The Lost: A Mace Reid K-9 Mystery (Mace Reid K-9 Mystery, #3)

by Jeffrey B Burton

Glencoe, Illinois: A home invasion turned kidnapping at the mansion of billionaire financier Kenneth J. Druckman brings Mason "Mace" Reid and his cadaver dog, Vira, to this wealthy northern suburb of Chicago. Druckman was assaulted, left behind while his wife and young daughter were taken for ransom.

Brought to the scene by the FBI, Reid specializes in human remains detection, and Vira is the star of his pack of cadaver dogs he's dubbed The Finders. After Vira finds the dead body of the mother, former supermodel Calley Kurtz, everyone is on high alert to find Druckman's missing daughter before the five-year-old disappears forever. But the trail Vira finds on the property's dense woodlands leads right back to Druckman himself.

With the help of Detective Kippy Gimm, Reid and Vira must race against the clock. Nothing is as it appears to be . . . and the red herrings could be lethal.

• ISBN10: 1250808626
• ISBN13: 9781250808622
• Publish Date: 28 June 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Lost is the third Mace Reid K-9 mystery by by Jeffery B. Burton. Released 28th June 2022 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 288 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a solid installment in a very strong series in the animal mystery subgenre. The series started strong and has gone from strength to strength. The characterizations and descriptions are well rendered and distinct. Protagonist Mace Reid is a dog trainer who specializes in training human remains dogs (cadaver dogs). His "pack" includes ('Vira - short for Elvira), a golden retriever who is a natural wonder as a cadaver dog, and just might be a canine Einstein in addition. The plot arc is full of action and the author is adept at moving the narrative along without info dumping.

There is some anthropomorphism, but it's not out of control. Honestly for some readers who love animal mysteries, it will be a plus. I think there are relatively few readers who will be yanked out of the story by that facet of the writing. The dialogue is well done and flowed smoothly. Mace is sarcastic but eminently likeable, kind, and honest to a fault. Some of the secondary antagonists are caricatures, but that's more or less to be expected with cozy mysteries. There are some disturbing descriptions of violence and ruthless killers included, but it's in character and not egregious. The language is rough (R-rated) in places.

This is a strong addition to the series and I am eagerly looking forward to more. Four and a half strong stars for me, certainly 5 for fans of mysteries featuring dogs.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.