Exciting, intense, suspenseful!  These are just some of the adjectives that can be used to describe this novel.

The Finders is the first novel in a planned series involving Mason (Mace) Reid, and his band of Human Remains Detection (HRD) dogs -- with the star being a golden retriever named Elvira or Vira for short.  Eventually, Mace teams up with Kippy Gimm, a Chicago police officer to track down a serial killer by locating human remains and extracting any clues.

Suddenly, the tables get turned as the serial killer begins to stalk Mace and Vira.  But why? Who is this serial killer?  You'll find out in the surprising climax.

Five stars!  Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Finders peaked my interest primarily for the dog-centric plot. I'm an old pro at serial killer thrillers but cadaver dog trainer is not a POV you see a lot. And for that aspect; how the dogs are trained, their different personalities, their outings and intuition, I gave the 3 stars. The book requires you to suspend disbelief from the very beginning and the hallmark of a great thriller for me is it's believability and parallels to real life. I didn't particularly like Mace's (MC) character and other than the dogs, all the characters were flat and two dimensional. But if you want a fun, far out there serial killer book with lots of man's best friend, check out The Finders.

Thank you to Minotaur and Netgalley for providing me with this eArc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mysterious and captivating. Amazing how you can train dogs to do so many things including find the dead. This book captures your attention from the first chapter.

Thank you Netgallery for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own.  I was unable to finish the book I just could not get into it.

I received an ARC of this excellent thriller.  Fast-moving action with an engaging main character.  I couldn't put it down.  I hope there will be more books featuring Mace and his dogs.

It starts at the beginning of Mace's relationship with Vira, when she is abandoned at nine weeks and scheduled to be euthanized. There's something about her that makes Mace save her and train to be a cadaver dog, in support of Mace's growing business in the assistance of the Chicago PD and their Canine Training Center. From the beginning, it's clear Vira is indeed special.

Even if we don’t get the direct point of view of the dogs, Vira and Reid’s other dogs are omnipresent in the book. Mason Reid doesn’t like dogs. He loves dogs. He empathizes with them. He constantly notices what his dogs are up to and are thinking, and hence let the reader know about it. It is obvious the author put a lot of research into dogs in general, and police dogs specifically. It’s to be noted, as well, that each of Reid’s dogs has its distinct and coherent personality.

Burton weaves a compelling, inventive and suspenseful narrative with unexpected twists. It is all culminating in a thrilling denouement. Multidimensional characters with complex motivations compliment the propulsive prose that leads to an entertaining and enjoyable read

It's no secret that Minotaur puts out some of my favorite titles, so I was thrilled to be pre-approved for The Finders. I love serial killer narratives, and rarely do we find dogs front and center of a page-turner unless it's to further the MC's plot. How many times are characters given animals only to have them killed off as some sort of revenge-fueled action response (I will excuse John Wick from this equation, because it was so well done and heartbreaking, but still).

Mace Reid trains cadaver dogs, canines that are used specifically in the retrieval of dead bodies. When he gets called in on a potential serial killer case and one of his dogs brutally attacks a by-stander, Mace is distraught at the possibility of having to put him down--so he's determined to find out why it happened. Returning to the scene of the crime, Mace discovers the "victim" is actually the Velvet Choker Killer. What he doesn't expect is an outlier, a second player with ties to the VCK, and Mace is soon caught in the cross hairs of a deranged killer known as Everyman.

I stewed on this review for a day because I was conflicted. On the one hand, the cadaver trainer is an interesting take in a genre dominated by grizzled detectives and vigilantes with hearts of gold. I was struck by Mace's love of dogs and his acute awareness that in his personal life, he'd need someone as devoted to them as he was. The inner workings of cadaver dog training were fun to read, and treating the dogs as relevant characters instead of props was refreshing. 

However, some things I did not care for, primarily the treatment of female characters. From stereotypes (the constant reference to "lady cops" and the first victim being a drunk sorority alum leaving a wedding where she made out with a former "bestie's husband) to object of affection (Kippy Gimm being used as bait in an interview with a serial killer to get a rise out of his fixation) to nameless sources of evil (the Velvet Choker Killer's sister who is a series of photos on the wall and a sad story) and finally as motivation for male characters to prove their masculinity (rescuing a helpless female victim who is overpowered by another, stronger masculine figure). Officer Kippy Gimm was lovely in her relation to Mace's dogs, but her character wasn't as developed as I would've liked. Often focusing on her sexuality (or her "time off from guys" because of a relationship that ended poorly when their sexual exploits were exaggerated and bragged about) she felt more like a means to an end than a character standing on her own two feet. Some of these are supposed to be Mace's character flaws or the lens of the Everyman, but on the whole, it caused some disjointed moments for me, like I was reading the personality of a 75 year old Clint Eastwood impersonator rather than a young, divorced man who's recovering from a broken heart. I just couldn't reconcile these things. Again, I'm not saying any of these on their own is bad, but as a whole, it missed the mark for me. 

The serial killer plot was in line with a pretentious narcissist with a god complex, but not altogether surprising. Everyman was a cool name--it's actually one of my favorite morality plays from the medieval period; I helped write a parody of it my senior year of college, but I digress--but the name itself felt forced. Given by a victim (who again is little beyond a fixation of "the one who got away") she says he's not tall or short and "could be everyman." It felt awkward and forced, trying to make it work instead of just letting it happen naturally. 

Overall, The Finders is a great read if you're looking for a dog-forward thriller and don't mind overgeneralized depictions of gender roles and relationships. 

Thank you to Minotaur and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

It was a good surprise. I loved the book and coming fro Chicago it’s fun to read about places I grew up in. Love dogs and this is certainly a dog lovers book with a strong dose of mystery and thriller. Interesting concept and well written without the hint of typos or wrong words. I definitely recommend this book. I hope there is another in this series.

3 1/2 stars, rounded down
It didn’t take me long at all to connect with Mace Reid.  Whenever a news clip comes in about pet abuse, my first comment is always “hang ‘em high”.   So, when Mace states “In my book, cruelty to animals merits the death penalty.  If I had my druthers, we’d hang the Grangers of the world in the village square like Christmas ornaments”, I knew we were kindred spirits.  
Burton’s writing includes a fun sense of humor.  “She took to finding smells not unlike my ex took to remarrying - with passion and speed.”
I always enjoy books that explain how dogs are trained to do specialized tasks.  And this book does that.  Burton also understands that dogs have unique personalities the same as humans and makes sure to point out their individual traits.  
The book does require you to suspend belief.  I had trouble giving Vira the super intelligence the author tried to impress you with. I also didn’t quite buy into the villian.  <spoiler> I had trouble believing he would be capable of caring for someone else. <spoiler> That said, it was an entertaining, fast read. I appreciated both main characters, Mace and Kippy, and hope they continue to work together in future books.  
I would recommend this for fans of David Rosenfelt even though it doesn’t rise to the ranks of an Andy Carpenter book.  
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

I received an eARC of The Finders by Jeffrey B. Burton from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
I give this book 5 stars!  This was my first book by this author. I highly recommend this fast-paced start of a new series for anyone who loves a good mystery, and dogs of course! It kept me engaged from start to finish and I can't wait for the next book in this series!

This has been such an entertaining read! It's been hard to put it down.
I must confess that the golden retriever on the cover got my total attention, so that's how I picked it up. If the story has dogs (or any other animals) I'm all in! 😍

The story is fast-paced and quite original, so once you pick up this book it turns really difficult to keep going with your daily tasks. It's those kind of books you can read in one sit.

Sue, the German shepard; Delta Dawn and Maggie May, the short-haired farm collies; and Vira, the especial Golden retriever are so lovely, smart, and brave! They totally steal the show.

The character's witty dialogues, especially Reid's, make the story even more enjoyable.

I totally recommend it. Dog lover or not, I'm sure you're going to enjoy it... and fall in love with these charming four-legged team.

First Read for me By This Author 
What A Book.
 Absolutely Loved this Story. 
Looking forward to more of this series.. 

Mason Reid  adopts this Beautiful golden retriever pup..
Saves her life..
This little dog has been through so much in her short life.  Mason is a 
Dog Trainer.   

Living with  Scott Granger. 
A Anger Drunk. 
Whom does not like Dogs.
Granger's Girlfriend and her son has moved out.  Left this pup behind....


This Golden Retriever. 
Has a mysterious past.
Can pick up on bad people...


Picks them out of a crowd. 
She's on the lead of the serial killer. Can smell there dirty deals.

There's so much about this book I would love to tell you. But I don't like giving away the story. 

Will just  say I Loved This Book.
Pick up yours as soon as it comes out. JUNE 30TH.2020
Thank you Netgally 
For this Early Read..

LOVED this  book will be buying for many  dog lovers!  Can't wait  to see how everyone else likes it!  Super book told in very good way!

This was amazing. Loved how the dog played such a big role in the story. This is such a gritty intense book and I loved it.

First I would like to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for giving me this ebook to read.  Second I would like to tell people that no dog dies in the book. You may say that is a spoiler but if you are like many people I know you don’t want to read a book where this happens. I want people to know this is a good book for dog lovers to read. The second I saw the cover I wanted to read it as I love dogs, I have three adopted  rescue dogs.  The cover did not disappoint as the book was excellent with some amazing events involving the dogs. There were some great human characters and the canine characters were even better. I loved how each dog had such a Unique personality and how the author wove the dogs into many of the scenes in the book. This made the book seem more realistic as anyone that lives with dogs knows the little tricks they have and adding that to a serious conversation gave it a fun twist. There is a great storyline with lots of action and suspense.  The author did a great job of creating each character and I easily liked them, especially Mason.  None of the characters were far fetched or fake going the story more credibility. I laughed more than a few times at some of the dogs shenanigans and at Mason’s awkwardness with women.  The book flowed easily from one chapter to the next and I didn’t want to put it down, reading late into the night to finish it. There was excitement, suspense, action and a twist I didn’t see coming.  A great all round book that should appeal to many readers, especially those who love dogs.

Great read for dog lovers as well as fans of detective fiction. The author has created likable characters (both human and canine) along with a couple of evil ones, in a way that is believable yet entertaining.  It’s unusual to discover a story about a serial killer that’s a story about genuine love of animals as well.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Mace is a dog trainer who adopts a Golden Retriever puppy, Vira, who he trains to be a cadaver dog. She ends up being a superstar at not just that but at sniffing out murderers too and she, along with Mace, and police woman, Kippy Gimm, take down a serial killer.

I had never heard of this author but was sent a widget from the publisher based on the fact that I had requested "Muzzled" by David Rosenfelt, another dog book. Since I  a sucker for hero dog, I went for it and am glad I did. I don't love serial killer books and if not for the dog element, this would have been a 3 star, but the awesome dog made it a 4. I liked Mace and Kippy and would probably give the next in this series a shot.

When life for the entire universe and planet turns on its end and like everyone else you "have nothing to do" while your place of work is closed and you are in #COVID19 #socialisolation,  superspeed readers like me can read 250+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today. (I have played a "zillion games" of scrabble, done a "zillion crosswords" and I AM BORED!!!)

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.

Jeffrey B. Burton's The Finders marks the beginning of a fast-paced new mystery series featuring a heroic golden retriever cadaver dog named Vira and her handler, Mason Reid.

Mason "Mace" Reid lives on the outskirts of Chicago and specializes in human remains detection. He trains dogs to hunt for the dead. Reid’s coming off a taxing year—mourning the death of a beloved springer spaniel as well as the dissolution of his marriage. He adopts a rescue dog with a mysterious past—a golden retriever named Vira. And when Reid begins training Vira as a cadaver dog, he comes to realize just how special the newest addition to his family truly is…

Suddenly, Reid and his prize pupil find themselves hurled into a taxing murder case, which will push them to their very limits. Paired with determined Chicago Police 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.

When you chose a book by its cover, you take the chance that you won't like it ... I did not like it, I adored it!  The mere idea of cadaver dogs kind of freaks me out but I love Labradors (golden, chocolate, any colour!) so it was worth a try. A great mystery is at the core of this book and I really enjoyed the writing style and storyline. This is the first in a series and I look forward to reading them all...and now I have to talk myself down from fostering a lab until it can be trained as a service dog - the cats would KILL me!

As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube  Millionaires/etc. " on Instagram and Twitter... Get a real job, people!) so let's give it 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶

Well written, engaging and page turning mystery with some great twists. Action, suspense and some humour made for a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Mason (Mace) Reid is a dog trainer, specializing in cadaver dogs. He gets a new Golden Retriever puppy, Vira, and she is something special. When Mace and Vira help the Chicago PD hunt a serial killer they end up in the crosshairs of another killer.

Well developed and interesting characters. I loved seeing the bond between Mace and his crew of dogs and their different personalities. I hope there are many more books in this series.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books for this ARC.

The finders is an intriguing story about cadaver dogs and how they work. This hero dog has extra powers. Interesting story dealing with serial killers. Lots of twist that will keep you guessing. The plus is the animals will entertain you.