Thank you endlessly to Minotaur Books for sending over another great read this spring! I feel terrible because it came out back at the end of June. The book was received in exchange for an honest review and as always, all opinions are my own!
When I finally got into my lovely finished copy of The Lost, I found it to be a quick, engaging K9 mystery with some thrilling aspects as well. This is #3 in the series but totally reads as a standalone.
The K9 mystery genre is one that I’ve really been getting into with the Search and Rescue books, Rookie K9 unit, and anything by David Rosenfelt, so if you like lighter, funnier mysteries and K9 detectives definitely check this one out!
Bookish Quick Facts:
- Title: The Lost
- Series: Mace Reid K9 Mystery, #3
- Author: Jeffrey B Burton
- Publisher & Release: Minotaur Books, June 2922
- Length: 288 pages
- Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ for a quick and fun mystery read
Synopsis:
The Lost is the next mystery from author Jeffrey B. Burton starring an extraordinary cadaver dog and her handler.
Glencoe, Illinois: A home invasion turned kidnapping at the mansion of billionaire financier Kenneth J. Druckman brings Mason “Mace” Reid and his cadaver dog, Vira, to this wealthy northern suburb of Chicago. Druckman was assaulted, left behind while his wife and young daughter were taken for ransom.
Brought to the scene by the FBI, Reid specializes in human remains detection, and Vira is the star of his pack of cadaver dogs he’s dubbed The Finders. After Vira finds the dead body of the mother, former supermodel Calley Kurtz, everyone is on high alert to find Druckman’s missing daughter before the five-year-old disappears forever. But the trail Vira finds on the property’s dense woodlands leads right back to Druckman himself.
With the help of Detective Kippy Gimm, Reid and Vira must race against the clock. Nothing is as it appears to be . . . and the red herrings could be lethal.
First off, I definitely liked this one as a standalone. I had no trouble meeting the characters and understanding what was happening, although I am definitely 100% adding the first two books to my TBR to meet the dogs more in depth.
This is a relatively short mystery with shorter chapters too so it’s a very quick read, perfect for the summer!
The characters are funny and kind but also talented as heck. I liked seeing a lot of Vira the golden retriever’s tricks and abilities, especially her capacity to recognize feelings and stand in as a therapy dog. Then she can turn around, find a body, nail a bad guy – Vira is an all around pro. I would have liked to see more of the actual dog training though I imagine it featured in prior books.
There’s plenty of action too. The plot is decent, it’s a little heavier than the average mystery and while it is labelled as a “cozy animal mystery” on Amazon, I didn’t recognize the cozy element as much. Mace is an amateur sleuth but his dogs know their business, and he was extremely observant. His cop girlfriend/partner did good work too and seems kind & intelligent as well as bad ass.
Where the book lost a star with me was the format of the reveal – like the book started with an unknown bad guy, then the plot and mystery developed – right in the middle, the answer was revealed – then the last half dropped the mystery and turned into a thriller, featuring the characters trying to locate a kidnapping victim and dodge various curve balls including the Russian Mafia and a crazy rich person.
My only gripe is that giving the answer away in the middle took a bit out of the second half for me since I was expecting red herrings and mystery and had to adjust my expectations. I also wish the events at the start of the book tied into the rest a little more, finding some resolution for that crime. Maybe the next book?
Overall – I liked this one. It was thrilling, interesting, funny at times, and the dogs were great. Everything that a K9 detective mystery should be!
OneReadingNurse.com 