Mace and his dogs take us on another pulse pounding escapade. From the first story I read in this series I was hooked on this unusual cast of characters. Mace, Kippy, Wabs, and the dogs are super heroes who protect the city of Chicago. Against all odds they fight back and win the battle against evil. It is a very well written story that is well paced with wonderful information.

Mace Reid is a police consultant. He brings his trained dogs to sniff out the dead at crime scenes near Chicago. But one of his dogs, Vira, can also sniff out the murderer. In the first book of the series, The Finders, that worked out great. However, in The Keepers, the murderer is much more vicious than anything Reid has dealt with before. Even his friend, Chicago police officer Kippy, can’t deal with political corruption this deeply embedded in Chicago government. Reid and Vira feel like prey. Can they find their hunters before the hunters find them?

The Keepers is rousing and engaging cat-and-mouse tale. Plus, you will learn a lot about how dog’s noses work. Overall, it was an enjoyable mystery. 4 stars!

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Keepers by Jeffrey B Burton is the second book in the Mace Reid K9 series. I read The Finders last summer and they are fun fast paced mysteries in Chicago about cadaver dogs and their handler Mace.

I didn't like this one as much as The Finders. I had a harder time getting into the story and knowing how the different murders would connect, but once the story got going it was better. I love reading about these amazing dogs!

I really like the character Mace Reid and his crew of dogs, all named after country western songs. His occupation as a trainer of cadaver-sniffing canines gives him a logical entree into crime solving. Reid is a well-drawn, memorable character, and each of his dogs is a distinct individual

I so enjoyed the first book in this series, The Finders. This one, not so much. Elvira, the golden retriever, is just as supremely gifted, and the plot line holds together. What bugged me was The. Constant. Explanations. It seemed that every term that cropped up had to have a paragraph of didactic commentary. It significantly slowed things down, and suggested that maybe the author, Jeffrey B. Burton, underestimated the average IQ of his readers. It wasn't nearly as noticeable in the first book, and it was made even worse when the explanation was wrong (he tells us that a CI, in the law enforcement world, refers to criminal informant -- when, everywhere that I've lived and worked and read newspapers, it has meant confidential informant.

I wanted to say to him, "Stop mansplaining, Jeffrey."

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for an advance readers copy.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

I enjoyed following the detective team of Mace Reid and his cadaver-sniffing dogs. This is the second book of the series but can easily be read as a stand-alone.

Mace is again called to support the police as they investigate a series of murders. As you read, you realize the dangers that police officers must endure on a daily basis as they do their jobs protecting the communities they serve.

Burton's characters (both human and canine) are drawn well. In this novel, we see the personal sides of both Mace and Kippy, a female police officer.

I look forward to following Mace and his "kids" in future stories.

This is one of those books where the first book was better for me. The storyline just didn’t catch me and the language seemed like it was way overboard and more than the first. I tried to find something positive to say but found none. I actually liked the first so this was disappointing.

Who’s a good dog? Can’t answer that. There are plenty of them. Let’s be honest, all fo the dogs. Maybe I am biased. I have been waiting for this book ever since I put down the last one. I even reread my review of The FInders before starting. Strangely, I am in the same place I was last year. We had just lost our 15 year old dog Lucy. This year, I have just lost Chewbacca to cancer. He would have been 15 in August. We now all just watch his brother Jasper because we can’t take it again. Poor guy. Good thing he can barely see us staring at him. And there are three more Jack, Sally, and Dr. Finklestein, younger than him. Our youngest is now 7, though. The point is not that you know my dogs. The point is that I cannot stand anything happening to dogs. I shouldn’t be reading anything in which dogs can even be in danger right now. I had to skim anytime any bad guy was anywhere near the dogs. Considering what they do, that was a lot. I don’t think it hampered my enjoyment of the book. Just hit really close to home.

Luckily for me the story focused on Mace, Kibby, and Wabs. They are going about their daily duties when they find out, through Vira, that one of the victims Vira found may be linked to something huge. I love how many spokes come out of the center crime in this. There are a lot of people responsible for making a criminal enterprise truly successful.

Once again, there was a lot to like in this one. We have the humor and sarcasm in the main characters, especially Mace but starting to come out of Kibby and Wabs. Kibby could be a little rounded out and I’d like to have more time put into that. She’s someone I’d like to know a little more. We do get a really funny scene with Kibby and Mace’s ex-wife that gives a peak. More of that, please! I feel like I know the dogs better than I know Kibby. Maybe the author is a little more like me and prefers to focus on our canine friends. I get that. We are getting to know Mace really well, though.

To give the characters something interesting to do, there was a complex but not convoluted plot. People kept getting brought into the story and we got to try to figure out all of the places they fit before it is revealed. One of my favorite parts of reading. One little thing I didn’t care for was the over explanation of common things. You don’t need to tell most people that B and E means breaking and entering. Even if you don’t know, am I the only one who likes it when I need to look something up in a book? Often, the background info is loing but interesting.

Now, the hard part. I have to wait for the next installment. It’s hard when you really enjoy the characters and writing style of an author. Thank you to Jeffrey Burton for giving us another dog book. Sorry, another Mace and Kibby book. I need to go and preorder this book now. See more reviews on my blog if ya want: https://readeotw.wordpress.com/

If you’re like me and enjoy a good mystery, you’ve probably already noted that many stories today have a boilerplate hero. Usually a detective and already saddled with a physical or mental disability, these folks defy all odds by performing at a superhuman rate above their coworkers and peers. While talented writers can inject enough originality into the story to create an enjoyable book, sometimes a reader yearns for something different.

Enter “The Keepers,” by author Jeffrey B. Burton. Main character Mace Reid is not your average mystery hero. He is a dog trainer – specifically, a trainer and owner of cadaver dogs – and when it comes to police work, he is more of an associate than a member of a police force. Reid fumbles if he needs to twist the truth a bit, making him a poor candidate to play good cop/bad cop. Although intelligent, he probably understands his dogs much better than humans, and is too good a person to be effective at police work.

All of the above makes Reid a breath of fresh air in the mystery/police/detective genre. I also enjoyed the characters of Kippy and Wabs, two of Reid’s closer contacts in the Chicago Police Department.

To be fair, I felt I needed to look at this story from two perspectives. I prefer stories to move along police procedural lines, with a just-the-facts-ma’am feel to the writing. Anything over-the-top that strains at my credibility standard causes me to lose focus during my reading. That happened with this book and the handling of high-level suspects. These characters were one-dimensional, leading me to question their motives and the depths (murder) to which they were involved in with organized crime.

That said, other aspects of the book are extremely well-written, and those who can easily suspend disbelief will love the suspense/thriller ingredients that are an integral part of the book. Even with my objections listed above, I never felt like I want to set the book down and walk away. The danger to Reid and his friends continues to build, and the ending is laced with realism. Although there are a few things I wasn’t happy with, this is still a book I would recommend. Four stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance electronic copy of this book.

“The Keepers” by Jeffrey B. Burton
Book 2 in Mace Reid K-9 Mystery series
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you St.Martin’s Press and Manager Sara Beth Haring for sending me the 2nd book through Netgalley!
Once again I enjoyed every page of this action packed mystery! The K-9 aspect I love!
Mace Reid and his Golden Retriever cadaver dog Vira are a pair to be reckoned with. When Mace and Vira are called Washington Park to search for Prosecutor Fiest they end up in the middle of corruption, chaos, and danger. Mace helps Kippy uncover many secrets of Chicago Politics, but the people that are holding the secrets want them dead. Can Mace and Kippy find the bad guys with the help of Vira?

Jeffrey Burton's second Mace Reid K-9 mystery is fast-paced and filled with tension and suspense as readers try to outguess Mace and Kippy. Are they asking for help from the right people, or are they walking right into a trap? This aspect of The Keepers certainly kept me turning the pages even though I usually knew when they were headed right for that trap.

Of course, the biggest draw to this book and series for me is the canine one. The fact that Mace names his dogs after songs is endearing. His dogs are Elvira, Delta Dawn, the rambunctious puppy Billie Joe, Maggie May, and the alpha male named Sue. (Johnny Cash, anyone?) Probably the thing I love most about Mace's relationship with his dogs is that he listens to them. There's another series set in Los Angeles that I'm tiring of even though the stories are really good. Why am I tiring of them? Because every time the man's dog alerts him to danger, the man ignores him (and usually gets beaten up). Idiot! There's none of that stupidity here.

If you're in the mood for engaging, fast-paced stories filled with talented working dogs and the human who trains and works with them, find yourself the two books in this series, The Finders and The Keepers. I'm looking forward to Mace and Vira's next assignment.

The Keepers.
By Jeffrey B Burton.
This is the 2nd in this series and I have Enjoyed both books the 1st one got me hooked on his writing.
I found the 1st one on netgally by accident. It was a good accident..


Mace is a cadaver Dog Trainer and Dog Lover... [I Love that..] His Dogs are Special.. Vira is a Beautiful Golden retriever.
She can smell Dead Body's. She smells a murders scent.
And There's Murder going on in the Windy city of Chicago.

there's lots of - corruption going on. In Chicago. Mace - Vira .. and officer kippy have some work to do.


This is a wonderful Book.
But to be Honest..
Book 1 the Finders. Is my Favorite. Hoping this author writes another book in this series.
Thank you Jeffrey B Burton
For These Great books.
I do Love vier ..

Mason “Mace” Reid and his cadaver dogs The Finders are called in to search a building torched by an arsonist and his prize golden retriever Vira finds a body. Then Mace and Vira are then called in by their friend, Chicago police officer Kippy Gimm, to examine the murder scene of one-hit wonder Jonny Whiting. who had been bludgeoned to death with his prized Les Gibson guitar. Vira has a special gift and can sense "who" the culprit is. Mace, Vira, Kippy and her partner Officer Wabs set up a chance meetup with the suspect during a music gig and get a confession.

Chicago lawyer Peter Feist is head of the Special Prosecutions Bureau and is determined to root out corruption and make a difference. Mace and Vira are called in to search Washington Park and make a stunning find. Mace, Vera and Kippy's discovery of police and political corruption at the highest levels soon force them to run for their lives while a pair of ruthless, deadly killers are hot on their trail.

This was a thrilling read in the Mace Reid K-9 series and is highly recommended.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Minotaur Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

I tackled this book unaware that it was the second outing of the series. That being said, it holds its own as a standalone.

Mason “Mace” Reid lives just outside of Chicago and specializes in human remains detection. The dogs he uses to locate said remains are "The Finders" and his very best girl is a golden retriever named Vira. Mace and Vira are called in to search Washington Park in the wee hours of the morning by CPD Officer Kippy Gimm, and thus begins their pursuit of a trail of murder, corruption, and danger.

Be forewarned, this is not a "cutesy" dog story - though I don't know how one would read the description and think it is. There are harrowing moments for our four legged friends, and those who are sensitive to violence against animals may want to tread lightly.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and looked forward to this second book. This one started out with several deaths with no sense of how they would eventually be connected. This was confusing, to me, until I continued to read and finally understood where the story was leading. I enjoyed Mace’s character, his sense of humor and his love for his human remains detection dogs who he calls “The Finders”. Also, Officer Kippy Grimm once again has Mace’s back as they investigate while trying not to get killed. I would have liked more story involving the dogs searching for and finding remains, but altogether another fine addition to this series. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

The Keepers by Jeffrey Burton is his follow-up book to The Keepers.

"Mace Reid is the dog-guy the police call when they're trying to find a body. He has several HRD - human remains detection - dogs. But one dog, Vira, a golden retriever, has a special skill. And when she imprints on a killer, Mace finds himeself and his dogs running for their life."

This is my first book from Burton. He has an easy-to-read writing style. He has a couple of scary bad guys. Mace is an interesting character. He's still despondent over his surprise divorce and living in a single-wide trailer with his dog family. He has a little crush on a policewoman, but she wants to be just friends. He's a little passive - until his dogs are threatened - and then he's full-on Papa Bear. The story at times is predictable. There are a couple of Chicago Mob stereotypes but it's still a good story to read. The dogs are bit players but still an important part of the story.

Good story from Burton.

★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S THE KEEPERS ABOUT?
While at a police station wrapping up a case he'd helped Chicago Police to wrap up, Mace and his golden retriever, Vira, are brought along on an urgent call, the man in charge of the State Attorney's Special Prosecution Office went missing at a park around midnight.

It doesn't take long for Vira to find his body. Not long after that, while Mace is waiting to be sent home, Vira's almost impossible/might-as-well-be-supernatural abilities give Mace a reason to believe that he knows the Attorney's killer.

And Mace regrets that instantly—the man responsible isn't anyone Mace, or his police friends, want to cross. But they have no choice—which leads to them being on the run, fighting some of the more powerful men in Chicago just to survive, much less get anywhere to finding his killer.

RETURNING CHARACTERS
In The Finders, there were two uniformed officers and two police detectives involved with Mace and the investigation. This time out, it's pretty much just the two uniformed officers—Kippy Gimm and her partner Dave Wabiszewski. It's not often (at least not often enough) that non-detective officers get the focus, and it's a refreshing change of pace.

Also, while readers had enough exposure to all the police characters to be satisfied, it's nicer this time to not have your attention split and the reader can really get to know these characters better and form a closer emotional bond. If memory serves, we met Kippy before we met Mace last year, but we didn't get that much time with Wabs. It's good to have that changed.

OHH, A NEW DOG
Mace has added another dog to his pack, a three-month-old bloodhound named Billie Joe. Billie Joe isn't good for much more than comic relief at the moment, but I'm sure within a book or two, Mace'll have him trained enough that he can carry his own weight. In the meantime, he's fun to chuckle at.

There's an extended comedic break at the beginning of Chapter 21 that is great on its own—but it comes at just the right time in the book to give a little breather as the tension mounts and just before it shifts into a new gear. It's just Mace talking to his dogs, pretty much the same way that anyone with pets has done regularly. I could rea 3-4 more of those each book and it wouldn't get tired.

In the meantime, I'll just reread that scene occasionally.

THE KILLER
That's not really the best heading for this section, because there are a few killers running through these pages—and as some are acting on orders from others, who really gets that label? Anyway, I wanted to say a little about the individual who is immediately responsible for most of the deaths in the book—this isn't a spoiler really, we meet him in Chapter 1.

He is large, frightening, brutal, and efficient. He's also a very chatty guy who has a lot to say about the English language. This side of Justified's Boyd Crowder, you're not going to find a criminal as chatty as this guy. I enjoyed his little talks about English idioms more than I should have. If this guy isn't one of your favorite baddies of the year, you should rethink things.

Best of all? He's not a serial killer. I was a little afraid that after The FInders this series would be Mace and His Dogs vs. Various Serial Killers. Now that it's clear that Mace and the dogs will be dealing with a variety of criminals, I'm a bit more positive about the series as a whole.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE KEEPERS?
At the same time I was reading this, I was listening to an audiobook (nonfiction) about Capone and Ness during Prohibition. Listening to a thoroughly researched account of corruption in Chicago politics while reading a novel about corrupt Chicago officials, really makes the fictional feel more reality-based. I'm not saying everyone needs to go out and grab a book about Capone and Ness to fully appreciate this, I'm just saying being reminded that things may not have changed that much in almost a century adds a little something to the experience.

I loved this, I really did. I remembered liking last year's debut, I remembered most of the bigger plot points, the dogs, and so on—and remembered really enjoying the book. In less than one chapter of Mace's first-person narration, I remembered just how much I like him and his voice. I kicked myself for forgetting that part—Mace is a great protagonist for this alone.

When I wrote about The Finders last year, I said:

It's possible that I'm rating this a little higher than it deserves. If I was being entirely objective, I'd probably take off a half or maybe a full star from my rating. But this isn't an objective piece, or an objective rating—this is about how much I enjoyed this, how it appealed to me, entertained me and made me want to read on. For that, it scored really high for me.


I'm not saying that this year—this is a superior novel that I enjoyed as much, if not more—I was again entertained and couldn't wait to find out what happened. I'm giving this the same rating without apology or disclaimer.

It was tense, it was funny, it was horrifying (on a couple of occasions), and my jaw hit the floor a few times. I still can't believe a few of the choices that Burton made, even with a few days' worth of thought. He does some risky things, swinging for the fences with this—and they absolutely worked.

You don't need to have read The Finders to appreciate The Keepers for what it is—great Crime Fiction with a strong central protagonist, some great supporting characters, and a fantastic opponent. Oh, yeah, and a bunch of great dogs. More than enough reasons to take this recommendation and run to your nearest library/bookseller with it.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

If you read the first book of this series, “The Finders”, then you’ve already fallen in love with Mace and his crime-fighting cop friend Kippy Gimm. if you haven’t, it’s fine to read this book first but you’ll definitely want to go back and read the first book for further background history.
Mace Reid doesn’t have much self-esteem although he’s strong-willed, hard-headed, and has a HUGE heart of gold for his four-legged best friends. His good friend and cop, Kippy Gimm, knows how special Mace is, but doesn’t want to get into a complicated relationship with anyone at this early point in her career. Too bad for Mace because he can’t help but trip over himself whenever he’s in the company of the most enthralling woman he’s ever met.
So these two get thrown together through a quick series of horrible events at the hands of a powerful crime lord. Cordov Woods, an eager and villainous employee of the crime lord, wants to end Mace’s career and the lives of his extremely intelligent and somewhat clairvoyant dogs, especially his Golden Retriever, Vira. So begins the violent but at times hilariously funny struggle of Mace as he attempts to impress Kippy with his magnetism while keeping himself and his dogs alive. The plot, characters, tidbits of humor, and underlying evil mix together to make this a quick and enjoyable crime novel made specifically for dog lovers. I can’t wait for the next installment to see what happens next!
Sincere thanks to NetGalley and St, Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is June 29, 2021.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
Probably would have liked it better had I read the first book of the series even though it works as a standalone. The main characters are likeable and the storyline is interesting despite the fact that it is not always believable. My main objection to the book is the amount of violence and torture which is vividly described. I almost dnf.

Title: The Keepers
Author: Jeffrey B. Burton
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Mason “Mace” Reid lives on the outskirts of Chicago and specializes in human remains detection—that is, he trains dogs to hunt for dead bodies. He calls his pack of cadaver dogs The Finders, and his prize pupil is a golden retriever named Vira.

When Mace Reid and Vira are called in to search Washington Park at three o'clock in the morning, what they find has them running for their very lives. The trail of murder and mayhem Mace and CPD Officer Kippy Gimm have been following leads them to uncover treachery and corruption at the highest level, and their discoveries do not bode well for them . . . nor for the Windy City itself.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and I enjoyed this one as well. The dogs are great characters, of course, but I like bumbling Mace, too. This one got a little bit dark, but I was fully invested, wondering how Mace and Kippy were going to get out of such a mess. I love how the author ups the stakes and the tension, keeping the reader in the palm of his hand, racing to find out what happens. I’ll definitely continue to read this series!

Jeffrey B. Burton was born in California. The Keepers is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 6/28.)

Mace finds himself in the middle of a frightening and complex conspiracy when his cadaver dog Vira scents on the body of a prosecutor in a Chicago park. He's a dog handler- he's got 5- who works with the police, especially with Kippy and her partner, both of whom appreciate Vira's special ability to capture the scent of a murderer. Kippy, Mace, and the dogs find themselves on the run when it becomes apparent that there' are bad actors afoot and that someone wants them dead. No spoilers from me but these awesome dogs. There's also a subplot about the murder of a one hit wonder. I like this series - and this is only the second one (fine as a standalone)- for the characters as much as the mystery. And by characters, I include the dogs. Gotta love Bill rolling on everything gross, Sue presiding over things from the couch, and the others. Mace loves the dogs, who ae devoted to him as well. This has a good twisty mystery, it's got great storytelling, and it's a fast paced read. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book.