The Finders
Being a big fan of mysteries and dogs, I happily dug into author Jeffrey B. Burton’s new series, starting with The Finders. Mason “Mace” Reid is a dog lover’s protagonist — a dog trainer who also trains human remains detection. It all starts when he takes in Golden Retriever Vira from Chicago Animal Care and Control — a puppy with her own challenging beginnings — who has a sniff gift and brings her home to his furry family — German Shepherd Sue ( a boy named …) and Collies Delta Dawn and Maggie May. On Vira’s first case, nothing goes as expected and puts a serial killer’s sights right on Mace and Vira. With a cast of likeable characters, wonder dog Vira and Mace — who is more comfortable with dogs than people — I enjoyed every minute of this serious thriller interspersed with humor. It’s got dogs, the fascinating world of scent detection and a mystery with lots of twists and turns. What more could a dog lover want? Can’t wait for book two in the Mace Reid K-9 Mystery series. Published by Minotaur Books.

Paw of the Jungle
The latest book in Diane Kelly’s Paw Enforcement series finds police officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner, Brigit, solving their latest Lone Star mystery. What starts as a fun field trip to the Fort Worth Zoo turns serious when a pair of rare hyacinth macaws goes missing. Is the new custodian (who also happens to be an ex-convict) to blame or is there something more sinister going on? There’s a long list of people on the premises who might have stolen the birds, who are worth thousands of dollars, and other animals have started disappearing. But when a rare black rhino is taken (possibly for its black-market-friendly horn), there’s no time to waste to find out who’s behind the mystery. Published by St. Martin’s Paperbacks.

Bite Club
Dog show maven Melanie Travis has formed a new crime fiction book club in the 23rd installment of Laurien Berenson’s mystery series. The aptly named Bite Club reading group has book lovers all over town reading thrilling murder mysteries. But another project emerges when Melanie reluctantly agrees to train a Bulldog puppy for member Evan Major, an introverted and elusive man who just can’t seem to dodge trouble. It sends him to an early grave and lands Melanie in the hot seat for homicide when she’s caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. To prove her innocence, Melanie delves into Evan’s past, uncovering a scandal that cost Evan his marriage — and maybe his life. She gathers her pack of suspects at the next Bite Club meeting but doesn’t realize that another member has been hiding explosive secrets that could pit Melanie against an unpredictable killer. Published by Kensington Books.

The K Team
Bestselling mystery author David Rosenfelt gives fans a new series — a spinoff of his beloved Andy Carpenter mystery series, which focuses on his wife, Laurie. Before she married Andy, Laurie built a reputation as a smart and tenacious cop. Now she helps on Andy’s cases while also raising their son, but she’s been anxious to get back into investigating on her own. So when former policeman Corey Douglas and his German Shepherd, Simon Garfunkel, approach her with a proposal, she jumps at the chance. A local judge is the target of what appears to be a long-running blackmail scheme, but the blackmailer’s demands aren’t obvious, and the judge’s upcoming cases aren’t the types of things that would invite extortion. Laurie, Corey and Simon G. have to figure out the scheme before things turn deady. Published by Minotaur Books.

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