This was a twisty, quick read with unique, vividly drawn characters and a well paced plot. It is a relatively short, quick read, I read it straight through in one setting, finding that I couldn't stop turning the page to the next chapter. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an advanced reader copy.

This was a fun book. The plot was much more complex and intricate than expected -- designer goods counterfeiting, money laundering, drug smuggling, social media influence, financial fraud, the porn industry, suicide, missing persons, and dog whisperers. I enjoyed the scheming by Catfish and the counter-scheming by Dogboy.

The best bit of this book was the author's note at the end. This showed some emotion, whereas the rest of the book was like a report of an investigation. The dog whisperer thing was not explained or expanded on enough. The characters were fairly flat and uninteresting. I did not read it all.

In 2013, in Australia, Katherine Fisher (Catfish) has just got married for the second time - and her wedding day is also the day that she sets the day for her divorce from Lindsay (Dogboy) Kramer!

The laws in Australia at the time, meant that in precisely 18 months after marriage, Catfish would be entitled to half of their combined assets and receive maintenance payments until her five- year-old daughter, Emma, (from a previous marriage) turns 18.

Eighteen months later, just as Catfish is about to make her claim, Lindsay (Dogboy) goes missing. This means she’ll have to wait 90 days to get power of attorney over his bank account, and seven years before he can be declared dead and his will read. That simply won’t do, and Catfish is nothing if not determined, she’s simply not prepared to wait that amount of time, and she’ll use any dirty trick in the book to get her hands on the money. She’s an absolute nightmare!

This is where things become complicated - the police investigation into Lindsay’s disappearance, leads them into a very dark and dangerous world of counterfeit designer goods, money laundering, and drug smuggling.

This is a complex but clever, tension filled storyline, quite unique, and a real roller coaster ride for the reader.

Perfect from start to finish, from cover to cover, this book will likely be my favorite for the year. The plot is highly original supported by subplots that are just as interesting. The characters are well drawn and neatly balanced with good and evil people. I found this a real page turner and highly recommend it it, as't kept me reading until 3 AM and I read the last word.
Dog Boy and Catfish are the nicknames for the two main characters, Lindsay and Katherine, an unlikely married couple whose union is on the rocks. Lindsay is is a kind, very successful entrepreneur who has amassed quite a fortune and his mysterious disappearance in Melbourne, Australia where they live attracts a lot of attention. Katherine meanwhile, a greedy and manipulating ex-beauty queen owns and operates a boutique that specializes in high-end clothing and accessories, and as the two detectors assigned to her husband's missing persons case discover, most of her clients seem to be local criminals involved in drugs, gunrunning, and money laundering. Is this a coincidence? Or is her husband's mysterious disappearance somehow related to these three intertwining snake like occupations? Each sub plot seems to twine around the other, as the author pulls willing and entranced readers through each page and incident, making sure to explain the intricacies and fine lines laws of Australia's legal system, from selling fake accessories to there somewhat unbalance way divorcing partnered are treated. . The writing is clear and no stone is left unturned as we flip the pages quickly, eager to discover where a plot will end. The resolution is also clear with a few surprises here and there among the characters who show bonds of friendship, honesty, and integrity. There's a lot to learn in this interesting novel which explains a lot about the value of a knock off item and why it could be so valuable in the retail market and why manufactures help track them down. Perhaps there is also a message about genuine friendships compared to Fairweather, fraudulent friends friends.

The story has the right mix of drama, suspense, intrigue and clever storytelling. The tale unwinds as one quickly unravels the craftiness of the protagonist Catfish and her scheming plans to take her wealthy husband to the cleaners but there's much more murkiness under the carpet. The author brilliantly weaves in a spider's web of modus operandis that reflect the dark side of nature and business. You will get trapped in the narrative as it wrenches your heart in parts and you wait for sweet justice. The book satisfied on all counts - a must read

An excellent book, for me, much better than the title suggests.
The story of two people who meet at college and later become married.
The marriage is not a traditional one, but is not unlike some modern ones.
Parts of the plot are excellent, some are just good. All parts are interesting, especially if you like Australia and Thailand, the main settings.
Not really a who-dunnit, but a will they get away with it.
Thanks to the publisher for an advance reading copy for honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this interesting read. Dogboy is so named due to his unnerving ability and affinity with dogs and catfish is his unscrupulous wife whose first husband disappeared in suspicious circumstances and now, Dogboy appears to have died.

It’s an unusual read, well written and held my interest.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

I found myself impatient with the complexity of the narrative. It is a very interesting scenario, taking us into some dark places and unscrupulous manipulation. The issues explored are serious in their social and personal impact. I am left with the sense that the issues overwhelmed the narrative. I’d have preferred to read a true crime version, or direct treatises on design theft and marital fraud. While fiction can raise such issues, to fully engage the reader (this one, at least,) the narrative must take precedence and, in my view, here it did not do so. A good idea, but not sufficiently well executed to hold my interest. About 2.6 stars for me.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
This was a police procedure without all the procedure, which was good as it didn’t bog the story down. There was a lot of telling, however, and I really didn’t get a sense of place other than being told where I was. The characters were a bit flat too and I wasn’t really invested in any of them. I really did like the storyline though, and was intrigued by the fake goods market, and how it operates. I was a little bit disappointed at the ending where the author talked about men in divorce. Divorce is always going to be messy, and it’s not always the men who are the losers.
I would recommend the book and I give it 3.5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reading copy of this book with no obligation to review.

I am not sure what to say about this book. I feel it could have been a lot more enjoyable than it actually was.

The books starts with the "dog boy" idea which I thought could have been developed into a really original story and from the comparatively little we see of Luke he is an interesting and complex person. Unfortunately, as it stands, the dogboy story goes nowhere and really has no relevance to the main theme of the book.

The main story is about designer bags and the drugs etc., and in my opinion has far too much confusing detail about the mechanics of the crime - almost like an essay or a docudrama. . To be frank I did not understand what was going on with the tag removal, the bags and the selling of the designer trash. How can a thing be a "genuine fake" and how is this different from a counterfeit? I don't understand how the drugs were involved and I was not sufficiently interested to reread the numerous relevant pages to understand.

As far as characters and style goes Luke, Michael, Freya and Katherine herself are well drawn. The other main characters are the detectives who, confusingly and annoyingly, are sometimes referred to by their first names and sometimes by their surnames. Katherine's associates are just names really.

There is quite a bit of repetition in the book and at times the dialogue is stilted and unnatural. There is a bit too much telling rather than showing.

Not too bad a read overall although at times I felt it was a bit of a chore. 2.5 stars.

After reading the synopsis of this story, I thought it sounded really good but I wasn't sure as I hadn't read a book by this author before. I needn't have worried! It was a fantastic plot, with lots of research done, giving me a fascinating time reading about a marriage break up with money laundering, drugs, fake designer items and a man who could control dogs!!!. It was action packed!.
The characters were so real that I could see them in my mind's eye! I was telling them off, laughing out loud at some of the antics described as the case carried on. I was all in!!
If this sounds like your cup of tea, I would buy it!!
Many thanks for the arc copy via Netgalley from Luke Gracias.
#Netgalley, #author_luke_gracias.

Author of the Devils Prayer, Luke Gracias latest offering is Dogboy v Catfish. An unusual thriller it had light suspense, intrigue, action, murder, revenge, gas lighting, great police work and some crazy twists and turns! Not surprising as this is a Luke Gracias novel. Both Dogboy and Catfish are monikers for the two main protagonists. The story opens with an incident that occurs as a group of mates are returning home after a night out. This results in one of them earning the nickname Dogboy. A onetime model Katherine Kelly Fisher had elected to give herself the moniker Catfish Kelly. Dogboy and Catfish are a couple and this thriller is largely their story.

After exactly 18 months of being married Catfish decides to take her husband to the cleaners. Australian divorce laws require that one should be married for at least 18 months before they can expect their spouse to support them. Catfish aware of the law intends to benefit from it Meanwhile Lindsay Kramer aka Dogboy is missing. Catfish Kelly shows her true colours as Dogboys grieving wife. Police investigation into his disappearance leads them into the dark world of counterfeit goods and narcotics.

This novel is very different from Gracias previous novel. He is questioning the rather harsh Australian divorce laws and has chosen to weave this thrilling twisty mystery to emphasise his premise. Boy did it grab me from the start. He uses the very differing characteristics of the two main protagonists to good effect skilfully painting vivid scenes that thrilled me. The suspense increased as the pages turned thanks to the gripping storyline. Gracias also raises numerous side issues. What I found delightful was that he had woven so many exciting tropes into this high octane thriller. It had surprises galore which I can’t reveal as it would be a spoiler. Its obvious that Gracias is passionate about these injustices.

Dogboy vs Catfish is a worthy read. Hats off to Gracias for a thrilling original and his courageous expose.

This book reads more like an incident report than a story; but while we don't necessarily learn a lot about the characters themselves, we follow their actions and there are plenty of surprises.

Katherine Fisher has built a name for herself as an influencer and purveyor of high end fashion goods. Her first husband committed suicide in Thailand and she married again - to 'Dogboy' Lindsay Kramer, a very successful entrepreneur. However, not all was for love - she intended from the start to divorce him 18 months after the marriage, which would entitle her to half their assets and maintenance.

Just as she starts to set the divorce proceedings in motion, Dogboy disappears. From there we see this materialistic woman determined to overcome all obstacles to getting her hands on his cash... but Dogboy has made arrangements of his own! Add to the mix some serious drug dealing, counterfeit design and money laundering and it makes for a high octane read. As a reader I was really rooting for Dogboy and hoping Catfish would get her come-uppance!

A really good read. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Melbourne financial tech wizard millionaire Lindsay Kramer got the nickname ‘Dogboy’ because of his amazing affinity for attracting and communicating with dogs. A quiet, unassuming millionaire he meets ex beauty queen and social influencer Katherine ‘Catfish’ Fisher when she rents a shop from him for her high-end fashion shop. A young widow left with a child, when her husband committed suicide in Thailand, she sees an opportunity and it’s not long before she’s moved in with and then married the smitten Lindsay. Eighteen months on she’s preparing to file for divorce so she can get her hands on the bulk of Lindsay’s fortune in the settlement, but is thwarted when he disappears while on a business trip. Now he’s a missing person she’ll have to wait 90 days to get power of attorney over his bank account and seven years before he can be declared dead and his will read.

This is such a fun, clever, suspenseful thriller, full of twists. Catfish is smart and devious and likes to think she’s pulling all the strings, utilising her social media profile to garner public sympathy. But Dogboy is even smarter and has quite a few tricks up his sleeve. As the police investigate his disappearance, they begin to focus more and more on Catfish and the disappearance of her previous husband and soon a lot of red flags are being raised. As they dig deeper, the suspense rises as the fast-paced plot reveals a clever international crime ring but have to work out how it operates so smoothly. An excellent page turner that will keep you reading just one more chapter.

Just finished Dogboy , had to finish it to find out if…… What a roller coaster it turned out to be. Brilliant plots and so informative. Loved it and of course it should be a film.

Let me start off with saying I loved The Devil's Prayer.

Unfortunately this book didn't work at all for me. The style of writing didn't work at all for this type of novel. It almost read like we were ticking off a checklist, rather than getting us engaged in the plot and the characters. Sure, maybe the whole intricate details of the counterfeiting operation were interesting, but that was about it.

Thanks NetGalley and the Author for the Review Copy.

I liked the premise of this book and was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. I found it a bit slow to start and some of the details felt a bit over my head, but it was certainly a read that kept me intrigued enough to want to know how it finished.I would have liked a bit more about Dogboy, as he seemed a very sketchy character, I would have liked to know more about his affinity with the dogs, The author has obviously researched the different subjects and country’s well, it’s a nicely thought out plot and a satisfying read. 3 1/2 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I came to this with high expectations but was disappointed, sorry. It was a great story with much promise, and could have been a fast moving thriller. But, for me, it was heavy going and the narrative and intrigue was slowed down by the multiple and inconsistent viewpoints. Dogboy was a mysterious character from the outset and could have been made more so. Catfish was obviously a baddie from the start so the reader knew exactly where they stood. I would have liked more character development and page turning plot points. However, this book has a lot of good reviews on NetGally so I think the problem might be me rather than the novel;
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this book.

Dogboy V Catfish by Luke Gracias is a captivating literary journey full of suspense and intrigue that keeps you guessing from start to finish. The well developed plot unfolds with unexpected twists and turns, making Gracias storytelling masterful. The characters are meticulously crafted, each with their own layers and motivations, making the story feel incredibly real. The title and the book cover made me want to read this intriguing thriller encompassing drug dealing, homicide & money laundering. The story is set in Australia and covers a topic very much in the media right now "Seven out of nine suicides in Australia are men" The female protagonist in the book, Katherine Fisher AKA Catfish, decides to divorce her husband Lindsay Kramer AKA Dogboy, one day exactly after 18 months of marriage. This book is a real page turner making it a must-read for those who crave originality and creativity in their literary adventures.
Thank you to NetGalley for an APC copy to review. I look forward to reading more from this author.