This first book in a new mystery series centered on Mace Reid and his HRD (Human Remains Detection) dogs by author Jeffrey B. Burton cannot help but be a huge hit among dog lovers. The affection and humor with which the author describes the main character's canine companions leaves no doubt that the author is a dog lover. As for the plot, for the most part, it is believable and the pace of the book is fast. I do wish that a few less pages had been spent on considering paranormal explanations for the exceptional scent abilities that Vira, his latest canine acquisition, displays. For me, at least, this detour interrupted the narrative flow and called more attention to the fact that most likely Vira's skill level pushed the boundaries of believability and that the author was relying a bit too much on these exceptional abilities to move the plot forward. That said, the sense of humor that the author brings to this hunt for a serial killer is refreshing and suffice it to say you may never look at highway rest areas in the same way.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars, simply because the series has great potential. If in future installments the author includes more solid detective work to advance the plot, rather than relegating most of the heavy lifting to the dogs, the series might just win Best in Show.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a little flawed but good overall. Hard not to like the dog of course. The dialog was pretty good, as were a couple of surprises. Pretty good pacing, but the body count seemed high. Overall, a pretty solid mystery.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

Vira is an awesome dog. She can do amazing things and is super smart. However, I wasn't really in love with her owner Mason. If I had to listen to one more line about how amazing he thought Kippy was I was gonna call it quits. It kinda ruined the book for me. I will read the next book in the series.

Honest review of an ARC from Netgalley.

3.5 stars
Read this book courtesy of NetGalley. Mace Reid is an interesting character but his dogs are definitely the stars in the story! Cadaver dog training appears to be a thorough process beginning with finding the right dog and training them while forming a lifelong bond. Elvira/Vira/Honey Bear more than proves that she IS the right dog for any task set before her. She even runs rings around Mace and waits for his brain to kick in while he figures out what message she's trying to get across. The story was well written and the action fast-paced. While I didn't guess who the culprit was, I was on the right track with figuring things out. Would like to see more in this series and get to know Mace, Sue and the girls better!!

I love dogs and I love a good murder mystery and this book has both. That said, this book didn’t really do it for me sadly. It is an OK book and it delivers when it comes to featuring dogs, but the story it self was a bit lacking.

The Finders is a the first book in a new series by Jeffrey Burton. Mace Reid, the dog whisperer, is a dog trainer who maintains a group of cadaver dogs with song-inspired names. He adopts a golden retriever puppy who proves to be exceptionally talented at sniffing out bad guys. In a story with twists and turns, Mace and Vira (the retriever) get mixed up with a serial killer or two, while Mace tries to figure out how to romance the attractive police officer who initially rescued Vira (or, Honey Bear as she calls her). Great start to what I hope is an ongoing series. Recommended for fans of Paula Munier and Margaret Mizushima.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for access to a digital ARC.

Loved, loved, loved this book and am so glad it is the start of a series. What could be bad about dogs in a book? Especially dogs trained to be human remains detection. Vira is a "special" dog who just just more than and just might be psychic Great novel can't wait for next one

The Finders, I originally solely requested this book because of the beautiful golden retriever on the cover, well and maybe because I like crime thrillers, however I LOVED this book.

Mace trains dogs to find human remains, his three female dogs do just that, but his golden retriever rescue Vira takes finding remains to a whole new exceptional level. He also has an older male German Shepard who holds down the fort.

I love how Mace refers to his dogs as his kids and his conversations wish his pups cracked me up through out the book.

Mace (the handler) and Kippy a female cop team up, with the help of Vira to track down missing women who are getting abducted and murdered by a serial killer in Chicago, only to find that maybe Vira’s exceptional senses can also track down the serial killer.

This book had me on the edge of my seat wondering if they were ever going to catch the killer, and hoping nothing was going to happen to beautiful Vira. 5 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an ARC of #TheFinders by @jeffreybburton for my honest review. #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booklover #crime #doglover #goldenretriever

I wish I hadn't read some of the other reviews before reading this book. I was not really what I expected. Dog Trainer / Amateur Investigator Mace Reid helps the CPD solve several murder mysteries with the help of his HRD trained Dogs. I was drawn to this story because of the Golden Retriever, Vira, and her special abilities. That part of the story did not disappoint. Vira is an exceptional companion and a great investigator in her own right.
The other reviews said they connected more with the dogs than the main character. I didn't find that to hold true. Others also said they didn't know if Mace was male or female. More than once the main character mentions that he's a man and this is early in the story. I'm not really sure where the confusion was.
That said, Burton's writing style is not my favorite. This is the first of his stories that I've read. His choice of language descriptors is not my typical choice for entertainment reading. Because of this I won't choose to read any more of his books. Which is really too bad because Mace Reid is an interesting character and I wouldn't mind knowing what other trouble he and Vira get in to. So for the story itself I'd give four stars. For the writing language choices I'd give it two stars. So I guess I'll split the difference and settle at 3 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to try this new author and share in reviewing this book.

Mace is a dog trainer. He trains them as Cavader dogs for the police.
But when his dog Vira picks out the murderer in the crowd and attacks him. Mace has to go all out to prove that Vira has a sixth sense! Before he knows it he's tracking a serial killer who is also trying to kill him!!

A brilliant book. At first I thought I wasn't going to like it but as soon as I read more. I was gripped and really got into it. Told from the point of view as Mace and the masked killer.
Little did we know the killer was under our noses the whole time!
This book has been written well and kept me engaged and entertained.

murder-investigation, law-enforcement, dogs, amateur-sleuth, not-quite-horror, verbal-humor,

I loved it and am hoping that someday there will be more in the series! I do have an issue with the title--these dogs are not police officers as the use of the term K-9 would indicate and therefore do not wear personal protection equipment. This is not to say that they are not extremely valuable! Just being picky.
The story is good, the characters realistic and yet inventive. I normally avoid books about serial killers, but this one makes reading it worthwhile. I like the idea that Vira is preternaturally enhanced as well as brilliant and adaptable. The general location of the story is rather familiar to me and that probably influences my preference as well as my love of dogs. That and the fact that the writing kept me up too late!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St Martin's Press / Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

A book I enjoyed loved Vira the golden retriever a new series so well written .Found myself staying up late to finish the book. Highly recommend looking forward to next in the series.#netgalley#st.martinsbooks

I want to start off by thanking the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was a very well written book by a new author for me. I love animal stories and especially dog stories! The book had a very good storyline. . I enjoyed reading this and didn’t wanna put it down. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton is an excellent first installment in a new series featuring training dogs, specifically in this case, a cadaver trained dog. Elvira (Vira) is an exceptional Golden Retriever that has been paired with her handler, Mason Reid, whom is a trainer that works with the Chicago PD. They help each other solve crimes and “put away the bad guys”.

I was initially thrilled when I saw a book that revolved around a working canine. I love dogs, I have one myself, and I love any thing that has to do with jobs with dogs, dogs with jobs....you get the drift. So, I was so pumped that I was able to find and read this book. I was not disappointed.

Not only was there one murder/mystery....there were two. It was interesting, gripping, and drew me in from beginning to end. I cannot wait to read follow ups to this book. I would love to see more about Elvira and her original training, as well as her continued training. I always find that fascinating.

Excellent start to a new series.
5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

A woman is attacked on a walking path at a highway rest stop. A man dies from asphyxiation, his car left running in the garage. A tiny golden puppy, intertwined with a blanket in the corner, also appears to be dead. Against all odds, the puppy is alive and becomes a very large part of this compelling mystery. Young woman have been disappearing, and their bodies are being found with a velvet choker around their neck.

Mason Reid trains dogs for a living. When he visits the kennel, hoping to find a dog to replace his English Springer, Arnie, his compassion and knowledge of animals shines through as he makes a connection with this tiny golden retriever. You see, Arnie was his prized cadaver dog, and Vira is going to take his place.

On Vira’s first official search, she finds the victim then explodes out of control and attacks a man, drawing Mason into a mystery far deeper than he ever imagined. Now he must fight to save Vira and everything he has worked for, drawing himself into a case that threatens his very life.

There is a lot to like about this story, it is well written and has all the elements of a good mystery. Mace’s budding friendship with Kippy, a policewoman who is working the case, the steps taken to find the killer, and the interaction with his dogs are all intertwined along the path to discovery of the killer. The only shortcoming I found was that Mace, while a strong character some of the time, was often bumbling and definitely got more than his share of hurts.

I would rate this book a solid 3-1/2 stars. This was a nice, interesting book. Did it wow me? No, but, that being said, it did have it’s moments. I kinda figured out who Everyman was before it was revealed!. I did like aspects of the book. ....loved the cover of the book ...fun dialogue .... loved the dogs and their personal characters and charm ..... Mace’s character.....learning about cadaver dogs and the roles they play in life and in death! The things that I didn’t care for. ......I didn’t think there was much chemistry between Mace and Kippy ....I wasn’t too fond of the body count: I didn’t think that it needed to be that high ....and I really hate when the author has to keep repeating “this bitch cop this - that bitch cop that”! I know the dialogue is probably necessary, it just rubs me the wrong way! What this book did was keep my interest enough to finish it in one sitting (I am on holidays and it was raining ...so an in door type of day). I liked the author enough that I would check into more of his books, but I would check the rating on Goodread first!

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review of this book

The Finders is the first book in a new series by author Jeffrey B. Burton.

Before reviewing it, I have a new confession to make: I love police dogs. When I’m on my couch, switching channels on the telly, and stumble on a police or customs documentary, I remain on it in hope to see police dogs into action. They’re the overlooked heroes of law enforcement.

Hence, when I read the description for The Finders, I knew I had to read this book. And, I haven’t been disappointed.

Mason Reid is a dog trainer who also specializes in training and handling human remains detection dogs for the Chicago police. He adopts a new dog, a golden retriever named Elvira, who almost died from carbon monoxide poisoning as a puppy. Maybe because of the effect this incident had on the development of her senses, « Vira » becomes the most efficient of his pack in record time.

Early in the book, Vira solves her first major case, helping catch the Velvet Choker serial killer. Unfortunately, in doing so, Vira and Mason Reid also caught the unwanted attention of another, more cunning, vicious, and prolific serial killer. Then, the hunters become the hunted.

Even if we don’t get the direct point of view of the dogs, Vira and Reid’s other dogs are omnipresent in the book. Mason Reid doesn’t like dogs. He loves dogs. He empathize with them. He constantly notices what his dogs are up to and are thinking, and hence let the reader know about it. It is obvious the author put a lot of research into dogs in general, and police dogs specifically. It’s to be noted, as well, that each of Reid’s dogs has its distinct and coherent personality.

The writing style leaves nothing to be desired. No lengthy exposition, just enough for the reader to be involved into the story. The victims are not faceless. Jeffrey B. Burton always gives us enough information about them for us to be horrified by their fates. Even if a serial killer story doesn’t leave a lot of space for comedy, there are bits of humor here and there, sometimes dry and unexpected, often involving the dogs, which caused me to giggle quite a few times.

As for the twist required from all good mysteries, the revelation of the killer’s identity was quite shocking. Even if, in hindsight, all the clues were there. But, Burton nevertheless managed to surprise the seasoned mystery reader I am.

I don’t know when the next installment in this new series will be released, but it’s going to be a long wait. Dog thrillers ? Is that a new literary genre ? As far as I know, it might. And it’s one that seems to have been specially tailored to my needs.

Thanks to St Martin Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of The Finders. This book was a winner for me, and I plowed through the story quickly. There were a couple of things that made this more than just a fast-paced suspense novel: 1) The hero's dogs, one in particular, are integral to the story (the canine-crimesolving element is the lynchpin of this new series, after all), and Burton does a great job with canine character development--the dogs' personalities jump off the pages. 2) Great suspense novels have more than good plotting; they also have a hero or heroine that we care about, that we want to journey with and watch grow and evolve, and the hero of The Finders, Mace Reid, is someone I found it easy to like. He's been hurt, his confidence has taken a beating, but his heart is still open, as evidenced by the awkward and endearing way he engages with police officer Kippy Gimm. Plus, he LOVES dogs and hates Hawaiian pizza. How can you not root for a guy like that?

This is a book I'll recommend to friends, and I await the next installment.

I was enjoying this book until I got about halfway through it. Then I thought the storyline became vapid. I can’t believe one of the serial killers, could not have been apprehended earlier, prior to getting involved with a rather weak Cadaver dog trainer and a pretty lady cop. I do not want to interject spoilers, so I am not going to go into any more detail except to say, in my opinion, these two were way out of their league. Difficult to believe they had the abilities they exhibited. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book so much. It has a really great plot, superb main characters and I read it in one sitting. I would highly recommend this book.