Reckless Creed is the third installment in author Alex Kava's Ryder Creed series. In Chicago, a veteran named Tony Briggs has been told to touch as many surfaces as possible by his handlers who keep an eye out on everything he does. Shortly after, he is found on the streets of Chicago as a presumed suicide victim. In Alabama, Ryder and his scent sniffing dog Grace, are asked to find a missing young woman who may have disappeared in Conecuh County. They discover the body in a lake weighted down with rocks. What connects Chicago to southern Alabama?

Meanwhile, FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell, who has worked with Ryder and his scent sniffing dogs on several cases, has been trying to find out where missing scientist Dr. Clare Shaw has disappeared to. Shaw seems to have found a way to hide from authorities who are looking for her after her stunts in North Carolina. If you have read Silent Creed, this book ties into what happened at the very end of that story. Maggie finds herself in Chicago as the CDC has discovered a possible viral threat that has infected dozens of people.

As if that weren't enough to give you the chills, there are those who are working behind the scenes to make an even more devastating and horrific statement that will make the Spanish Flu look like child's play. When Grace touches an infected bird, there are those who want to euthanize the entirety of Ryder & Hannah's collection of rescued dogs. When birds begin to fall out of the sky, and a young woman staggers in with shocking information, Maggie believes that something nefarious is happening which may be connected to Dr. Shaw.

Ryder and Maggie and others rush to find those responsible before a major pandemic is unleashed on America. From the beginning of the book it follows several different characters in various cities all experiencing different events that all tie together. The most interesting thing to me about this book is that it could be 100% true. If you have paid any attention to the news over the past 5 years, or longer, you will have read about the loss of deadly viruses from places like the CDC. You know that places like DARPA, as well as USAMRID, have biological viruses that can be made into weapons. This story should start a conversation. Are we as safe as we could possibly be? Or, are we one mistake or one catastrophe away from a real pandemic?

This series has become a curiosity for me. The series is supposed to feature Ryder Creed, a former Marine veteran who runs K9 Crime Scents with his partner Hannah Washington who took him in when things were the darkest. Ryder, whose sister Brodie disappeared back in 2001, has spent a lot of resources to ensure that it doesn't happen to anyone else. He's also never given up on finding out what really happened to his sister that tore his entire family to shreds.

Ryder's crew also includes another veteran, Jason, who Ryder and Hannah have taken in and made part of their little family. I like that Jason is being given more storyline. I like his connection to Scout. And, I like that Kava hasn't ignored the real life PTSD that Jason has suffered since his return from war. After 12 books in her own series, Maggie now plays a c0-starring role in this series. Although there is nothing wrong with the addition of Maggie, Ryder is more often relegated to a secondary role. I also want the twist between Maggie, Ryder, and Colonel Benjamin Platt resolved soon.

Well written and I will try to read this again later.

I received a copy form the publisher through Netgalley - not realizing it was the third in a series with back story of books in another series. That made it feel a little convoluted and difficult to get through. But the writing was strong and I am going to read the earlier books and attempt to get into this one :)

This book was fabulous !! I read it in two days. I love Ryder Creed and his canine companions. A must read for any dog lover. Well written and totally believable.

G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Reckless Creed. This is my honest opinion of the book.

When Ryder Creed and one of his K9 search and rescue dogs find the body of a young woman, dead of an apparent suicide, little does he know that a storm of dire proportions is about to be unleashed.

FBI profiler Maggie O'Dell is brought in on a suspicious death in Chicago, only to discover a possible connection to a dangerous doctor, one that Maggie has been chasing for months.

With nowhere else to turn, it seems that Ryder and his trained dogs may be the solution for searching down the deadly threat to the nation. With time rapidly running out, can Ryder Creed stay out of danger but help to neutralize the threat?

Having read some of the Maggie O'Dell novels in the past, but none of the Ryder Creed ones, I was unsure as to whether the continuity of the story would be lost. Author Alex Kava has included enough background information for that to not be a problem and my interest in reading the two previous novels featuring Ryder is definitely piqued. The book is well paced and interesting, with the K9 aspect adding a bit of originality to what could have been an ordinary FBI thriller. Involving a subject matter that is a legitimate concern in today's society, Reckless Creed is both timely and cautionary. Although it is always better to follow reoccurring characters from their origin book forward, Reckless Creed is able to be understood by first time readers. I would definitely recommend this book and I eagerly anticipate reading more of the series in the future.

I LOVE the Creed books. They have a different kind of excitement from the Maggie books but I love them both. I feel like I learn something when reading the Creed books. Awesome book. Thank you for the opportunity to review. I look forward to more books from Alex

Excellent third book in the Ryder Creed series from Alex Kava. Readers of her previous books won't want to miss Creed and Maggie O'Dell as they hunt down a horrific virus and the evil scientist who threatens Americans from coast to coast.

Review note: I actually (gulp) bought this e-book at regular price from Amazon because I was so intrigued by the first two books in this series. Not the worst way to spend money...Get your hands on it when you can!

This was my first book by Alex Kava and I am hooked. Reckless Creed is in the Ryder Creed series. Maggie has her own series. Ryder is a former military dog handler. He is now working with Hannah training dogs for different types of work. In Reckless, they are testing the dogs to identify if a person has a disease. Then they realize someone may have created a deadly virus and the dogs may be able to identify the carriers. The author really takes you into the mind of one of the carriers which was very interesting. The idea of a deadly virus is frightening. Maggie is hunting down a scientist who they thought had died. I assumed this was a carry over from another book and I didn’t have trouble following it. I love Ryder Creed and Maggie and I am already looking for additional books in the series.

Another excellent Ryder Creed book by Alex Kava. What can you say when everything this author wites is awesome? I absolutely loved how this book had Maggie O'Dell play a huge part in it with Ryder. The only question I have is when are they going to hook up because I am really looking forward to that.
As for this book. It was the perfect wrap up of the story that started in Kava's previous book. So I would read that first even though this could be a stand alone the last book has a lot a good information. I loved everything about the book from the returning charters to the interesting dog information learned while reading. Kava has been one of my favorites since her first book grabbed my attention all those years ago and she has never disappointed since.
I am giving Reckless Creed five out of five stars.

Alex Kava's books are always thrilling and exciting, this one is no exception!!!

well done thriller with a bio-war theme that will make you think. Creed and Maggie make an excellent team, mostly, I think, because of the dogs. Love the dogs, which so humanize the whole thing. THanks to Netgalley for the ARC. You can read this as a standalone because Kava has done a very nice job of keeping the story contained. This is very plot driven story telling with some great characters.

A really interesting read. It starts off strong and doesn't disappoint. A very well-written, suspenseful read about a subject I find to be not a little terrifying-deadly viruses. Characters are interesting and consistent and the story moves along at a good pace. I would read another by the author.