The dead years

This is a mighty impressive thriller. That should not be startling news to readers who've savored author Burton's earlier efforts, like The Finders (2020) and The Lost (2022). All share engaging qualities: unadorned expository prose, a curiosity about the characters (even the baddest), and a lightness of tone capable of startling shifts. Cory Pratt is a new hero, and like Burton's previous stars, he trains dogs. His Chicago-based animal academy has a burgeoning sideline thanks to his sister, Crystal, a Chicago police detective. "I train dogs," Cory explains, "to hunt for the dead." They're called cadaver dogs. But he and Crystal end up hunting for a killer who seems to be targeting the cast and crew of a Netflix docuseries. Burton creates several pulse-pounding scenes of law officials attempting to trap the killer while, unbeknownst to them, an outsider, who must remain unidentified here, has deadly plans of his own. Of course dogs play a part in the solution to the mystery. Readers will take to Burton's brother-sister duo in this series launch and look forward to more Chicago K-9 thrillers.