Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* A wonder of a thriller, crammed to bursting with everything genre fans are pining for: fascinating characters, sparky dialogue, wry humor, sweaty-palm tension—all in a literate narrative that is a joy to follow. It begins when an apparently dead golden retriever puppy gets up and walks. She's adopted by a Mason Mace Reid, who lives outside of Chicago and trains dogs to hunt for the dead; soon spooky things start to happen. Vira, as Mace calls the puppy, singles a murderer out of a crowd of bystanders. She visits a crime scene and informs the cops they've arrested the wrong man. Awed observers hint at psychic powers, making Vira the dog version of Will Graham, the gifted agent in Thomas Harris' Red Dragon. Then Vira and Mace, working as a pair, take on serial-killer everyman, who's been a spooky presence from the start and a vicious and fascinating one as the story builds to its climax. The confrontation surges for a good 50 pages and contains a few surprises for jaded genre fans who think they've seen it all. This debut in Burton's Mace Reid K-9 series is not to be missed; pair it with Robert Crais' Suspect (2013). Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.
Library Journal Reviews
Officer Kippy Gimm rescues a golden retriever puppy from death by carbon monoxide poisoning, but it's Mace Reid, a dog trainer, who discovers the dog's abilities. Vira has an uncanny ability to find bodies, but then she attacks a man in a crowd watching at a crime scene. Mace is desperate to save the young dog after the order to kill her, so he breaks into the house where Vira's victim lives. He's able to rescue a woman imprisoned there and save Vira from death, but he's attacked, and his would-be killer dies. It takes several attempts on Mace's life before he and Kippy realize that Mace has unwittingly made himself the target of another killer. Now, the dog trainer is a witness and a participant in the search for a serial killer who has gone unnoticed for years. But it's Vira's ability to scent a killer that will send Officer Gimm and Mace Reid into a final confrontation.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
This suspenseful series launch from Burton (