Good-paced mystery about Mason Reid who owns brilliant dogs trained in detecting human remains. He adopts and trains Elvira. Her executive function is excellent. Mason and the Chicago Police Department are lucky to have her helping on a frightening case of a psychopathic serial murderer.

From the cover, I expected a cozy-type mystery but this book was definitely more intense and thriller-like than a cozy. It centers around a dog-trainer but not just an obedience trainer, a cadaver dog specialist...that should have been my first hint this wasn't going to be a light read. That is not to say that there weren't light moments, because there more, and there was a lot of dog centered action which I love. There can never be too much "dog story" in any book for me! This had that a much more. I will definitely look for more in this series. ( )

I have a soft spot in my heart for mystery novels with K-9 units in them. When I saw this first book in a new series, I jumped right on reading a review copy. I'm glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I can't wait for more of this series!

Mace Reid trains cadaver dogs. He's had a rough year. He lost a dog and got divorced. He adopts a new dog, Vira, and starts training her. Just as he is getting to know his newest dog, a serial killer begins targeting women in the area, and Reid finds himself, and his dogs, on the trail of a gruesome, cruel killer.

This book is well written and kept my attention from start to finish. I love how close Mace Reid gets to his dogs. The other characters are well developed and interesting. The mystery itself was paced perfectly, with suspense and surprises to keep readers engaged. I can tell this is going to be a standout series!

I can't wait to find out what's in store for Mace Reid and his dogs next! This is the first book by Jeffrey Burton that I have read. I will definitely be reading more!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )

A lot of books are being made into movies, some are good and some are not… but I need The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton to be made into a movie since the book was excellent and I think it could be transformed into a really great movie too!

Right off, I want to mention the animal violence. It fit into the story, but I am never one for animal violence… kill all the people you want though. But luckily it was more towards the beginning so I wasn’t as in love with all the dogs yet… but every time I knew it was coming up, I would put the book down and whine to my husband how people are cruel and don’t hurt the animals!
The reason I’m telling you this is to make you aware of the violence and how I hate it, but to also let you know that it really did add to the story. And it shouldn’t deter you from reading The Finders.

Burton gives Mason’s dogs Vira, Sue, and the twins each such unique personalities and they were the stars of the book. While I loved Vira and Sue, the twins and their gaslighting of Mason really amused me. You can really tell Mace, and the author, have a deep love for their canine companions.

The information given in regards to how dogs are trained and how they work to detect dead bodies was really interesting and added a terrific layer to The Finders. The first part of the book laid down background information on the very well developed characters, but it was the last 100 pages or so that were a whirlwind of action with lots of twists and a really demented serial killer. And talking about serial killers, there is a twist with that in the book too that added yet another disturbing layer.

The Finders was a fast read because it was so good and I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. I am looking forward to more in the Mace Reid K-9 Mystery series, and highly recommend it! ( )

I'm not interested in the killer

This story is told primarily from the POV of the killer and not the two main characters. I'm not very interested in the killer, to tell you the truth, and I wanted him to be quiet.

The main story about Mace and Vira develops too slowly because it is constantly interrupted by the killer's voiceover. I found it all rather dull.

I received a review copy of "The Finders" by Jeffrey B. Burton from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.com. ( )