How conniving can the woman you love be when she thinks she is entitled to live an easy life as a socialite? In this mystery novel, elements of family law, crime and psychology combine to expose how unfair Australia's legal system can be when one participant in a divorce is much more wealthy than the other.

Dogboy v Catfish is a relaxing read, not a thriller, which makes it an accessible look into how international crime can find its way into everyday Australian life. While the police are trying to unravel what is going on with both Dogboy and Catfish, the lawyers and associates of each party are drawn into a web of carefully laid plans. But whose are they?

The reader is on tenterhooks right to the end wondering who is going to get the better of who? Will the criminals get away with their dirty deeds or will the cops finally manage to slice the head off the snake? Will the police uncover what has happened to missing person Lindsay Kramer? Did he really kill himself? Are those knock-off designer handbags genuine after all? And what do a couple of porn stars have to do with it?

You will have to read Dogboy v Catfish to find out!

I almost didn’t request this book as the title didn’t inspire me and I thought the cover was a little odd. Until I read the description I thought it was aimed at young teens. However, the book got off to a really promising start. I loved Dogboy immediately and was really looking forward to more of his dog whispering skills. Sadly, there wasn’t much more. It wasn’t long before I realised I wasn’t enjoying the writing style. To be honest, at times I felt as if I was reading an instruction manual or a report, and the stilted dialogue was awful. There seemed to be a lot of repetition throughout and I got totally confused and bored with all the details we were given about the designer bags/trash/drugs crime. I enjoyed that a certain dreadful person got what they deserved in the end, and I enjoyed that it was the end! Sorry, but thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this.

This book had an interesting concept but it was hard to read. I was more interested in the relationship between the husband and wife and thought there would be more about the cat and mouse game between them. The style was a little stilted and the investigation for a missing husband became more of an investigation into fake good and money laundry, which wasn't long, detailed and not very interesting. I liked the beginning and the end more

On the day she marries her second husband, Katherine "Catfish" Fisher, starts planning for her divorce in eighteen months. That is when she would be entitled to half of their combined assets and receive maintenance payments until her five- year-old daughter, Emma, turns 18. However, just as Catfish was about to take her husband, Lindsay 'Dogboy' Kramer (a successful businessman and dog whisperer) to the cleaners, he goes missing, while away on a business trip. As the police begin investigating Dogboy's disappearance, it leads them into the dark world of counterfeit designer goods, money laundering, and drug smuggling. With Dogboy's assets frozen and the mob protecting their interests, the missing persons case escalates to homicide. Catfish is in a race against time to get hold of Dogboy's assets before the police get hold of her. One question remains - is Dogboy dead or alive?

I was unfamiliar with this author before reading this book, but I enjoyed it so immensely, I plan to check out the other books he has written as well. This was a non-stop thrill ride, with the police not only trying to determine whether or not Dogboy was alive, but also determining that Catfish was up to something illegal, and then trying to untangle her network of criminal enterprises. Catfish was truly a despicable person, so it was fun to see her get thwarted over and over by plans Dogboy had set in place before he went on his business trip. There was a lot of nail biting, waiting to see if Catfish and her cronies would get what was coming to them, and wondering about the fate of Dogboy. If you are a fan of mysteries or thrillers, then you should definitely check this out!

Gives new meaning to gold digger. Everything is not as it seems. The book had just the right amount of twists for a good story. Even though I am not familiar with the setting fo the book it was top notch.

The dialogue in this was so stilted it was borderline not readable. It's just... not how people talk. I was so intrigued by the premise and cover of this one but it just did not work for me whatsoever.

How does Lindsay get the nick name "Dogboy"? Well, dogs are instantly enamoured with him at first meeting and enjoy obeying his every command whether a soft word or the lifting of a finger. You could say he's a combined dog whisperer and Pied Piper. How does a former beauty queen and social media 'Influencer' get the nick name "Catfish"? CATherine FISHer, simply by combining segments of her name. Thereby, we now have our two main characters and the title of the book.

These two polar opposites, she, the extroverted narcissist and he, the introverted shy-guy, have been married just short of eighteen months. In Australia, our story's location, there is a law whereby a spouse can be eligible for over 60% of the value of her husband's assets should the marriage fail. Catherine has been previously married and has a five year old daughter, Emma. Her first husband was murdered while on a visit to Thailand.
The daughter and the murder are important to the story.

Lindsay has done well financially and is worth a substantial amount of money. He also has to spend a lot of time on business trips. He has bankrolled Catherine in setting her up in a high-end retail outlet dealing in designer accessories, clothing and handbags.

The story becomes very quickly catapulted into high gear when Catherine sees a lawyer and Lindsay vanishes while on one of his business trips. She is making a legal foray into divorcing him after the eighteen-month magic moment puts her in reach of opulence. He is nowhere to be found, seemingly as a puff of smoke. His hotel room has clothing in the closet, no packed bags, phone in the charger, the leavings of a meal on the table, wet towels in the bathroom, shaving gear on the counter, etc.

Weeks pass. Police have found no clue as to Lindsay's whereabouts, there is no body and Catherine cannot claim Lindsay legally dead until seven years have passed. It is during the uneventful investigation into Lindsay's disappearance that troubling information surfaces causing police to unearth cryptic clues leading them Into drug smuggling, money-laundering and counterfeit designer goods. We, the readers, are now on a wild ride.

We watch Catherine's ever escalating frustration and anger as she tries unsuccessfully to get her hands on Lindsay's assets while Lindsay's friends and the police trace trails leading to Thailand and Portugal.

Is Lindsay (Dogboy) dead or alive? Does Catherine succeed in lying and cheating her way to riches? The author keeps the foot on the accelerator throughout the book. There are no slow passages. It's a satisfying, whirlwind read keeping you guessing and questioning the whole way.

What a fun quick read. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery suspense, police procedural with a side of domestic drama. This story is well-written with many twists and turns just the way I like it! The Australian author wraps everything up in the end in a satisfying way. Highly recommend this book to those who are drawn to this genre.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

This was a twisty, quick read with unique, vividly drawn characters and a well paced plot. It is a relatively short, quick read, I read it straight through in one setting, finding that I couldn't stop turning the page to the next chapter. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an advanced reader copy.

This was a fun book. The plot was much more complex and intricate than expected -- designer goods counterfeiting, money laundering, drug smuggling, social media influence, financial fraud, the porn industry, suicide, missing persons, and dog whisperers. I enjoyed the scheming by Catfish and the counter-scheming by Dogboy.

The best bit of this book was the author's note at the end. This showed some emotion, whereas the rest of the book was like a report of an investigation. The dog whisperer thing was not explained or expanded on enough. The characters were fairly flat and uninteresting. I did not read it all.

In 2013, in Australia, Katherine Fisher (Catfish) has just got married for the second time - and her wedding day is also the day that she sets the day for her divorce from Lindsay (Dogboy) Kramer!

The laws in Australia at the time, meant that in precisely 18 months after marriage, Catfish would be entitled to half of their combined assets and receive maintenance payments until her five- year-old daughter, Emma, (from a previous marriage) turns 18.

Eighteen months later, just as Catfish is about to make her claim, Lindsay (Dogboy) goes missing. This means she’ll have to wait 90 days to get power of attorney over his bank account, and seven years before he can be declared dead and his will read. That simply won’t do, and Catfish is nothing if not determined, she’s simply not prepared to wait that amount of time, and she’ll use any dirty trick in the book to get her hands on the money. She’s an absolute nightmare!

This is where things become complicated - the police investigation into Lindsay’s disappearance, leads them into a very dark and dangerous world of counterfeit designer goods, money laundering, and drug smuggling.

This is a complex but clever, tension filled storyline, quite unique, and a real roller coaster ride for the reader.

Perfect from start to finish, from cover to cover, this book will likely be my favorite for the year. The plot is highly original supported by subplots that are just as interesting. The characters are well drawn and neatly balanced with good and evil people. I found this a real page turner and highly recommend it it, as't kept me reading until 3 AM and I read the last word.
Dog Boy and Catfish are the nicknames for the two main characters, Lindsay and Katherine, an unlikely married couple whose union is on the rocks. Lindsay is is a kind, very successful entrepreneur who has amassed quite a fortune and his mysterious disappearance in Melbourne, Australia where they live attracts a lot of attention. Katherine meanwhile, a greedy and manipulating ex-beauty queen owns and operates a boutique that specializes in high-end clothing and accessories, and as the two detectors assigned to her husband's missing persons case discover, most of her clients seem to be local criminals involved in drugs, gunrunning, and money laundering. Is this a coincidence? Or is her husband's mysterious disappearance somehow related to these three intertwining snake like occupations? Each sub plot seems to twine around the other, as the author pulls willing and entranced readers through each page and incident, making sure to explain the intricacies and fine lines laws of Australia's legal system, from selling fake accessories to there somewhat unbalance way divorcing partnered are treated. . The writing is clear and no stone is left unturned as we flip the pages quickly, eager to discover where a plot will end. The resolution is also clear with a few surprises here and there among the characters who show bonds of friendship, honesty, and integrity. There's a lot to learn in this interesting novel which explains a lot about the value of a knock off item and why it could be so valuable in the retail market and why manufactures help track them down. Perhaps there is also a message about genuine friendships compared to Fairweather, fraudulent friends friends.

The story has the right mix of drama, suspense, intrigue and clever storytelling. The tale unwinds as one quickly unravels the craftiness of the protagonist Catfish and her scheming plans to take her wealthy husband to the cleaners but there's much more murkiness under the carpet. The author brilliantly weaves in a spider's web of modus operandis that reflect the dark side of nature and business. You will get trapped in the narrative as it wrenches your heart in parts and you wait for sweet justice. The book satisfied on all counts - a must read

An excellent book, for me, much better than the title suggests.
The story of two people who meet at college and later become married.
The marriage is not a traditional one, but is not unlike some modern ones.
Parts of the plot are excellent, some are just good. All parts are interesting, especially if you like Australia and Thailand, the main settings.
Not really a who-dunnit, but a will they get away with it.
Thanks to the publisher for an advance reading copy for honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this interesting read. Dogboy is so named due to his unnerving ability and affinity with dogs and catfish is his unscrupulous wife whose first husband disappeared in suspicious circumstances and now, Dogboy appears to have died.

It’s an unusual read, well written and held my interest.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

I found myself impatient with the complexity of the narrative. It is a very interesting scenario, taking us into some dark places and unscrupulous manipulation. The issues explored are serious in their social and personal impact. I am left with the sense that the issues overwhelmed the narrative. I’d have preferred to read a true crime version, or direct treatises on design theft and marital fraud. While fiction can raise such issues, to fully engage the reader (this one, at least,) the narrative must take precedence and, in my view, here it did not do so. A good idea, but not sufficiently well executed to hold my interest. About 2.6 stars for me.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
This was a police procedure without all the procedure, which was good as it didn’t bog the story down. There was a lot of telling, however, and I really didn’t get a sense of place other than being told where I was. The characters were a bit flat too and I wasn’t really invested in any of them. I really did like the storyline though, and was intrigued by the fake goods market, and how it operates. I was a little bit disappointed at the ending where the author talked about men in divorce. Divorce is always going to be messy, and it’s not always the men who are the losers.
I would recommend the book and I give it 3.5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reading copy of this book with no obligation to review.

I am not sure what to say about this book. I feel it could have been a lot more enjoyable than it actually was.

The books starts with the "dog boy" idea which I thought could have been developed into a really original story and from the comparatively little we see of Luke he is an interesting and complex person. Unfortunately, as it stands, the dogboy story goes nowhere and really has no relevance to the main theme of the book.

The main story is about designer bags and the drugs etc., and in my opinion has far too much confusing detail about the mechanics of the crime - almost like an essay or a docudrama. . To be frank I did not understand what was going on with the tag removal, the bags and the selling of the designer trash. How can a thing be a "genuine fake" and how is this different from a counterfeit? I don't understand how the drugs were involved and I was not sufficiently interested to reread the numerous relevant pages to understand.

As far as characters and style goes Luke, Michael, Freya and Katherine herself are well drawn. The other main characters are the detectives who, confusingly and annoyingly, are sometimes referred to by their first names and sometimes by their surnames. Katherine's associates are just names really.

There is quite a bit of repetition in the book and at times the dialogue is stilted and unnatural. There is a bit too much telling rather than showing.

Not too bad a read overall although at times I felt it was a bit of a chore. 2.5 stars.

After reading the synopsis of this story, I thought it sounded really good but I wasn't sure as I hadn't read a book by this author before. I needn't have worried! It was a fantastic plot, with lots of research done, giving me a fascinating time reading about a marriage break up with money laundering, drugs, fake designer items and a man who could control dogs!!!. It was action packed!.
The characters were so real that I could see them in my mind's eye! I was telling them off, laughing out loud at some of the antics described as the case carried on. I was all in!!
If this sounds like your cup of tea, I would buy it!!
Many thanks for the arc copy via Netgalley from Luke Gracias.
#Netgalley, #author_luke_gracias.