A fast, fun k9 procedural. Mase and his dogs (trained as cadaver dogs) track down a pair of serial killers who have, on occasion, worked together. Lots of action and great descriptions of the dogs’ work. Thanks to Net Galley and Minotaur for an ARC for an honest review.

For anyone who loves stories about rescue or cadaver dogs, this book is great. Promises to be a good series.

The Finders is my introduction into Jeffrey B Burton’s writing talents...my take away is that he’s definitely on my “Watch” list for future releases.

From the opening paragraph, I was mesmerized by the plot and the exceptional character dynamics...including the K-9’s in that mix...especially Vira. The story was fast paced, twists and turns evoking my genuine curiosity as to the identity of Everyman...when that is finally revealed, not only was it a complete blindside, but a surprise with a, “Well I didn’t even guess it.” moment. Those are my favorite types of Mystery/Thrillers...where you are completely stumped until the author chooses to reveal all. I definitely don’t enjoy stories where I can see where the plot is headed way too early, thereby destroying my enjoyment of a good “Who Done It?” The lead in to the reveal was perfectly timed to keep the reader engaged and invested in the outcome.

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

I was so happy to get this book. I got more excited as it was about a dog.. it reminded me of Turner and Hooch and a little bit like scooby doo. Brilliant author cant wait for the next one

A new superstar is introduced— no cape and no spandex, just four legs and an uncanny ability to sniff out trouble. Vira is her name, and as a cadaver dog, she is without peer. Finding an inept serial killer leads to an even more complicated case. Co-stars of the book include Dog Man Mace and Kippy the Cop. Hopefully, we’ll meet this characters again in future stories.

A great start to a new series featuring dog trainer Mace Reid, police officer Kippy Gimm, and most importantly, his amazing dogs. Mace adopts a golden retriever puppy, Vira, that Kippy rescued from death. Like his other dogs he’s training her to become a finder of cadavers. Not only does Vira show extraordinary talent in this they discover she’s also able to pick out the guilty party in a crime. When Vira brutally attacks a bystander in the crowd who’s watching them recover a dead body, everyone thinks she’s lost it, however he turns out to be the perpetrator.

Mace Reid’s love of his dogs, and his self deprecating funny repertoire, endears him to me. Sometimes the writing reminded me of David Rosenfelt’s, and at one point I even googled Burton to see if they were one and the same.

I can see this becoming the start of a long-standing series, one I know our library patrons will thoroughly enjoy.
I know I’m already looking forward to the next book.

Thank you St Martin's Press for inviting me to read this book. I'm a golden retriever owner (3) and dog trainer so it was perfect for me. It had an interesting twist that kept me reading. I finished The Finders quickly and hope the author continues writing about Elvira.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

I found this book to be very interesting. I loved reading about the training of dogs. I felt the dogs character was well developed. I look forward to more books in this series.

In this intriguing, entertaining, and unusual new mystery, a cadaver dog not only finds the deceased but may be able to identify the suspect for the slaying.. Will the humans in the story pick up on her warnings in time to thwart and escape a vicious killer?

Most important: The dogs. They are each fully sketched, deeply felt characters, and the author imbues them with such personality and joy that if you don't have a dog, you will want one - or two - by the time you finish this book. There's the ostentatiously male Sue, the regal German Shepherd with a weakness for peanut butter. There are the slyly conspiring sisters, farm collies Maggie and Dawn. And there is Elvira ("Vira"), a loving, butter-colored Golden Retriever who was nearly gassed to death as a puppy, and who now has a preternatural sense for culpability.

Any time there is a dog on the page, this book is impossible to put down. The dogs actually act like dogs - playful, affectionate, jostling, goofy, smart, and funny. They are also integral to the exciting events of the story - detecting, protecting, attacking, and being attacked. The main human character endeared himself to me after one such attack when his first thought was for the safety of his dogs.

Oh, yeah, there are humans in this book, causing trouble and taking the spotlight off the dogs. There are a lot of cops, somewhat undifferentiated, and more than enough villains. The main character is Mace Reid, a dog trainer whose cadaver dogs assist local law enforcement. (Back on the dogs: It's fascinating to learn how cadaver dogs are trained.) Mace's love interest is the improbably named Kippy Gimm, the police officer who rescued Vira when she was a puppy. Mace is reeling from a recent divorce and from the (off-page and natural) death of one of his dogs; Kippy is temporarily off men because of a bad relationship. Their slow-burn attraction is developed well throughout the book.

A few things I didn't like: Pages sag under unnecessary explanation, as though the author didn't want research to go to waste or was trying to bolster against accusations of implausibility. Detours into serial killer statistics and potential explanations for Vira's gift just detract from the action. The darkness of the plot - made darker by the first-person POV of the killer - seems at odds with the furry, high-concept theme.

But did I mention there are dogs? Fabulous. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A golden retriever puppy who has a near-death experience becomes a search and rescue dog with near-mythical abilities. The mystery is intriguing but the humans around the dog-- the police officer who finds her and the man who trains her-- and the dog as well are great characters. 

Looks to be the start of a great new series.

Thank you Jeffrey B Burton for an amazing start to a new series that is now one of my "followed" authors. This first in a series has a solid back story in Mace Reid training recovery dogs while struggling with his personal life. The community of characters, including a golden retriever cadaver dog, all bring to life a city being terrorized by a serial killer who is getting just a little too close to Mace and his dog, Vira. I really loved this book!

Mason "Mace" Reid trains dogs to hunt for dead bodies to become cadaver dogs. He adopts a rescue, a golden retriever named Vira. Reid soon realizes that Vira is special with special instincts on not only finding dead bodies but also identifying the killers. Mace take ms on an assignment with Kippy Gimm from the Chicago Police Department to close in on a serial killer case.

Burton’s writing on this police procedural was exciting, fast paced, and thrilling. I loved surprise twists and smart killers that had me guessing until the end. With the addition of a very gifted and loyal K9, my heart was doing some tumbles as Vira on multiple occasions save Mace from a brutal serial killer. This was a real fun read I enjoyed very much!

Officer Kippy Gumm rescues a golden retriever puppy when its owner is killed. Mason Reid, who trains cadaver dogs, is called to the animal shelter to retrieve the puppy. He names her Elvira, Vira for short, and she becomes the best dog he's ever trained. Mace and Vira get involved in the search for the Velvet Choker, and with the assistance of Kippy, they manage to find the serial killer. This is the first book in a series and I am eager to read the next. I am a big fan of dog books and I liked this one.

First book by this author. Giving it a solid 4/5 stars.

Vira is given a second shot at life, and uses it to help her human, Mace, as a cadaver dog. While helping the Chicago Police Department find the latest victim of The Velvet Choker Killer, Vira and Mace find themselves targets of a serial killer. Will they discover the truth before it’s too late?

With an amazing plot, and a twist you won’t see coming. This book manages to mix a little police procedural, supernatural elements, and good old story about a boy and his dog.

Pro:
Quick Read, great Story, based in Chicago

Con:
Does seem to drag a little in the middle, but not for long

I want to thank St. Martin Press, Minotaur book for letting me read an ARC of this book via NetGalley

This is a well written book that holds your attention.It is full of action and suspense, and will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. I can't wait for the next book in this series to come out! Thank you St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the e-galley of this novel.

There is a special place in my heart for dogs who are trained to help humans with a wide variety of tasks. This story concerns a female golden retriever puppy, just over nine weeks old when she is rescued, and the adventures she had when she was adopted and trained as a cadaver dog. Mace Reid gives his dogs names which are also song titles so this puppy is given the name Elvira. Unfortunately for me the author chose to shorten that name to Vira which my brain saw as Vera and I had to do the whole Statler Brothers Elvira memory switch throughout the whole book. Sigh. Mace, of course, works with many police agencies in the suburbs of Chicago so there isn't a shortage of cases for dog and handler to hone their skills on. It soon becomes obvious there is a serial killer in the area but nothing is completely straight forward in this investigation.

Jeffrey Burton came close to losing me as a reader because I feared he was going to try to give Vira some supernatural power. It came close, almost too close. I enjoyed the book overall and would read a second book in the series. I do hope that one will not include the point of view of the criminal because that person was seriously creepy.

Review of uncorrected digital galley

Dog trainer Mason “Mace” Reid has had a difficult year dealing with a divorce he didn’t want and the loss of one of his dogs. But when he begins training Elvira, the young golden retriever he calls Vira demonstrates skills far beyond what he expects of her. Mace is excited and intrigued as he continues working with the young dog.

Trained in human remains detection, Mace’s dogs often assist the police and on one of those jobs Mace works with Chicago Police Officer Kippy Gimm. However, things go awry when Vira takes an unexpected action and Mace decides he must find an explanation for her behavior.

But what he finds will put him in the cross-hairs of a serial killer . . . and Vira may be his only hope.

First in a series featuring Mace and his “kids,” readers will find the characters to be well-drawn, interesting, and believable; additionally, the four-footed characters . . . Vira, Sue, Delta Dawn and Maggie May . . . are downright adorable and deserving of every one of those treats and every bit of that peanut butter. The mystery involving the missing girls is both compelling and intriguing; the plot twists and turns, taking the story in unexpected directions as the four dogs do their jobs and, at the same time, effortlessly worm their way into readers’ hearts.

At times, the narrative is dark and gritty; nevertheless, the unfolding story keeps readers involved and the revelations late in the story are likely to come as a surprise for most of them. Humorous moments, mounting tensions, and furry, four-footed canines keep the pages turning, making the book difficult to set aside. There is much to appreciate here and the promise of more Vira stories to come is quite exciting.

However, the excessive over-use of an offensive expletive is off-putting and a particularly insulting reference repeatedly made toward one of the characters tends to pull the reader out of the telling of the tale. As a result, the rating for the book is lowered.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#TheFinders #NetGalley

288 pages

5 stars

Police officer Kippy Gimm finds an unconscious Golden Retriever puppy at the scene of a suicide. She is a dog lover and finds the condition of the pup more horrific than the death of the nee'r-do-well homeowner.

When the puppy winds up with dog (and their people), trainer Mace Reid, she turns out to be very bright and loyal. He trains her to be a cadaver dog. She excels at this work, but at a scene after finding the body, Vira viciously attacks one of the bystanders. She is promptly incarcerated and there is a kill order out for her in 24 hours. Mace must prove her innocence. While doing so, he is badly injured, but a hero nonetheless.

Finally cleared of wrongdoing, Mace now finds himself being stalked by another serial killer, but finds the time to foster a serious crush on Officer Kippy.

This is a fast-moving and very well written thriller. And dogs...gotta love them. We meet four of Mace's remarkable dogs in this book and they are all very special. I liked Mace and his semi-bumbling ways with Kippy. I hope that there is a future for them. I was seriously wondering why the second killer was so fixated on Mace and then I figured it out. The writing was even and proceeded logically from event to event. I truly enjoyed this book and look very much forward to reading the next in this series. Very well done, Mr. Burton!

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for forwarding to me a copy of this wonderful book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

I really wish you could give a review without rating a book. I hate to bring down the average if the book just isn't for me. I was hoping I would like this book, but could not continue reading. I do not appreciate swearing in a book. Good books can be written without it. I don't hear that kind of language in my home, and I don't want to read it.