First of all, I am extending my thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I was introduced to Mace and his cadaver dogs in the first book in the series,' The Finders'. Mace lives alone near Chicago with his pack of 5 dogs. He has a grim but fascinating job of training cadaver dogs. This book works well as a stand-alone. The first book told how he and policewoman, Kimmy, rescued Vira, a Golden Retriever from near death, and how Vira became his prize student. I love the gorgeous, eye-catching cover art.

The work of these dogs is to find dead bodies. The training is discussed again in this book. Cadaver dogs learn to associate the various stages a body undergoes after death by their highly proficient sense of smell. From the beginning, Vira learned so quickly to find dead bodies that she was considered a prodigy. Beyond that, Vira is thought to have special talents bordering on the paranormal.

It is possible that her sense receptors can zero in and identify traces of DNA left behind on a victim by the murderer, and react when in the killer's vicinity. I am unsure if this is a unique ability that some time will be confirmed by science or a fictional device used to propel the stories. Veri also makes an effective attack dog.

The book features two criminal cases. The first is the murder of an ageing rock star, battered to death with his guitar. After the perpetrator was identified by Veri, he confessed. This saved Mace and Kim from trying to explain the dog's special powers to the police.

The next case was a longer and more complicated one, and one I found too complex to be entirely compelling. The head of the Special Prosecutor Bureau is found brutally murdered and then one of his contacts is killed. It involved a conspiracy between the Superintendant of Police and his dishonest followers, along with the head of the Chicago mob, his sadistic, psychopathic son, and some politicians and businessmen. The Police Superintendant has a huge, brutal man who serves as his chauffer and enforcer. He threatens Mace, as well as two police officers, Kimmy and Wabs, who are investigating the murders. They are set up to look guilty with sums of illegal cash, drugs and even a dead body planted in their homes.

Mace and Kimmy must flee for their lives and go into hiding with three of the dogs. After a savage confrontation, there are injuries and arrests are made. Members of the conspiracy who remain alive face many years in prison. The charges involve murder, corruption, conspiracy, bribery and racketeering.
Recommended to anyone interested in the training and work of police dogs.

An excellent sequel that can be read as a standalone easily. The main character is an Everyman who trains dogs and works with the police in finding cadavers. With his super dog, Vira, and her doggie family, they help Chicago cops Kippy and Wabs in a couple of cases. The second case involves murder, political corruption and even the mob in a good story.

Ugh. . . are you going to go through all the dogs and have each one permanently disabled? The beginning was too slow because instead of a straight-line mystery there had to be so many twists and turns. I got tired of the labyrinth, and I jumped to the end and was horrified - even though I didn't read about the incident. I don't read books that include animals as characters to discover that they are horribly harmed.