A man who rescues and trains dogs, murder, action, mystery, and suspense… Yup. I’m there for it!

Mason Reid is a great lead character. He’s an average guy, easy to like but not so brilliant and heroic that he feels untouchable. The real heroes here are Mason’s dogs. They each have their own personalities, and the love between the man and his dogs is an unbreakable bond.

I wanted to read parts of this book with my hands over my eyes. Turns out, that can’t be done. So I squinted and probably squirmed as the action progressed, and Mason and his dogs crossed paths with a twisted killer.

The Finders is the first book in the Mace Reid K-9 Mystery Series. If you love dogs and mysteries, this is a perfect book for you!

LOVED this read! Mystery, Fast-paced AND a Golden Retriever to boot! Done! Sold! Great storyline, great writing and I am eagerly on tap for the next in this series! Well done!

Thank you, Netgalley and Minotaur, for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

Let me start with my favorite quote from the book "There are two kinds of people: there are those who love dogs and then there are a**holes." As an animal lover, this made me laugh out loud!
I loved loved loved this pupper so much!!! The owner is my kind of morally grey character. This book had the right dose of mystery, action, and puppy love. I can't wait to get my hands on The Keepers, the sequel to this book. This was a great start to the series! I loved getting to know the MCs.

First time reading this author but will definitely seek his other works! This book was so much fun. Think Stephanie Plum without all the bedroom scenes. I love dogs and one can't help but love "the girls". I just cringe when I think one of them may be hurt but thankfully all his girls make it fine. Told in the voice of 'Mace' ,the main character is a likeable dude as are all the 'good guys' in this book. Read the cover it gives info on story line. I will just say I loved the book!
I was provided an advanced reader copy and was under no obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

The finders follows Mace Ried a cadaver dog trainer who finds himself caught up in the drama. He gets a new dog who is rescued from horrific circumstances and who seems to have a gift for tracking.

This crime book has a few different cases which to start with I found a tad confusing but it is brought together eventually. Its a bit of a slow starter I must say but once it gets going it really gets going. Mace is a really loveable character and is our lead. His love for dogs is unlike anyone else's. He has a relationship with his dogs like they are his kids as he very often refers to them. He puts all his time into training them and providing them with a great homelike.I really enjoyed this element of the novel it was warming to have a leading man who is vulnerable.

Mace himself isn't a deceive or even a cop but when the focus is on him he finds himself working on an unofficial basis to help solve the case. Ofcourse there's a love interest which is beyond cute I must say!

Then there's everyman what a seedy little character. He is crazy to say the least and I really enjoyed the chapters he narrative. I must say some of the best characters belong to everyman.

This is an interesting crime series and I recommend to anyone who loves a good crime book. It is gruesome at times and I must admit a few moments I felt that sick twist in my belly but in a good way. Its pace goes from zero to one hundred and once it does its super hard to put down. You want to work out what is going on and why. I did guess the twist but then convinced myself I was wrong as I was clutching at straws. But still when everything is revealed its in such a way that I found myself gasping with shock! 4 stars 🌟

Thank you to netgalley, J.B. Burton and the publishers for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Serial killer books are not my thing. However, I am a sucker for books with dogs and the premise sounded interesting.

Overall, I was impressed with the story. The characters were well-written. The plot moved quickly and the dogs were icing on the cake. I did skim toward the end, when the book became more violent, but my pleasure was only slightly muted.

My plans were to read the next book in the series.

When you combine dogs and mystery’s/thrillers, you’re giving me a twofer so I was super excited to read The Finders. Special thanks to the author, St Martins Press and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!

This book was so good, the details were perfectly placed, the twists were perfect in number and the story was good.

Mason Reid is a dog trainer, he trains his dogs to discover and find the dead. He doesn’t intend on involving himself in the hunt for a killer but, somehow becomes involved. Then becoming the target of the killer, simply because of his dog, Vira.

I’ve always thought rest stops were creepy and the perfect setting to be abducted and that’s what happens in this story. It made for a really great and suspenseful story. A story I can’t wait to read more about in Jeffrey’s second installment, The Keepers. Special thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for approving me for the second. I’m so excited to continue the story between Mace and Officer Kippy!

I definitely recommend this read!! Grab it whenever you buy your books or Amazon.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mason (Mace) Reid trains dogs, specializing in training cadaver dogs, dogs who help law enforcement find dead bodies that are hidden. Mace takes in a golden retriever he names Vera, who, he soon realizes, is a special dog. The first time Mace and Vera help law enforcement looking for a victim, Vera attacks one of the by-standers, for what appears to be no reason, resulting in severe damage to the man. After that, Mace sets out to figure out why Vera attacked and what is so strange about his dog. There are other cases Vera works on as well as training, and Mace becomes more and more certain Vera is a special dog with special powers. The powers are not really discussed in any length in the book, but it is easy to figure out that Vera has paranormal senses abut people she encounters, which can and do help Mace figure out what really is going on. The story about the man Vera attacked is a bit complex, but Mace, along with a local policewoman, work to solve the mystery together.

This was a fairly well-done book. Vera played the central role in it, which was a bit unusual, as persons, not dogs, usually play the central role in stories, with the dog assisting the persons. I liked the way Mace really cared about his dogs (he had more than Vera). In addition, this is the start of a series, and as the series evolves, we will learn more about Vera’s gifts and how she and these gifts help Mace and law enforcement. The relationship between Mace and the policewoman will probably develop more also as the series continues. There were some parts of the story that were definitely difficult to take, but, all in all I thought it was pretty well done. If you like dog stories, this is a good one for you. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

The Finders by Jeffrey B Burton

288 Pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Release Date: June 30, 2020

Fiction, Mystery & Suspense, Thriller, Animal Fiction, Amateur Sleuth Mysteries, Cadaver dogs, Police Procedural

Christine thinks she is still drunk after attending a wedding. She makes a stop on her way home and disappears. Officer Kippy Gimm comes across a limp golden retriever puppy when her owner is found dead from asphyxiation. She thought the puppy was dead until the blankets began to move. Mason Reid trains cadaver dogs and assists the Chicago area police departments when asked. When Mace, as he is known to his friends, takes his dog to find a burial site of a missing woman, his dog goes crazy and attacks a man watching the action. What Mace doesn’t realize is this one act will change his life.

This is my first book by Mr. Burton. The book is written from different perspective: first person point of view for Mace and third person point of view for Everyman. The story flows well and is fast paced with a lot of action. The characters are likable and somewhat developed. I believe more of their histories will come out in future books in the series. If you like Iris Johansen’s Eve Duncan series, especially the ones with Sarah Patrick and her golden retriever, you will definitely like this book. I look forward to the next installment, The Keepers due out June 2021.

Not gonna lie, I totally read this because of the dog on the cover. I love dogs and actually transport rescues halfway across Texas for their freedom rides. The fact that the "star pupil" was a rescue was not lost on me.
Mason jar jar a bad year and this dog is making it better even if he is in danger...

If you love dogs and are interested in their abilities, you'll enjoy The Finders. Mason Reid lives with his many working dogs and has recently adopted a golden retriever puppy Vira. Vira's early life was traumatic but she proves her intelligence and curiosity early on. When Vira attacks a bystander near a crime scene, she's at risk of being put to sleep. Mason believes that Vira was acting on a reason and snoops around the victim's home. When Mason discovers a kidnapped girl, we're drawn into the larger hunt for a serial killer.

Despite the gruesome details, The Finders is upbeat and generally hopeful. Reading about Mason and his pets and his close relationship with Vira gave The Finders a different appeal. While we have the complexity and tension of a detective thriller, the cadaver dogs and the strong relationship Mason has with his companions elevates this book. It's a real treat and I"m looking forward to reading more about Mason and Vira and the others!

The Finders is the first installment in author Jeffrey B. Burton's Mace Reid K-9 Mystery series. Mason "Mace" Reid lives on the outskirts of Chicago. He specializes in human remains detection. He trains dogs to hunt for the dead. Reid’s coming off a difficult year—mourning the death of a beloved springer spaniel named Amie, as well as the dissolution of his marriage, Mace finds new hope in a new resident of a local animal shelter. Rescued from a certain death by the resolute police officer Kippy Grimm, Mace immediately becomes hooked with the puppy with the sad history that he will soon be calling Elvira aka Vira.

FYI, Mace tends to name all his dogs after different songs. Example, he has a male German Shepard named Sue after a Johnny Cash song. Elvira is named after another country song. He has two other female dogs named Maggie May, and Delta Dawn. Vira is something special. She takes to cadaver training quicker than any dog that Mace has trained to this point. Vira also has a unique intelligence that she can clue Mace into a person who seems to be hiding secrets. After Mace and Vira are hugely successfully in finding the body of one of the Velvet Choker Killer’s victims, it immediately paints a target on his back, as well as Vira’s.

Everyman, what the author calls the villain, has every reason to go after Mace and Vira after they caught one of his accolades. Suddenly, Reid and his prize pupil find themselves hurled into a taxing murder case, which will push them to their very limits. Paired with Officer Kippy Gimm, Mace must put all his trust in Vira's abilities to thwart a serial killer who has now set his sights on Mace himself. Mace finds himself under constant attack by the villain and spends a whole lot of time trying to heal from various attacks.

I am not a dog person, but I love search and rescue dogs as well as those trained in HRD (Human Remains Detection.) I adore Vira. Vira has the intelligence of a higher being, and no, I am not kidding. I am hopeful that Kippy will become a series regular. I like the partnership between Kippy, and Mace, and well, yes, Vira as well. The Finders is a quick read at only 288 pages. I easily read this book in less than a day. They mystery is well done and held my attention right to the ending.

Actual Rating: 3.5

This is a great, fun and quick read for those who love mystery books with rescue dogs as the heroes and fans of David Rosenfelt!!!! Jeffrey Burton writes with humor and keeps the story flowing. I'm looking forward to reading his next book The Keepers. Thanks for a great read!!

Loved the premise of this one and the fact that it was a different story line than I typically read.
I will definitely be recommending to friends and family.

Okay so obviously I read this because of the lovely golden retriever on the cover. There aren’t many mystery novels with dogs helping out to solve crimes so that concept in itself was what drew me to read this - plot aside.

(Warning: I will admit I put off reading this in fear of a dog dying but they are injured and all end up okay so yay)

Mason “Mace” Reid lives outside of Chicago and trains dogs to hunt human remains. He has recently gone through a divorce and lost his beloved dog. He adopts a golden retriever named Vira and trains her to become his new cadaver dog. She ends up being exceptionally amazing at her new job (what a good girl) and helps Mace with a serial killer case where a sociopath targets young women. In alternate chapters we meet the serial killer who is highly intelligent and enjoys what he does. The serial killer begins to turn his sights onto Mace and finds himself and Vira in danger.

This was a quick read and I enjoyed the short chapters. I thought some of the pacing was off where it would move fast and then back to very, very slow. Solid start to the series, I would read the next one if not only for Vira and the rest of the dogs. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for a copy of this book.

I’d read a few positive reviews about this and decided to request a copy on NetGalley. I’m glad I did!
Going into this book I thought there’d be more about the dogs, their training and actively working as cadaver dogs. Since I’m doing a lot of work with my own dog, I was interested in seeing what techniques would be talked about when training cadaver dogs.
What I wasn’t expecting was to have so much of the story be about tracking the killer by regular police work with the dogs just tagging along and causing havoc. In hindsight that makes sense. The amount of disparity in the dog training industry would mean getting reliable information about techniques that no one could argue with wouldn’t be possible. Even myself reading the few snippets was like “O I know some people who wouldn’t be happy about that technique.”
Moving on to the story and how amazing it was!
Right from the get-go I loved it! It was fast moving, interesting, had enough psychology and action to keep me interested, excited and mentally engaged.
We got to see the story from a few people’s perspective, including the main killers. The great thing about hearing the killers perspective is that we learnt about their motivations, their previous killings, how they operate and yet don’t learn anything personal about them until the cops and Reid put it all together.
The final 20% of the book is Reid and Gimm putting together who it is, us getting confirmation from the killer and then the confrontation. Every chapter changed perspective giving us the perfect blow by blow of the whole interaction. Absolutely amazing!
Given this is the first book in the series I can’t wait to see how the following books develop!

i enjoyed getting to know vira and mason, the characters were really enjoyable and I liked the mystery part of the book. I look forward to more in the series.

The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton is a really fun start to the Mace Reid K-9 mystery series! I love books that focus on animals, and even though some of what happens made me sad, I still loved the focus on all of Mace's dogs. I'm not sure that Vira could be as smart as what the author is touting in this book, but I'm certainly no dog expert and there are tons of super-smart dogs out there. While you do have to suspend some disbelief for this one, it was good escape read that also happened to really surprise me. I didn't see the killer coming until it was revealed, and I loved having his viewpoint as well as Mace's in the book.

The best way I can think to describe the writing is masculine, but I loved the way The Finders flowed and the fast pacing. The chapters got really short towards the end and it was great for building the suspense even further. There were a lot of things happening throughout which kept things interesting, and I loved the moments that made me laugh which there were quite a few of. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did such a great job. I don't know if Matt Godfrey's voice is what I would have picked for Mace because I think he sounded older than that character is supposed to be (although I have no idea what Godfrey's age is), but besides that I was really impressed with his narration and afterward read a very interesting interview with him on http://horrorafterdark.com

This is my first time reading a book by Burton, and I love that he's a Minnesota author since that's where I am from. I was completely endeared to Vira right off the bat, and I also came to have a soft spot for Mace even if he was a little awkward. It made him more realistic for me even if the plot itself wasn't super realistic, but I didn't have any issues with that personally. I will definitely be looking forward to the next installment of this series!

Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton
Review by Sandra Murphy

Mason (Mace) Reid and his dogs live just outside Chicago. The collies, Delta Dawn and Maggie May, and a male German shepherd named Sue (the song, you know?) are trained human remains detection dogs (HRD). It doesn’t matter if the human is recently dead or is a matter of being only bones, HRD dogs can find them. Working with law enforcement, the dogs help bring closure for families as well as provide clues to solve the case.

Paul Lewis, executive director of Chicago Animal Care and Control, is a good friend who also alerts Mace to dogs with potential to become HRD trained. Now there’s a golden retriever puppy who has had a rough start in life that’s caught his attention. Mace names her Elvira, Vira for short.

Although Vira appears to be only nine weeks old, she takes to training like no other. She watches the other dogs and trains herself, too. When she’s a year old, she’s ready for her first search. The location is a recently demolished building, now reduced to rubble, chunks of cement, and piles of bricks. Vira finds the body of a young woman in record time—under two minutes. One odd thing—when she found the right spot, instead of patting with her paw as she was trained to do, Vira began to shake, almost like she was having a seizure. It lasted less than a minute, and she was fine.

Then disaster. While waiting for police to secure the scene, Vira begins to growl, then bark. Standing at full alert, she’s watching the crowd behind police lines, there to gawk. Before Mace can figure out what set her off, she yanks the leash from his hand, runs through the crowd and attacks a man, causing serious damage.

As with any serious dog bite, especially seemingly unprovoked, she’s thought to be a dangerous dog which puts her life in danger. Mace has twenty-four hours to prove she had a reason for the attack or Vira will be put down.

From here on, the story is a race to save the lives of Vira, Mace, Kimmy a policewoman, and a kidnapped teen. Readers will be torn between reading faster and the risk of missing clues. With all the requirements for a thriller—suspense, high body count, serial killer, a deadline—there are moments of humor. Mace is a flawed character but knows it. Freshly divorced, he’s not progressed much past high school level social skills around women. He’s just better around dogs.

It’s a tightrope walk to infuse a book with background on dog training, police procedures, likable characters, and added tension, without using the traditional and hated information dump. Burton manages it flawlessly. This is the rare book that once read, I want to flip from the last page to the first and read it again. And again. Hopefully, there will be many more tales of Vira and Mace to follow.

As Mace says, there are people who like dogs, and there are people who love dogs. This book is for dog lovers.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I must say I was pretty impressed. My curiosity has been peaked and I will definitely be looking for more titles.