Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In Burton's enjoyable sequel to 2020's The Finders, three separate murder investigations preoccupy Mace Reid, a cadaver dog trainer who assists the Chicago police and various sheriffs' departments, and his pack of five working dogs, notably Vira, an exceptionally sensitive golden retriever, who "takes the art of human remains detection to the next level... the Sherlock Holmes level." Vira is literally able to sniff out the guilty parties, leaving her wily human companions the job of figuring out how to bring the killers to justice. The murder cases--those of a union organizer, a former one-hit-wonder rock star, and the head of the Special Prosecutions Bureau inside the Cook County State's Attorney's Office--eventually entwine, and draw Mace and the dogs into a disturbing web of political corruption at the highest level. Who can they trust? The answer seems to be no one as the fast-paced, action-packed plot builds to a thrilling finale. Burton carefully crafts each dog's personality, ensuring that they, like the humans, are fully realized characters. Dog lovers are in for a treat. Agent: Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (June)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Mason "Mace" Reid has a pack of cadaver dogs, but Vira is special. The young golden retriever not only finds bodies, but also latches onto the scent of the killer. Mace and Vira have just helped Chicago police officers Kippy Gimm and Dave Wabiszewski bring in the killer of a musician, when he and Vira are sent to Washington Park. Special Prosecutor Peter Feist hadn't come home after asking the police to clear the park at 11:30 p.m. Vira finds the body, but also alerts and growls when the police superintendent and his chauffeur arrive at the scene. When the chauffeur confronts him at Feist's funeral, Mace is scared; he and his friends realize they're trapped in the dirtiest type of Chicago politics. After another murder, Mace and Kippy have a target on their backs, as they and the dogs search for evidence to turn over to the FBI. Mace knows he's no hero, but his dogs are. VERDICT The follow-up to The Finders sets a relentless pace. Corrupt politicians, the mob, a brutal killer, and a shocking death combine in a fast-paced story of an ordinary man and his extraordinary dogs. For fans of Paula Munier's or Susan Furlong's books featuring dogs.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A second outing for dog handler Mason Reid shows him consistently upstaging his canine charges. Both Mace and his dogs--golden retriever Elvira, German shepherd Sue, farm collie Delta Dawn--specialize in human remains detection. Mace serves as liaison to the Chicago Police Department and several sheriff's departments; the dogs boast well-trained noses, and Vira something more, an uncanny talent for analyzing scent DNA. The arresting opening tableau, in which they uncover the remains of union negotiator John Averbeck, stabbed to death and dumped in a burning warehouse in the Fulton River District, seems to promise steady work for the cadaver specialists. But first there's an unrelated homicide--the murder of singer/songwriter Jonny Whiting, the headliner for The U-Turns, bashed to death with his own vintage guitar--whose solution owes less to Mace's crack team than to Officer Kippy Gimm's sharp ear for the protests of a suspect who knows too much. Only then can Kippy and Mace join forces to investigate the demise of Peter Feist, of the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, whose neck has been broken so badly that he could look behind him if he were still alive. It isn't long before they realize that mob boss Frank Cappelli Sr., who can't control his low-functioning namesake son, has full control of behemoth contract killer Cordov Woods and Chicago PD Superintendent Gerald Callum to boot. In fact, the corruption runs still deeper, and Mace and Kippy will be hard-pressed to keep ahead of the bad guys long enough for the dogs to exhibit their welcome but much less unusual secondary talents as lifesaving weapons. So many corpses on display that you won't need a cadaver dog to sniff them out. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
