This is another fascinating book that took me places I had never been! Dogboy (Lindsay) and Catfish (Katherine) appear to be a happy couple until Dogboy suddenly goes missing and it seems Catfish is thinking only of his money as she posts grief photos on her growing Instagram account. Oh, but this is a much bigger plot than anyone could have imagined; Catfish makes a small fortune selling designer goods out of her storefront...but what else is involved? This novel has it all: drugs, the underworld, money laundering, murders, and characters who will do anything for what they believe. it's a fast-paced thrill-ride that will keep you up at night (maybe lock your doors) reading about the underbelly of a world most of us never see!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

A new author for me and one I will look into more as I really enjoyed this story even though I didn't care for the title. The title does make sense once you get into it, but it was a turn-off to me. I only read it based on the description of a story that sounded like it would challenge me when trying to figure it out; I'm glad I did.

Dogboy is actually Lindsay who is a successful businessman and the dogs really do listen to him and he to them to the point where it is obvious that he has a talent with them. Catfish is actually Kath who runs her own import business (designer purses mainly) and who marries him. All is not well in their marriage and this story is one of how they both dealt with the issues they had.

Saying much more about it will take away from reading the story. Suffice it to say that the Australian detectives want to see justice done and go all out to ensure they do everything they can to achieve it.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are mine and are freely given.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise was interesting, and the story had promise, but I found the writing style amateurish. The characters didn't come alive, and some of the scenes were described in a sterile, clinical way, with no detail. The book lacked passion, in my opinion.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, reading a book based in Australia enchanced the enjoyed more than I thought.

The characters were very believeable and learning more on the trade fake designer goods, provided an insight into another world, which not surprisingly is linked to the criminal underworld.

The relationships were relatable and the author paced the conclusion.

Loved the triumphant ending, very cleverly pieced together, in a puzzle like sequence of events.

Would highly highly recommend this author and have now researched Luke Gracias and plan to read Luke's prior novels in the near future. I hadn't heard of this author previously and its always a gift, finding another talented author.

On the day of her second wedding, Katherine Fisher, aka 'Catfish' set the date for her divorce. In precisely 18 months, she would be entitled to half of their combined assets and receive maintenance payments until her five- year-old daughter, Emma, turns 18. Just as Catfish was about to take her husband, Lindsay 'Dogboy' Kramer (a successful businessman and dog whisperer) to the cleaners, he goes missing.
The police investigation into Dogboy's disappearance leads them into the dark world of counterfeit designer goods, money laundering, and drug smuggling. With Dogboy's assets frozen and the mob protecting their interests, the missing persons case escalates to homicide. Catfish is in a race against time to get hold of Dogboy's assets before the police get hold of her.

Wow, this is a great story, written well and paced to make for a quick read. It’s probably the best book I have read this year. There is a lot of complexity in the plot but it doesn’t feel contrived at all. The explanations really make this a very believable plot, with characters who stand out and are memorable. I was intrigued initially by the title but it fully explained and fits the story perfectly.

An intriguing mystery, where very little is as it seems. Gracias did an amazing job of bringing "Catfish" to life, and it's easy to imagine her as a real person, (just not one you'll like very much). The story has so much tension, it makes it hard to set down. You really get drawn in quickly, with new aspects coming to light and making the puzzle all the more tangled the deeper you go. I loved how Gracias kept the reader engaged, and kept you guessing until the very end. Highly recommend for all mystery lovers!

This is a thriller and mystery all rolled into one, the author keeps the reader guessing.
Money, power and greed drive the two main characters, Dogboy and his wife Catfish.
The storyline offers a typical wife wanting to leave her husband, with as much money as possible scenario. Catfish leads us on her rise to fame, her attempt to start divorce proceedings and then the mystery of Dogboy’s disappearance.
There are so many questions, how do you leave without a trace, how do you carry on living with the wondering?
I enjoyed the intrigue, the suspense and sense of entitlement, I didn’t enjoy the negativity against family law.
A good read to keep you wondering..

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a twisty tale of viperous, malevolent manipulation by a woman who marries a wealthy man with the firm intent to divorce and fleece him of his money and assets in eighteen months time! The man, however, nicknamed Dogboy as he has an innate affinity with all dogs who whisper to him and warned him about his intended, known as Catfish, anticipates her every move and plays her game with equal skill and sleight of hand.
When Dogboy goes missing, Kat must engage the legal system to try and access her husband’s money as well as trying to stop the police becoming suspicious about her shady business activity selling designer high end goods and consorting with underground criminal figures.
Katherine Fisher is thoroughly despicable and you feel for her poor daughter (although we never actually meet her in the novel) while Lindsay Kramer (Dogboy) comes across as a kind of mysterious Svengali, pulling the strings, punishing his wife, yet behaving honourably to those to whom he had obligations.
Written by Luke Gracias with a unique style and in three quite distinct sections, I enjoyed this novel which highlights some of the vagaries of the Australian justice system. Any break up will see winners and losers of varying degrees but it is a messy business.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't tend to read crime thrillers but decided to give this book a try as the description sounded interesting.
What a great decision to make.
From start to finish this book just kept growing and developing.
From a simple missing person story it suddenly grew into a fully fledged drama that is so well researched that you can't stop reading plus it shows what could be happening now.
Luke has written a great story with characters to either love or hate.
Definitely worth a read if modern crime thrillers is your thing but also if you just want to read a true page turner.

I really enjoyed this book. I started off being team #catfish but then changed to team #dogboy as the police investigated further. It was easy to read with just the right amount of detail. I was drawn in and wanted to learn more about CatFish's shop operation. I was disappointed when it appeared the police operation would be called off and really felt for the officers. There were cleverly forged bank documents, tag twists and movement of goods. Both characters were very intelligent. I was intrigued by DogBoy and his connection to dogs. I still am baffled by how their behaviour changes around him.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review

lawyers, thriller, suspense, Australia, Australian-author, money-laundering, customs-fraud, counterfeit-merchandise, counterfeit-documents, mystery, smuggling, disappearance, international-crime-and-mystery, law-enforcement, egoist, influencer, social-media, procedural, due-diligence, murder, family, friendship, friends*****

A man who has an affinity with dogs and an amoral player whose nickname is Catfish were married for a time until she got greedy and he disappeared. Then things got diabolical and really fascinating.
I requested and received an EARC from the author via NetGalley. Thank you!
#AustralianAuthor

Dogboy v Catfish was a surprise for me. Although I knew who the villain was, I was surprised by the direction the mystery took. It was interesting and twisty and a quick read.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this book and the opportunity to provide feedback.

Thank you to Net Galley & the author, Luke Gracias for an ARC of this book!

Lindsay Kramer aka 'Dogboy' finds and marries the love of his life Katherine Fisher aka 'Catfish'.
Wealthy Lindsay and beauty queen Katherine make a dashing pair but things are not what they seem on the surface. Katherine has been waiting until the 18 month mark of their marriage to divorce and ensure she is set up financially. Suddenly, Lindsay disappears from his hotel without a trace.

When the police begin looking into the disappearance they get dragged into the dark and twisted underbelly of major crime - counterfeit designer goods, money laundering, the mob, and murder. While the police try to connect Katherine and her designer shop to the crimes she is trying to get a hold of her missing husbands assets before it's too late.

The premise of this book was very interesting and keeps you hooked trying to figure out who will win this tug of war between Dogboy and Catfish. There were so many fascinating aspects that would be revealed, such as the "movie" *wink wink* which made me laugh with the outrageousness of it. Lindsay Kramer is one smart man to say the least.

My only criticism would be that I found the writing to be choppy occasionally and I desperately wanted to know more about Dogboy and his abilities with canines, it was such an interesting aspect of this story but felt like it needed more! If you're looking to read something unique and outside the box, look no further!

This is a compelling thriller which combines mystery, crime and legal drama. It involves a marriage about to break up between entrepreneurial genius Dogboy, remembered by his student friends for his amazing capacity to communicate subliminally with dogs, and glamorous influencer Catfish, who has immaculately planned the timing of her divorce to maximise her financial benefit. Before this happens, Dogboy goes missing, which puts these plans on hold and results in a police investigation which turns out to be far more complex and intriguing than anybody would have thought. What makes this interesting is the virtually complete absence of Dogboy from the narrative, with most of the focus on the unsympathetic character of Catfish and the detectives investigating her husband’s disappearance. As the investigation reveals links to organised crime, the reader is kept in suspense over whether Dogboy is the unfortunate victim of this complicated crime web, or the genius puppet master leaving a breadcrumb trail for his wife to incriminate herself and for the detectives to uncover. This is a beautifully plotted and extremely well executed mystery, though the unravelling of the criminal money laundering network needs a fair bit of reader concentration.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this excellent thriller from a new-to-me author.

Lindsay Kramer aka "Dogboy" meets his match in Katherine Kelly Fischer aka "Catfish" in this extremely clever story about extremely terrible people.

I enjoyed every minute of this riveting tale of determination, greed, and diabolical behavior. It was so juicy and gratifying!

Thank you to publisher for gifting me a copy. All opinions are my own!

Dogboy v Catfish is the play of words for the two main characters. Married, but with the Catfish knowing she’s only waiting the required 18 months before taking Dogboys money.
Luke Gracias does an outstanding job bringing the reader into the storyline and making you care about the characters.
It kept my interest until the last couple couple of chapters and then I felt let down.
Still worth 4 stars from me.

Lindsay Kramer is a fascinating creation and I found myself completely swept up in the plot as he was seemingly at the mercy of a gold digging spouse. There is something oddly endearing about him and the author breathes life into it in a way which brings to mind Ben Elton at his best. This book presents an excellent mystery and the somewhat odd title should not put off fans of the thriller genre - this boo, is fast paced, challenging and kind of fun.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. This was such a good surprise and the story gripped me from start to finish. I could not let the book down and the thriller was so well written from finish to end.
Really impressed.

(2.5 stars)
"'Lots of people call me Catfish.' She added with a cheeky smile, 'I made it famous well before it became synonymous with romance scams.'" Dogboy v Catfish is one for the men's rights activists. It started okay, with an interesting introduction to a character called Dogboy. However it quickly descended into a long drawn-out battle between a couple where the man hides his assets to avoid having to share them with his defacto partner and the child they were both raising.

The man, who got his nickname from the way he can control the behaviour of and speak to dogs, uses this relationship to threaten the woman into submission if she fights for any more than the share he has decided she should have. He deliberately tarnishes her share by investing all of their shared assets into a pornography film he commissioned about their relationship, then disappears pretending to have committed suicide. Dogboy, despite his wealth and power, is presented as the victim: "Kath sold my heart a story I so badly wanted to believe. I ignored all the warnings. I have been scammed."

Despite their relationship, Dogboy also dobs in Catfish Kelly's criminal activities to the police. Was Catfish, the woman he was in a relationship with, nice or ethical, no not particularly, but does this make Dogboy's behaviour okay? So to my eye, this book depicts a man operating from a position of entitlement where he thinks he is the only one contributing to a relationship because he is focused solely on money. He uses his wealth and power to punish a women (and a child he purported to care for) for infidelity.

The book also misrepresents Section 90SB of the Family Law Act (1975) which sets out the defacto relationship has to have been going for more than two years (so this one wouldn't have met the condition). The Australian Family Law Court can also look at each party's substantial contributions to the welfare of the family or to the property, and whether not sharing the assets would be an injustice. Men are not systematically disadvantaged by the Family Law Court in this country. I found this a nasty book that makes women out to be gold diggers out to rob men. While Dogboy v Catfish will appeal to the MRAs, I want to warn women readers particularly those who might have experienced systems abuse at the hands of coercive and controlling partners, that it may leave them feeling bad. Luke Gracias also uses male suicide rates to try and suggest they are driven by the Australian family court system being "heavily weighted in favour of women and protecting the security and future of their children". Corrolation is not causation.

In terms of the writing, it's a bit pompous in places, and convoluted chapter about the three snakes representing the three interlocking crimes Catfish was engaged in (money laundering, drug trade and fake designer goods) was both laboured and annoying: "The police now had the tail of the red drugs snake. They could now grab the head of the blue designer goods snake, which was attached to it."

Thank you to the author and to NetGalley, for this digital copy for review.

The title and the cover had me hooked, and this book did not disappoint. Within the first few pages, the title is revealed as the nicknames of husband and wife in a frayin relationship - until the husband disappears and the wife is revealed as a thoroughly unpleasant person. Apart from her abrasive and greedy personality, it is also slowly revealed that she is in way over her head with various unsavory characters. I don't want to say more than that, but this crime novel - told in various POVs, not always clearly structured - is well worth the read. I did get a bit lost in the weeds of the crime scenario in the last third, but overall a compelling read.