Before It’s Too Late, the second book in the FBI K-9 series by Sara Driscoll, literally has you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Many times throughout the story the suspense had my heart pounding right along with Meg and Hawk as they were forced to jump through the hoops of a madman. The action is amazingly realistic to the point that you're right there with the characters racing from one location to another. The riddles were another aspect that drew you into the story almost as an active participant.

Ms. Driscoll has built upon the first book in the series to capture the true essence of the characters and further cementing an emotional bond that drives the story and gives the reader a vested interest in the outcome each and every time the K-9/Handler teams race to beat the clock on the lives of the victims. I'm anticipating that this series will only become more riveting with each new installment.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily submitting my honest review.

Thanks very much to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. Many thanks, Dave

FBI dog handler Meg and her K9 Hawk are on a desperate search. This is a good, taut suspenseful novel with a mild romantic tint. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fine read.

I am really enjoying FBI K-9 series. This series features FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue Labrador, Hawk. They are part of a team, but they are the main characters in this series. This book has Meg, Hawk and her team scrambling when they receive encrypted messages about kidnapped women. They have to figure out the message, then use the code to find the site where the women are being held. Someone is killing them in various methods of suffocation. It is a race against time and when Meg realizes that the kidnapper knows her and is after her or her family, she breaks bureau protocol to find him and save the women at the same time.

I enjoyed this story as much as the first in the series. In this book, Meg brings in her sister Cara and reporter Clay McCord to help her with the messages. Cara is a whiz at puzzled and encryptions, and Clay is a civil war buff which is what is needed to find the places the women are held. Meg and Hawk are in danger at every turn, but she won't back down. Meg and Hawk are a great team. They work so well together and can anticipate the next move. If you love dogs added to your stories, this is the series to follow. It was great to see the team again, but I enjoyed learning about Meg's family and her past. This story is full of action, but I was very interested in the various ways people can suffocate, which were used by this psychotic killer. The situations were chilling and some are definite fears of many people. There was so much tension as the team of Meg, Hawk, Cara and Clay worked together to solve the clues and save many of the women, but the final mystery was to figure out the killer. This is a suspense/thriller series with a hint of romance possible in the future. A well-written, gripping K-9 story, I definitely recommend.

Another great book in the K9 FBI series. This one features a killer targeting Meg, and killing look alikes in her place. Lots of Civil War history. Fast paced with lots of plot twists, and very enjoyable.

My first thought, WOW! If you've ever read Iris Johansson you'll like this book. The authors writing style and story reminds me so much of her. I literally couldn't put this book down. I was constantly trying to sneak in a few more minutes or the next chapter. I didn't realize it was second in a series. I've already went and purchased the first book and added the 3rd that comes out this winter to my wish list. I love mystery books but I love them even more when they add in certain aspects like search and rescue dogs.

Last year I reviewed the first FBI K-9 novel Lone Wolf and fell in love with a fictional labrador called Hawk. Hawk is a search and rescue dog working for the FBI in the canine unit, his handler is Special Agent Meg Jennings and together they make a formidable team. Lone Wolf saw the duo on the track of a bomber who was targeting government buildings and it was a powerful and engaging read.

Meg and Hawk are back for a second outing in Before it’s too Late and this time the action is taking place much closer to home.

The FBI receive a coded message – a woman has been kidnapped and if the FBI can crack the code in the message then they will be able to locate the missing woman and rescue her. If they don’t solve the puzzle in good time the woman will die. A game from the kidnapper with a deadly twist.

Meg and Hawk are involved in the chase to rescue the woman but their chances of success are slim. When a cryptic clue throws the FBI off track it is too late to save the woman. Meg takes the failure hard but the kidnapper/killer is not done yet and a second woman is abducted, the alert is raised when her dog is spotted running free.

I am avoiding plot spoilers but suffice to say Meg becomes close to the action as she blames herself for not saving the first kidnap victim and she will not rest until she sees the killer brought to justice.

The FBI K9 novels have been a welcome and refreshing addition to my kindle. I love the dynamic between Meg and Hawk (and the other dogs which appear through the stories). After the thrill of hunting the bomber in Lone Wolf, the change to a sadistic killer in Before it’s too Late was equally welcome as I love a serial killer tale.

I hope that more FBI K9 stories shall follow, not enough dogs in my crime fiction and these warm my heart.

I tend to enjoy books about K-9 units, but this one really stood out from the rest. While I liked the first book of the series, I loved this follow up. The storyline drew me right in, and I thought the suspense aspect was really well done. I immediately became caught up in the frantic race to save the killer's victims before it was too late. I enjoyed Meg's sister Cara and the role she played. Meg and Hawk are fantastic characters and I hope to see more of them soon. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Before it's too late by sarah Driscoll.
In this powerful K-9 crime thriller, FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and her trusted
search-and-rescue Labrador, Hawk, must race against the clock before a diabolical killer strikes again...
A fantastic read. I love dogs. This was a refreshing read. Couldn't put it down. Read it in two sittings. Highly recommended. 5*.

I loved Lone Wolf, Sara Driscoll's first FBI K9 crime thriller. I found that to be a fast-paced read and a great start to the series. I couldn't put Before It's Too Late down either.

This is an emotional book from the outset. A woman is buried alive somewhere in Washington, D.C. On receiving a coded message, Special Agent Meg Jenning and her dog Hawk have a race against the clock to find the victim, but unfortunately it's too late. Then another woman goes missing and another coded message arrives...

Before It's Too Late is a great lesson in pacing and plotting. It's well-researched too, though the references to American history did pass me by - I'm not great on British history, let alone US history - but that didn't detract from the plot at all. The book is filled with thrills, action and suspense, and I'm sure I barely took a breath for most of it.

This crime thriller has plenty of heart, featuring some great teamwork, not just between the human characters but also between the humans and their canine partners (especially Meg with Hawk, her Labrador). So pleased that helpful journalist McCord back is back - journalists are often depicted very negatively in crime fiction. Love the return of Todd, Meg's firefighter boyfriend, too.

You get to know a lot about Meg's family life and background - she even involves her sister Cara (a whizz at codes and puzzles), which puts Meg's career on the line. As she embarks on this cat-and-mouse chase, she realises this is personal - and her past is coming back to haunt her.

While I'm sure Before It's Too Late could be read as a standalone, I still think it's a good idea to read Lone Wolf first - partly because you'll be missing out on another good book if you don't. This is turning out to be a favourite series of mine - and I can't wait for the next book!

My dilemma is that the excellent plot and it’s progression vs the lees than previous depth to characters Something is missing in this one yet it is a spectacular series , complicated and satisfying

WIth thanks to the publisher for the copy received.

Before It’s Too Late is the second book in the series that features Meg and her canine partner Hawk. I have enjoyed both books, both involve serious crime but are from a completely different viewpoint. That of dog handler and dog.
In this book the crime is personal to Meg. Women are being abducted and left in dangerous situations. Meg and the rest of the team receive coded messages that will determine the location of the women who if they are not found in time will die. All of the women look like Meg and all the codes have a connection to her.

I have to say that the deciphering of the codes went way over my head and my knowledge of the American Civil War starts and ends with the novel and TV series North and South. But neither of these failings on my part stopped me loving this novel. All off the characters’ personalities were real including them of the numerous dogs. The Rescue dog, Blink, I just wanted to hug. I felt that all of the animals that featured were based on actual animals that the authors had. The human characters were just as good. Seeing the relationship between Meg, Cara, the firefighter and the journalist was nice to read. It isn’t often where the journalist in a novel is likeable and a hero.

Hopefully this will be a long running series. Murder, abduction and violence yes but there is also the contact with human and canine which makes it special. Fantastic and humbling.

Sara Driscoll's second FBI K-9 novel, Before It's Too Late, hits the ground running and never lets up. A woman in the D.C. area is abducted, leaving her dog running loose. Attached to his collar is a coded note with clues to the woman's location and a time limit. The note is directed to Meg Jennings personally. By the time the FBI unscrambles the code and clues, all based on Civil War history and locations, the time has run out. It's too late for the woman, but this is far from the end. More abductions occur, and notes arrive in quick succession, all to Meg's attention. Even worse, the victims are physically similar to Meg. It's clear that the FBI is up against a very organized serial killer; one with a personal grudge against her. Meg decides to take action that might very well cost her career. Against all Bureau policy, she enlists her sister, Cara, a puzzle-solving genius, and Clay McCord, Washington Post reporter and Civil War buff. The three are able to solve the puzzles more quickly than the FBI computers. But Meg can't imagine who her adversary might be, or why.

I liked the first in the FBI K-9 series, Lone Wolf, very much and Before It's Too Late does not disappoint. The action is non-stop, the mystery well-plotted and the characters engaging. The relationship between Meg and her Labrador, Hawk, is healthy and supportive, based on mutual respect and love. It's impressive what well-trained search and rescue dogs can do. I highly recommend the series to suspense fans and anyone interested in the inner workings of the FBI K-9 Units.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

RATING-4 Stars

Somebody is kidnapping women with dogs and is leaving them to die. Clues to where they are being left are attached to the dogs and address to k9 handler Meg. Once they find the first victim Meg notices how much the victim looks like her. It's a race against time to try to save each of the victims.
Really enjoyed this book. Didn't realise that it was the 2nd one in series when I started but that didn't spoil anything . Looking forward to the next instalment.
Would recommend

This novel is aptly named. "Just in Time" As the FBI races the clock to try and save the victims, I found myself reading faster as if I were in the race along with them. The serial killer meticulously selects victims based on his own predetermined factors. I won't reveal them here. The method of kill and location is also well planned. I enjoyed the Civil War tie in to each victim, even writing them down to research later. This would make an interesting tour itinerary for history buffs.

Meet FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and her trusted search-and-rescue Labrador, Hawk, who is leading the race to stop a diabolical killer.

Somewhere in the Washington, DC, area, a woman lies helpless in a box. To make it worse, she's buried underground. Barely breathing. Buried alive. In Quantico, the FBI receives a coded message from the woman's abductor addressed to Meg, that has been tucked under her dogs collar. He wants to play a game with them: they must decipher the clues, find the grave, in order to save the girl. The FBI's top cryptanalysts with the help of software, crack the code, and Special Agent Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, rush to the scene of the crime. The killer is clever enough to make the clues cryptic, leading them astray, and wasting precious time. Time needed to solve the puzzle, before the girl dies in a horrifying and personal manner.

The sick killer is thoroughly enjoying this game. Very soon another message arrives. Another victim is taken, and the deadly pattern is repeated - again and again. This has to stop. Meg decides to try something drastic as she defies direct orders from the bureau. Meg knows she's risking her career to do it, but she's determined not to let one more person die under her and Hawk's watch.

I hope to read more of the work of Meg, her team, and the trained dogs of the Human Scent Evidence Team.

My only problem is this. I thought it would have been too difficult for the killer to orchestrate and carry out the abductions as close together as portrayed in the book. And, when the two girls were taken, having the FBI having to make a choice of which girl too choose to save was tough, but almost impossible to carry out in such deft manner.
But, that's why I read fiction to enjoy the sometimes implausible.

<http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=63926>

A good story with a few twists and turns. Good characters including the dog's. Look forward to more.

A wonderful read... full of twists, turns, and lots of American history for this history lover... Meg and Hawk are a dynamic team that you just keep pulling for throughout the book. Add in Webb and Clay, and they are solving clues and trying to save the day... a very satisfying read, I hope there are more to come!

After having read the first book in the series, I was really looking forward to reading this one, and it didn't disappoint.

Meg and Hawk find themselves involved in a tricky case once more but this time it is VERY personal indeed. Who is this person who wants to kill young women in chillingly creative ways? What is his connection with her family? And is getting Cara involved such a wise move?

These questions and many more will be answered when you read the book. This is an excellent read, the story just flows and it was gripping enough to keep me on the edge of my seat, over and over again. The little touch of romantic tension was also appreciated. As was also the case with the first book, I really enjoyed reading about the relationship between Meg and Hawk as well. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Highly recommended from me, 4.5 stars.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Thank you to THE Book Club.

Loved it, just like the first one ,want more of this series .