The Keepers

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.

The Keepers by Jeffrey B. Burton is the second book in The Mace Reid K-9 Mystery series. I absolutely loved the first book, The Finders, so as soon as I saw that the next installment was here, I knew I had to read it. And boy did it live up to my expectations.

After establishing a history and foundation in the first book, this one starts off from the go. As before, we get plenty of suspense, mystery, intrigue, and complex plots to solve right along with Mace, Vira the amazing GR (his prize pupil in his team of search/cadaver canines), and Officer Kippy Gimm, amongst others. I loved the plot twists, the sharp edges, and the conclusion. I especially enjoy reading about the tight bonds of the highly-trained working dogs and their owner/handler. Nothing is more exciting then that. 

This book, and series, has everything that a murder/mystery and  police procedural book enthusiast could ask for. 

This book is a great addition to this awesome series. It just keeps getting better. I cannot wait until I can hang out with the team again! 

Excellent. 5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur/St. Martin’s Press for this wonderful ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 6/29/21.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Mason Reid lives near Chicago and uses dogs to detect human remains. Mason is called to a park early one morning. What he finds will open up a can of worms. You don't know who you can trust. This book kept me guessing until the very end.

This is the second book about Mace Reid and his cadaver dogs.  I want to thank Net Galley for an advance copy for an honest review.  I have read the first one and this one was just as good.  Mace is called to a crime scene to help figure out what happened.  He has one of dog, Vera that has a nose for the killer.   Mace and his dogs get involved with the Mob, corrupt police, and murder.  He helps his friend Kippy and her partner, Wabs.  The story is well written, lots of action, and kept me reading.  This is book can be read as a standalone, but I think I enjoyed it more after reading the first one.   I recommend this book and this author

This book was received as an ARC from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I did read The Finders of the Mace Reid K-9 series and was so excited to see that the Jeffrey Burton has continued the series with The Keepers and it's another mystery that will leave you awestruck. Mace, Vira, and Officer Kippy Grimm are at it again but this time it is with a trail that leads to a murder in Washington Park and the results not only leave them at risk but the entire city of Chicago. All will stop at nothing to solve this murder even if it means putting the team and their own lives at risk. I absolutely could not get enough of this book and I can't wait to read the next installment of this series.

We will consider adding this title to our Adult Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mace Reid’s dogs are trained in human remains discovery, but his young Golden named Vira (short for Elvira) has a special talent. It seems that she can detect the scent of the killer on the victim. When Mace and Chicago PD officer Kippy Gimm are called to the scene of a body found in a park, Vira reacts wildly to the police commissioner’s entourage when he appears on scene.  What is going on?? And just how many are involved in the corruption?

I enjoyed this second story much more than the first. It started off a little slow with too much explanation but things picked up and moved quickly. I loved how the dogs are individuals 😁.

This is not some cutesy doggie story.  But, a tale of three murders.  World renown rocker Jonny Whting's crumpled body with smashed in skull and missing eye lies sprawled on the kitchen floor of his posh condominium.  While his famous guitar lies in ruins next to his destroyed and decomposing body. David Siskin, real estate investor from Minneapolis, lies on the floor of the Chicago office of the Investment Group .... his body crushed, almost unrecognizable with compound fractures in all his limbs ...  bones hideously protruding through the skin.  And, lastly ....   Special Prosecutor Peter Feist's neck was not only broken, but his head was facing the wrong direction.   All portend ongoing high stakes corruption at the highest level.  Linking to the ongoing murder investigations is the presence of Mace Reid and his band of humans remains detection (HRD) dogs. Mace's precious golden retriever, Vira, has savant style skills.  Her skill set is heightened by her ability to forensically retain the almost DNA-like scent of perpetrators ...  by merely sniffing the corpse.
    Jeffrey Burton effortlessly spins a convoluted narrative laced with wit and guile, escalating to a satisfying denouement.  Along the ride, a myriad of threads are laid down in tantalizing details to ultimately culminate in a complex web.  Burton provides a compelling storyline infused with suspense and aided by characters with complex motivations that leads to an entertaining and enjoyable read,  This second book in the series is a much more complete and complex mystery and can certainly be read as a standalone.  Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for 
providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review.

Keeps the action pulsing with enough intrigue to make it hard to turn the virtual pages fast enough.  Thoroughly fleshed-out characters you tend to either like or dislike with enthusiasm.  A great bedtime read that'll keep you engaged till the very end.  Highly recommended!

*This book was provided free of charge in exchange for my honest review.  My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to participate in this program.*

Viras fluffy little soul just grips me and warms my heart... then terrifies me. I love this series so much. The incorporation of dogs into a suspense and murder story. Yes please! Nothing could be better in my world. This book is very well written with endearing characters that you get attached to. I was sad when I go to the last  page because I had to say goodbye to this band of characters till the next book. It was fast paced and suspenseful and outright scary at times. This book needs to go way up there on your must read list.

4.5 Stars

I love sinking my teeth into a new series. I read The Finders earlier this year, and while it wasn't my favorite, I was a fan of Burton's writing style, and was happy to be approved for the second installment of the Mace Reid K-9 series. 

Recovering from the events of Book 1, Mace is focused on training and taking care of his dogs. He's got a solid friendship-maybe-more working with CPD Officer Kippy Gimm, and he's settling into his routine, when a late-night call brings him to Washington Park. What he finds there is more than a body, and soon Mace, Kippy, and the dogs become entangled in a ring of corruption and murder that threatens to bring the city of Chicago to the ground--and put them six feet under. 

I really enjoyed this book. 
 
To start, this was a fast-paced yet literary read. I am a sucker for allusions, and I was not disappointed by Burton's references to other illustrious works, a feat that added depth to his characters and their motivations. I wanted a little more in terms of active dialogue (as opposed to explanatory prose), but it was cinematic and riveting in its entirety. 

Mace's voice was engaging and dynamic. Where I was a little put off by his behavior in the debut--he often struck me as much older and borderline offensive--I found him to be much more well-rounded and accessible this time around. I appreciated his gritty humor and sarcasm. His conversational tone felt authentic and brought strategic comedic relief to some tense situations. I pictured him more as a Gerard Butler or a Bosch, a little rough around the edges, but lovable, complex, and caring. 

I also appreciated his relationship with his dogs. Where animals are often seen as throw-away characters--used more to propel the plot of the protagonist than actual characters in their own right--here, we see them as smart, intuitive, and brave. They're given respect by not only Mace, but by the people he holds closest in life. They talk to them, account for their safety, and I genuinely loved to see that. My dog basically thinks he's a person, and I think any animal-loving reader is really going to relate to this aspect. 

His burgeoning relationship with Kippy Gimm and Wabs, too, felt much more successful here. They have a mutual respect, a friendship, and it was nice to see them looking out for each other rather than leaving their feelings surface-deep and abstract. 

Overall, The Keepers is an exciting, gripping, gritty crime thriller. I'd recommend for fans of The Wire, Bosch, or anyone who'd love to see cadaver dogs front and center of a suspense.

Big thanks to Minotaur and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

I love a dog lover and author; this author is one of the good ones. The investigator has several dogs, one of whom has a special skill in that she can detect more than a scent of a victim, she can detect the bad guy. 
A wonderful skill, but dangerous when the bad guys masquerade as something else.

While there are aspects of the story that strain credulity, this is a nice and active story, moves quickly and the dogs truly are the stars. 
It was a pleasure to read and I will look forward to others with this crew.

I’m a sucker for any book with dogs on the cover, this was no exception. I really like Vira and her handler Mace.  This book has more twists and turns but as usual the dogs are the heroes in this story.  It’s fast paced and the end was great! 
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for my copy of this book..

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Keepers.

I love dogs so I was excited when my request was approved; not to mention I enjoyed the first book in the series and was interested to read about Mace and Vira's next adventure.

Not surprisingly, I enjoyed The Keepers very much; there's plenty of drama, suspense, and excitement.

Mace and his loyal, brilliant canines find themselves embroiled (unwittingly) in a political conspiracy of dire proportions. 

Lives are lost, especially dear Wabs, and people and dogs are hurt, but thanks to Mace's cadre of incredible dogs, the good guys save the day.

The returning characters are great, especially Kippy. I was pleased to see the sexual tension between her and Mace is alive and well. She's capable, smart and ambitious and would make a good partner for Mace.

Mace, as always, remain a steadfast and good guy. A bit awkward, a bad liar, but an honest man. And, who wouldn't like a guy who respects and loves dogs as much as he does?

I look forward to the next book in the series.

Book Review: The Keepers
Author: Jeffrey B. Burton
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur Books
Publication Date: June 29, 2021
Review Date: November 14, 2021

From the blurb:
“Jeffrey B. Burton's The Keepers is the next installment of the Mace Reid K9 series, featuring golden retriever cadaver dog Vira and her handler, Mason Reid.

Mason “Mace” Reid lives on the outskirts of Chicago and specializes in human remains detection—that is, he trains dogs to hunt for dead bodies. He calls his pack of cadaver dogs The Finders, and his prize pupil is a golden retriever named Vira. When Mace Reid and Vira are called in to search Washington Park at three o'clock in the morning, what they find has them running for their very lives. The trail of murder and mayhem Mace and CPD Officer Kippy Gimm have been following leads them to uncover treachery and corruption at the highest level, and their discoveries do not bode well for them . . . nor for the Windy City itself. The Keepers is an exciting, fast-paced mystery filled with courageous dogs you'll want to root for.”
——-
Yes, I know I have several more months before this sequel is published, but I loved The Finders so much, that I found it too difficult to put off reading the sequel, The Keepers. It was equally as wonderful. The plot was twisty and turny, with climax and resolution just at the right spots. What I especially love about this sequel is the characters. Not only are Mace and Kippy
perfect, it’s the dog characters that particularly thrill me. I wish I could snatch Vira out of the pages and take her home with me. Sue, the male German Shepherd King of the Roost made me laugh. 

Things got a little intense, and even though I remembered it’s just a book, I had to remind myself to keep breathing during the scary parts. 

I like that the story takes place in the Chicago area. I grew up in St. Louis and had relatives in Chicago. Later, in my early adulthood, I made several memorable trips to Chicago. It’s just one of those places I have fond memories of. 

All in all, a 5 star thriller made extra special by its dog characters. I do so hope Mr. Burton intends to write more books in the series. 

Thank you to St. Martin for giving me early access to The Keepers. Best of luck to Mr. Burton with his continued literary career. 

This review will be posted on NetGalley, Goodreads and Amazon. 

#netgalley #thekeepers #jeffreyburton #stmartins #dogstories

First I would like to thank net galley for allowing me the opportunity to read this early release in return for an honest review...

 This is the 1st book I read by this author and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it…

 It was a quick read which I appreciated… I could read it in a few days which I appreciated ...as I have two older special need rescues in my home right now that take a lot of time ...

 The book was well written ...had good characters with good development ...allowing you to know a lot about them but without bogging the book down with unneeded detail ... The story picked up quickly.. get right into the action and moved forward at a good pace and everything came together and was resolved well so that nothing was left out ...

 As dog lover I would have liked to have had a little bit more development of the dogs backgrounds and personalities so when things came together at the end it would have maybe blended together better, however, this did not detract from the book nor the way it was put together and I am definitely going to look for more by this author?   highly recommended!thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for allowing me to read ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

The Keepers by Jeffrey B. Burton is the second book in a new series.  I haven't read the first book but from all the reviews, I gather it is easily as good as The Keepers. Mace, who trains cadaver dogs, and his trusty sidekick, a Golden Retriever with special talents, are the protagonists in this easy to read, hard to put down book. Along with Kippy Gimm of the Chicago police department, the three try to bring down the mafia and corrupt Chicago officials. Mace talks and thinks with a wonderful sense of humor and an ability to make a bit lighter any difficult positions he finds himself in. But he is fleet of foot, loves his "kids" (four cadavre dogs), and bemoans the "just friends' relationship he has with Kippy.

Things happen fast in this book. Everything is related in the end and it's a shorter book that you don't want to end when you finish. It's fun which is an odd thing to say about a book that is full of blood, nasty people, and murders. It's probably the love of dogs (mine and the author's) that makes this book such a genuine surprise for me.
I look forward to #3 in this series.

I thoroughly enjoyed Jeffrey Burton's The Finders and was excited to read the next Mace Reid adventure.  Admittedly, my favorite parts deal with Mace's exceptional cadaver dog Vira and the other canine members of the family.  Vira is not just exceptionally intelligent but her olfactory skills are such that she had identified a killer outside of the crime scene area.  

News of Mace and Vira's detecting abilities are starting to spread which has some drawbacks.  After being drawn into and solving a high profile murder investigation, Mace and Vira are called to the suspicious death of a high ranking police investigator and this time regular detecting won't help them.  This time Chicago style corruption runs deep and threatens Mace, Vira, and their entire family. 

Jeffrey Burton gives us a likable everyman paired with an exceptional dog and their relationship is something special.  I stayed up all night reading and now more than ever wish we could have a dog.  In the meantime, I will look forward to  the next adventure with Mace,  Vira, and the family.

The leading man in Jeffrey Burton's The Keepers (Minotaur Books 2021), second in the Mace Reid K-9 Mystery series, is Mason Reid. He is an irreverent plain spoken former cop whose tough as nails attitude cost him a marriage, a few jobs, and at least one girlfriend. But all is forgiven because he loves his four HRD (human remains detection) dogs. They are mostly hired by Chicago PD to hunt out dead bodies. The star of the series, though, isn't Reid. It's Vira, a golden retriever pup who has the extraordinary ability to smell the DNA left by killers on a dead body. Then, when it shows up on someone else, she goes into a sort of seizure--the sure sign that Mace is facing the murderer. That's not only an unusual ability. It’s never heard of. In this story, Vira and Mace are called on to help solve the murder of an aging rocker. Vira like most working dogs I know loves her job so finding the murderer proves easy enough and opens them up to another murder, this of a high powered figure in Chicago policing, this one leading someplace no one and mostly not Mason want it to go. But, they must follow the evidence and that's what gets Mason and Vira into a whole lot of trouble.

Burton has a friendly easy going way of writing. You feel like he’s talking to you, telling an interesting story, not relaying life-and-death events. And, he has a great sense of humor. Look at these:

"Yeah, I know—whenever I tell folks what I do for a living, they think I slept through Career Day in high school."

"Vira’s just Vira—a canine savant and the LeBron James of cadaver dogs, that’s all." 

"...Bill [one of Mason's HRD dogs] came scampering back to me, tail spinning like a ceiling fan."

This book had some slow spots that I don't remember in the first (see my review of The Finders) but nothing to dissuade me from reading the next in the series. BTW, the final couple of scenes--they are to die for.

I love this series! As I mentioned in my review of The Finders, Jeffrey B. Burton does an extraordinary job of fleshing out the personalities of his canine characters, and integrates them into these suspense plot lines in a way that is both believable and exciting. Our human heroes, Mace and Kippy, are equally easy to root for, and I was delighted with the growth in their personal relationship in this second installment. Finally, the plot itself held my attention, especially the exciting climax. I enjoy Burton’s breezy writing style, and I have only one complaint about Mace: He really needs to start voting. ; )

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

I wasn't sure at first that I liked this book as it started out kind of slow. However, once I got farther into the book, I really enjoyed. It was full of mystery and I loved the roles that the dogs had in the  story.