Book Review: The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton

First off, I’m going to note that despite the adorable golden retriever on the cover, don’t be fooled into thinking this is a cozy mystery. There’s nothing cutesy or cozy here. This is a proper mystery thriller, and it’s an absolutely corking good read.

Dog handler and trainer Mason Reid took on the young golden retriever puppy Elvira ‘Vira’ for short, after she barely survived her first owner’s malice. Training her as a cadaver dog, he’s astonished by her abilities… and a little bemused when she takes her training above and beyond and starts tracking down the killers as well as finding their victims. Vira’s skills put her and Mason on the radar of another killer, though, and with Everyman on the hunt, both of them will need all their skills just to survive to search another day.

I absolutely loved this story. Mason’s a lovable dork of a dog lover, and Vira is a proper character in the story in her own right. Policewoman Kippy Gimm and Mason’s other dogs play excellent supporting roles, and I didn’t figure out the killer until the big reveal despite the fact that he’d been around since early in the story. I would have liked a little more insight into how and why Everyman chose his victims, especially since we did get quite a few scenes from his point of view, but that was a very minor quibble in a book I otherwise immensely enjoyed. I’ll definitely be looking out for more books in this series and looking forward to seeing what Mace and Vira get up to next! Five stars for a fantastic read.

The Finders is available now.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.