded sense of humor to be only mildly amusing. He's also an award-winning commitment-phobe, and how he deals with his growing relationship with Dani did bring a smile to my face.

For me, the best part of The K Team was figuring out the mystery-- who was blackmailing the judge and why. That really kept my interest. Other than that-- being familiar with Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series-- I found the book to be lackluster. I'm willing to read the next book in the series, but if it doesn't liven up either, I'll stick with Andy. Of course, your mileage may vary.

The K Team by David Rosenfelt

eISBN: 9781250257185

Minotaur Books © 2020

eBook, 292 pages

Private Investigator, #1 K Team mystery

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley

 

Black Velvet by Steven Henry

First Lines: "We have a ten-thirty-one at 82-37 164th Street. Nearest unit respond."

Officer Erin O'Reilly has gotten used to the high crime rate, terrible hours, and lack of a personal life that comes with working nights for the NYPD. When she and her K-9 partner Rolf switch over to the day shift, things are definitely looking up. She even has time for a new boyfriend.

But when the theft of a priceless painting from the Queens Museum leaves a fellow police officer dead, Erin and Rolf find themselves dealing with dangerous criminals and shady art dealers. Erin knows she has the inside track in this investigation regardless of being forced to fight obstructive detectives every step of the way, and she's determined to do whatever it takes to solve the case.

With the odds stacked against her, can Erin and Rolf capture the killers and solve a 75-year-old crime?

Black Velvet, book one of Steven Henry's Erin O'Reilly mystery series, shows a lot of potential for a long-running series. It's fast-paced, has a strong female lead character, and the art theft mystery and action scenes keep readers guessing and turning the pages.

This book is all Erin all the time. The book showcases her dedication, her intelligence, and her determination. She proves to be quite gifted as a detective but needs to make the move from being on patrol for the NYPD. Hopefully, future books in the series will add more characters to bring needed depth to the stories. It surprised me a bit that Erin's K-9 partner Rolf takes more of a backseat in Black Velvet than in other series I've read, but that may also change as the series progresses.

Black Velvet is a fast-paced book with an interesting lead character and an intriguing mystery. It will be interesting to see how the series moves forward.

Black Velvet by Steven Henry

eISBN: 9781943383344

Clickworks Press © 2017

eBook, 224 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Erin O'Reilly K-9 mystery

Rating: B

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

 

Bed-Bugged by Susan J. Kroupa

First Lines: Bed bugs. Little oval brown bugs. Disgusting creatures, to humans at least.

Humans aren't the only ones who have career changes; Doodle the labradoodle has had one, too. However, he's not worried in the slightest. Sniffing out bed bugs? A piece of cake. It doesn't take long for him to realize that the best part of his new job is Molly, the boss's ten-year-old daughter, who likes to slip Doodle treats whenever she's not taking photos with the camera that goes with her everywhere.

But when Molly enlists Doodle's help to solve a crime, his nose and her camera lead them straight into danger. And Doodle has to wonder-- is he going to be paid for this extra work?

I was in the mood for a mystery narrated by a dog, so I decided to give Bed-Bugged a try because I wanted to compare it to Spencer Quinn's Chet & Bernie series. Right off the bat, I learned that Doodle is a much different dog than Bernie. It must be his poodle blood that gives him a more intelligent voice. (Hey, I'm not kidding. The most intelligent breed of dog is the border collie. The second most intelligent? The standard poodle.)

Doodle has had some difficulties in his life. His first job didn't work out because, well, he'll be the first to tell you that "...smart and obedient do not always go hand in hand." With this new bed bug job, his primary concern is his wages (food), but that begins to change due to his growing relationship with Molly-- and watching that develop is just as much fun as trying to solve the mystery.

If you're in the mood for a light-hearted, well-plotted and -paced mystery told by a sharp-nosed narrator with an independent streak, Bed-Bugged is a good choice for adults even though it was originally aimed at middle-grade readers.

I wonder how Chet and Doodle would work as a team?

Bed-Bugged by Susan J. Kroupa

ASIN: B006MHOFA6

Laurel Fork Press © 2013

eBook, 155 pages

Cozy Mystery, Working Dogs, #1 Doodlebugged mystery

Rating: B

Source: Purchased from Amazon.