Wow! The scintillating sequel to 'The Finders' is a really riveting read. I enjoyed the first book in the series but, to be honest, 'The Keepers' moves the Mace Reid K9 Mysteries to a whole new level. Burton hits the ground running from the start with this thrilling adventure. There's no slow burn here. The action comes fast and furious. And, that's a good thing. The plot is something which easily could have been 'ripped from the headlines' too. There's no shortage of memorable characters in this book. The 'man mountain' will certainly have few peers for most memorable fictional bad guys of 2021. I can't get over just how entertaining 'The Keepers' is. It's such a enthralling and fun read. I had looked forward to this sequel but had no expectations it would prove to be as good as it is. I can't wait for the next adventure! Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the advance reading copy.

Wonderful follow-up to the Finders. Back are Vira, Maggie May, Mace, Kippy and Wabs.

When Vira identifies a killer as the driver for a high ranking official in the Police Department, Mace, Kippy and Wabs begin to investigate how high the corruption goes. Cannot give more details or it would give away the plot.

This book is fast paced, exciting, thrilling and heart-breaking. It was well written and I stayed up to finish it.

Would recommend this author again.

This, the 2nd book in the K-9 series, in my opinion, is better than the 1st. Mace Reid and his dogs keep you fully engrossed in this book. This is a fast paced read and I barely did anything else while I was reading it. It doesn't hurt if you love dogs and mysteries. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Burton does it again! Coming in hot with a second novel in his K-9 series that leaves nothing to be desired.

I adored the first novel in this series...and the second is just as good featuring all the same characters: Mace, Kippy, and the canine girls (Vira, Maggie May, and Delta Dawn). Honestly, the dogs truly make the book unique to other mystery/thriller novels. Who doesn’t love a good story with a dog, or multiple involved? I have to say Vira is my favorite thus far!

This novel has it all: suspense, mystery, deeply veiled corruption, and budding romance that’s very tastefully written and entirely a non-issue if you’re not into that type of thing as it is certainly not a focus.

The plot is a nail-biter with many twists and turns that leave you on the edge of your seat needing to know more. I was stunned speechless in many parts and on the border of tears of anguish in others. Burton hits you with all the feels.

The grand reveal and the ending are well-done and wrap up all the main plot aspects nicely.

All in all, a thoroughly well-done book. I cannot wait to see where the next installment in the series will take us!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St Martin’s Press, for this advanced digital copy and the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own. Upon publishing of this novel, I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada.</i>

I received an ARC of this book. This is the second book in the series. I liked this one even better than the first. It's a story about a man and his team of specialized search dogs. They are called upon again to assist the Chicago police to investigate a series of murders. Nail-biting action, great characters, and awesome dogs. Loved this book and highly recommend!

Mace and his team of cadaver dogs are in for a wild ride! First they are called, by his Police Officer friend Kippy, out to a fire where he and Vira, one of his team, find the remains of an Employment Attorney who had been murdered and assaulted prior to the fire. Then they are called to Washington Park where they find the remains of a Special Prosecutor who had also been murdered and assaulted. Going further into this well plotted and well written novel would be unfair to readers, but it is action filled and will keep you up reading what happens next. Chicago policing and politics leave lots of room for creativity. It will also quite possibly grab your emotions when you see what evil people will try to do to other humans and canines. Thanks to Net Galley and Minotaur for an ARC for an honest review. I am looking forward to the next installment of this series.

Mace, Kippy and Vira are back solving crimes. I really love this series. Mace and his pack of dogs who solve crimes in a unique way. The Keepers is a different kind of book. Packed with thrilling suspense and lovable characters, especially the dogs! Keep em coming Jeffrey B. Burton. Special thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s press and Sara Beth Harding for this sneak peek!!

Amazing read! I absolutely love this series of books! I received an advance reader copy of this book but trust me, that in no way has any bearing on my review of this book. I would gladly buy this book after reading the first one in the series. The good guys win again but this time it comes at a big price. I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone else so I won't go into detail. There are a lot of twists and turns that I did not expect and some that really made me angry at the bad guys, but overall this is an amazing book. Definitely recommend and if you haven’t read the first book in this series, I recommend that as well.

I enjoyed this book. It's got lots of tension and twist and turns in it. I feel bad for the dogs, especially Maggie. The characters are very believable. #The Keepers #NetGalley

Having read the first book in this series, I was excited to read this one! When Mace Reid and Vira, his cadaver dog, 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. This is a good suspenseful read. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

Chicago - corruption capital of America.
Mace Reid is a cadaver dog trainer in Chicago. He’s got five dogs, but Vira, his Golden Retriever, is truly special. She can smell the murderer’s scent on a dead body. Of course, only a few special people know this and Mace isn’t about to tell others.
This is the second book in the series and the plot involves the discovery of a dead body in Washington Park. Because of Vira’s unique talent, Mace realizes there is a very high up governmental person involved in the murder. It’s a convoluted plot.
My trouble with this book was I just couldn’t buy Vira’s talent. It just beggared belief. (Checking out my review of the first book indicated a similar problem.) I did enjoy the pace of the novel and the amount of information provided on how the dogs are trained. And I always love the interactions between the dogs and their human partners.
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance of this book. I did not read the first book in this series, but that didn't matter. I cannot resist a good dog narrative and this one fit the bill. Mace trains "death detecting" dogs. I knew there would be some twists in this story but it still surprised me. It was just what I needed to relax after a busy week. Good character development, interesting sub characters, and of course the best characters of all... DOGGOS!

I am one of those people who normally finish a book even if I am having a hard time reading it but this is one that I simply could not read all the way through. I made myself read through chapter 6 but then I put it down. While I usually enjoy all of the K-9 mysteries this one I found to be lacking. I will make it a point to try to read another in the series at some point in order to see if I might enjoy it more. I want to thank Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an e-ARC of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

The Keepers is the second book in the Mace Reid series, This book picks up several months after the first one ends and ut doesn't disappoint.

I must say I absolutely adore Vira but I also love dogs soooooooo this is my very biased opinion.

But Vira has so much personality written into her character I can very vividly imagine her and she comes to life on the pages.

Reading Vira do her thing gives me all the feels I want my own Vira. (Don't tell my real furry heroes Prince, Leo and Izzy they would be devastated by my dog envy).

The overall storyline is excellent and we see Vira returning on an unrelated but decidedly cool case so I was happy to tag along,

As the book progresses we move into the main storyline and main case which was very compelling. Wow this is one action packed book and I was intensely engaged.

Overall, this is a solid police procedural and I highly recommend it!

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

If you loves dogs, a crackerjack suspenseful mystery with a great cast of characters -both good and bad- do not hesitate one second - this should be your next read. Mace Reid is looking at 30, he's divorced and has found his niche in life. He trains dogs to sniff out human remains and his super star dog is a Golden Retriever named (El)Vira. Along with Sue, (male) Delta Dawn, Billy Joe, Maggie May. Those names right there had me hooked. Add his sense of humor and he has become one of my favorite characters.
Teaming up with Chicago cop partners Kippy and Wabs, this trio is very good at cracking cases. In the Finders it was a serial killer and in this outing they are trying to bring down a very corrupt police official along with some big names in the local mob. They know who dunnit but they can't use what they know to make the case. Why? Because Vira showed them with her unique nose - she can smell trace DNA from the killer and she has gotten a hit on two corpses that tell Wabs, Kippy and Mace who to bring down. As most people would not believe Vira's special gift, they keep it a secret. Their challenge is how to bring that about without, as Mace says, spending eternity at the botom of Lake Michigan with legs shrouded in cement. The really scary guy they have nicknamed Man Mountain could very easily make that happen and Mace is fighting the strong urge to move to Barrow, Alaska....yesterday.
I won't say any more - spoilers - but I happily gave The Finder five stars and this has earned five stars as well. The tension, the puzzle, the well drawn characters and the dogs all make for one great series. If you haven't read The Finders, not a problem, each can be read as a stand alone but make sure to set aside a chunk of reading time to devour this one. You won't want to put it down.
My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The 2nd book in the Mace Reid series, the book picks up several months after the first one left off.
Vira the dog has more personality than most humans I know. Reading her in action brings me immense joy, even as a card-carrying cat person. Vira is the ultimate Good Girl.
The plot was good, though there was an unrelated case at the beginning that didn't seem to have much place in the plot. It was actually a really cool case, it just didn't advance the plot.
The main case was a crazy mash-up of mobsters, government officials, and investment groups that never quite made sense, but was nonetheless very compelling. And the action in this book is top notch.

One star gets knocked off for the vaguely sexist, very whiny "just friends" crap that Mace talks about. I'm trying not to spoil it, but I'll just say this: if a guy I was friends with stopped talking to me because I wouldn't have sex with him...well, I'd be a lot less forgiving than Office Kippy is.

Overall, a solid, messy cop adventure!

TW: animal cruelty, violence

Don’t be fooled by the easygoing narration that is sprinkled with humor and lighthearted jests. The Keepers is a police procedural with some really nasty, violent “bad guys” who have decided that they must eliminate Mace and his dogs because the dogs have been able to identify the murderer responsible for the deaths of several high ranking officials. Mace flees the Chicago area in an effort to avoid the hitmen while simultaneously hoping to gather enough hard data to present to the FBI. However, his plans don’t work out quite as he hoped they would. The non-stop action building up to the climax made me want to keep reading straight through to find out how everything would ultimately be resolved. The exciting conclusion left me looking forward to more novels in this delightful series about Mace Reid and his canine team.

A fun thriller, especially if you’re a dog lover. The book is another installment of the Mace Reid series and features a bunch of cadaver sniffing dogs and their handler and how they get dragged into solving a murder covered up by political corruption.

This is the second book in this K-9 cadaver dog series about Mason Reid and his dogs and I will be keeping an eye out for future volumes. Mason and his team of dogs don’t wear a badge but when he adopted Vira he signed up for a little more than just finding bodies. Vira has a special talent - when she sniffs someone recently murdered she also catches the scent for the killer. This gives Mason the often difficult job of figuring how to prove the bad guy Vira points out did it. This story containers a side story type murder that they solve and a bigger more complicated story. Both were interesting and I love how you get chapters from the bad guys’ perspectives as I always enjoy that kind of a glimpse into the eyes of evil.

Action packed fun! This was an interesting novel centred around a cavader dog named vira an her handler Mace. This is the second book in a series but is an easy read and can be read as a stand alone. Lots of adventure. Very entertaining read.

Thanks netgalley for this arc