THE LOST

4 stars out of 5

This is the third in the series about cadaver dog trainer/handler Mason "Mace" Reid and his stable of intelligent pooches. It's perfectly readable and entertaining, but I have to say it didn't resonate with me as much as the other two. In part, that's because there's less focus on the dogs. Yes, super-smart golden retriever "Vira" (a nickname for her real name, Elvira, from the popular Oak Ridge Boys song of years ago) gets some page time and Mace does what he can to keep Bill from rolling around in stinky substances. But it's Mafioso-style crime that takes center stage here, and for me, that's never a favorite topic. And even though they're apparently an official couple now - if I recall correctly, that was just a wish on Mace's part in the second book - I just didn't feel the love between Mace and his main squeeze, Detective Kippy Gimm (yes, that's her real name).

On the plus side, though, there's plenty of action, and for those who haven't read the first two, it stands alone well. This time out, a reported home invasion sends Mace and Vira out behind the property of an uber-wealthy financier, where she sniffs out the very dead body of the rich guy's super-model wife Calley. Still missing, however, is their young daughter, Eleanor; even Vira's super-sniffing ability is no help in finding her. Then, their fears are realized; she's been kidnapped, and there's a stiff ransom demand for her safe return.

Needless to say, the clock starts ticking; no one, including the FBI, wants to find Eleanor's body somewhere. For the benefit of readers, chapters shift from what went on a few weeks earlier, with mentions of the aforementioned mobsters and his relationship to the aforementioned mobsters and hints that not everything and everyone are what and who they seem to be. Even Mace and the Chicago-area law enforcers seem to be running around in circles, finding little evidence and spending precious time with an investigation that often barks up the wrong tree.

The twists and turns continue right up to the end, and of course there are some tense moments with threats to the lives of Mace, Kippy and Vira. Will they all survive? Will they find Eleanor before it's too late? And will they bring the culprits to justice? Ah well, all I'll say is that Vira plays a part in the outcome. All in all, it's a fun romp that dog-lovers are sure to love. As for me, I once again thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. 

The Lost by Jeffrey B. Burton (Minotaur Books, June 2022); 273 pp.

THE KEEPERS

4 stars out of 5

I love mysteries about cats and dogs, so I was excited to find and read "The Finders," the debut book in this series, last summer. I was no less excited to find this one - and even happier when, once again, I got a pre-release copy of the book to read and review (thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley). Like the first, there's plenty of nail-biting action, both on the part of the pooches and their very likable trainer, Mason "Mace" Reid. Needless to say, though, the dogs pretty much have a corner on the lovable end - any country music fan like me would be hard-pressed to resist pups with names like Delta Dawn, Elvira and Sue (yes, the latter is a boy).

They all live near Chicago, and the dogs are in demand, largely by the Chicago Police Department, for their expertise in sniffing out human remains.  As this story opens, a call from the previous summer sends Mace and a couple of his best canines to a major downtown fire, where the dogs nose out a body. Subsequent investigation determines the fire to be arson and that the dead guy, a lawyer, bit the dust before he turned up as a crispy critter (i.e., he was murdered).

Back to the present, Mace's not-yet-but-hoped-for main squeeze, police officer Kippy Gimm, calls him in to help with the murder of a local musician who, shall we say, was musically challenged and lost. Then Mace and the dogs seek and find an even more prominent - and spectacularly dead - local district attorney. That, in turn, leads to suspicions of nefarious connections that reach to the highest levels of government (hey, this is Chicago, after all). But whoever the someone or someones are behind the murder, it's pretty clear an in-depth investigation won't be welcome. Mace and Kippy soon learn that the hard way, though - putting them and the dogs in mortal danger, on the run and smack dab in the middle of an episode of "Who Do You Trust?"

For sure, this one barked right up my tree, and I'm sure it will be a hit with other readers as well. Good job!

The Keepers by Jeffrey B. Burton (Minotaur Books, June 2021); 288 pp.

THE FINDERS

4 stars out of 5

June seems to be going to the dogs. Well, at least in my book; coming off reading another wonderful "Chet and Bernie" mystery by Spencer Quinn, I dived right into this one, which also focuses on unbelievably intelligent canines. But in this case, they're honing in on dead bodies.

That alone attracted me to this book, which came to me as a pre-publication review copy from NetGalley (thank you very much). But other things were intriguing as well; for instance, dog trainer Mason Reid - Mace to his friends - is a fan of country music, as am I. His main pooches have names like Maggie May, Delta Dawn and, the newest pup, Elvira. The name of another lead character, Chicago police officer Kippy Gimm, made me chuckle as well; when our daughter Christine Elizabeth was just starting to talk, the best she could do with her own name was "Kippy Libilip" - so for two or three years, Kippy it was (for the record, though, I do have a bit of a problem taking any grown-up named Kippy very seriously.

Mason and Kippy meet up at the scene of an apparent suicide by carbon monoxide, and they find what may have been an unintended victim; a golden retriever puppy that's unconscious but miraculously still alive. No surprise, but Mason takes the pup to raise, dubbing her Elvira, or Vira for short. It should be noted, also no surprise, that Mason - who's coming off the death of a favorite pooch and a marriage turned sour (I'm not sure which he mourns more) - takes quite a shine to the aforementioned Kippy.

Mason begins training Elvira as a cadaver dog, and she proves to be noseworthy in stellar fashion. In fact, she tackles - literally - a murder suspect she sniffs out in a crowd of bystanders, seriously injuring him and landing herself on the must-be-put-down list. When the authorities determine that the man was perhaps the serial killer they've been trying to nail for years, strings are pulled to keep Elvira safe.

Further investigation determines that Elvira's victim isn't working alone and a serial killer remains on the loose. The rest of the book focuses on the chase to find him (or her) as well as the killer's determination to put down Mason, Kippy and that pesky Elvira. It's an exciting chase to the finish, to be sure. My only concern is that while I enjoyed learning more about the superiority of dogs' brains and sense of smell, the detail was a bit heavy-handed. Since this is the first of what I believe is a series, I can't imagine there would be anything left to reveal in future episodes without repeating much of what's been said here. But in any event, I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and already I'm on the scent of another. Soon, please?

The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton (Minotaur Books, June 2020); 288 pp.