Dogboy v Catfish

Well that was a little bit different! It was a good book but definitely different than anything I've really read! It had light suspense, intrigue, action, murder, revenge, gas lighting , great police work and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I will recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! It wasn't one of my top favorites but it was still a very interesting story and an enjoyable read! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

An addictive page-turner of domestic drama and crime fiction.

Lindsay Kramer (AKA Dogboy) is the second husband of Katherine (Catfish) Fisher. Kath's first husband, and the father of her daughter, Emma, had died in Bangkok, but she found and married the wealthy Lindsay shortly after. Now after 18 months of marriage, and well versed in Australian law, Katherine visits a family law specialist to initiate a separation. Kath's behavior in the attorney's office is so unpleasant that Freya Keogh, wary and suspicious, ultimately declines to pursue the case. It's then that Lindsay goes missing.

This conniving woman is not the mourning wife that she pretends to be on social media. She's got her fingers in a lot of, shall we say, illegal business interests. But, thinking she is much smarter than the police, she attempts to carry on her activities involving drugs, money laundering, and counterfeit designer goods. She leads all on a merry chase with the big question always there -- where is Lindsay?

This was great fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Found it hard to put down as I wanted to see how this would all end. So different to this author's previous two books, I was a bit nervous about reading this one since I had really loved the others. No worries. The characters were great, and it was easy to root for the good guys all the while wondering how Australia can have what seems to be terribly unjust divorce and property laws. The details about the scam were intricate and extremely interesting and the reader can tell that the author did a lot of research as always. I liked the writing style and the clever plot. Enjoy!

I definitely recommend this one!

247 pages

4 stars

This novel is a great high tension ride!

Katherine “Catfish” Fisher marries wealthy Lindsay “Dogboy” Kramer soon after the suicide of her first husband. On her wedding day, she marks exactly eighteen months until she can file for divorce. For in Australia, a marriage dissolved after eighteen months entitles the woman to sixty-six percent of the husband’s assets.

Dogboy is a relatively shy, but very shrewd businessman.

Just days before Catfish launches her plan, Dogboy goes missing.

Enter the police. They are suspicious of Catfish. Catfish goes on the offensive. She turns to social media lambasting the police and the two honest attorneys (friends of Lindsay’s), the police have interviewed. Catfish is manipulative, abrasive and entitled.

When the police officers travel to Thailand to investigate the “suicide” of Catfish’s first husband, they uncover a plethora of sins and crimes.

Catfish is relentless in her attempts to get her hands on Dogboy’s assets. Remember, Dogboy is/was a smart businessman.

This book is a thrill ride. I found myself hoping that Catfish would reach a dead end no matter what she tried. I was rooting for Dogboy, wherever he was. Mr. Gracias is an excellent writer. His characters are real and believable. I truly enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down. I was, however, disappointed by the ending. As acquisitive as Catfish was, I very much doubt that she would be as “generous” as she was at the end of the book. Narcissists do not change.

I want to thank NetGalley and author Luke Gracias for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

The book is so unpredictable and twisted. People have facades and hidden truths are buried beneath lies & deception . I didn’t read this book in one reading due to thorough investigation that turned into homicidal investigation and psychological suspense. There were different perspectives of people that kept me glued and made me even more curious to figure the mystery of disappearance of Lindsay and her wife trying to acquire his assets. Yet it’s more twisted than you think it is.

Before the disappearance of Lindsay, Katherine wanted to separate from her husband. Lindsay Kramer goes missing and his wife files a complaint to police of his missing, she approaches lawyers as well and the government but her activities comes under suspicion and she comes at a point where she becomes the primary suspect. She gets tangled in the web of suspicion, crime and money laundering. But if anything happens to her, who will take care of her daughter, Emma? What if no will be able to find Lindsay?

There were so many unsolved puzzles embedded in the book. The Will Lindsay made, money, assets, private detective’s mystery, husband and wife’s personal life, Katherine’s ex-husband death, and disappearance of Lindsay. The ending was so twisted and unpredictable.

I could able to figure out forty percent things. But when the complete truth came in light, it trembled me. It’s a real page turner, you will find yourself engulfed in deception, mystery, suspense and crime. The twists will keep you at edge

🔍
•Mysterious Disappearance
•Mystery, Crime & Suspense
•Twists and Turns
•Police Investigation
•Homicide Investigation
•Multiple Crimes
•Psychological Aspects

Thank you Netgalley, Author and Publisher

Lindsay ""Dogboy" was a gentle soul with an affinity for dogs. Honestly, don't think Katherine had a single redeeming quality. It was a well written story, and Lindsay's friends were interesting and loyal. The story had many twists and turns, suspense and mystery. I had to keep reading to figure out the disappearance of Lindsay.

This is completely different to the previous books by this author. This is a thriller suspense with lots of twists and turns.

Lindsey aka dogboy is married to Katherine who has a large following on the social media. She appears to be heartbroken, but has ulterior motives. It's innovative with the most unusual and interesting plot.

The plot thickens as the story develops. Where is Lindsey? It's very intricate and slowly the police begins to solve the puzzle. Except there is a couple of more twists. It's very clever and well relayed. It keeps you in suspense until right to the end. It's a most enjoyable read I received a free ARC from the author for an honest review.

When introverted fintech entrepreneur Lindsay 'Dogboy' Kramer marries beauty queen Katherine Fisher (Catfish), he marries her for 'love.' She however marries him with an eye towards making it through 18 months so she can take him for most of what he is worth in divorce. She is preparing for just that, seeing a lawyer with financial statements, when Lindsay disappears.

When Melbourne detectives investigate the disappearance, they begin looking closely at Kath and her high-end designer goods business. She retaliates with posts on her popular Instagram page, garnering sympathy. But something seems off with her business so the police keep digging.

Meanwhile, Kath is still after her husband's money but Lindsay's best friend, Michael, a lawyer, does everything he legally can to thwart her. Will she have to wait for seven years until Lindsay is officially declared dead? Will she finally get what she deserves?

This suspenseful thriller is a departure from Gracias' previous two books and quite fun and exciting. Many thanks to the author for providing a free copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Lindsey Cramer is a money magnet genius. He has always had that sixth sense on how to invest and make his money work for him. However, there is another ability he is known for by his close friends and that is his exceptional almost supernatural ability to attract dogs to him regardless of who their masters are. To his close friends he has always been called Dogboy. When Dogboy got married to Kath Fisher people thought they had the perfect marriage, but not everything is as it seems.
Dogboy seems to be missing and Kath seems to be trying to find him. But does Kath have a secret? Is Dogboy really dead and not just missing? Does Kath have something to do with it?

This story stirred up every emotion I had. The author meticulously leads you throughout with a lot of twists and turns plus the characters are very realistic.
Have always enjoyed this author's writing style as well as his choice of topics. Very much recommend!!!
Got this through Netgalley but the review is all mine.

Dogboy Vs Catfish, set in Australia on the themes of gold digging partners and money scams. It was an interesting story with a backdrop of money laundering schemes spread around the globe. The story in the midst of it all that of Dogboy and Catfish was almost surreal in the midst of a global scam/ Con.

I don't usually read this genre of book, however I found it interesting and clever enough to want to finish it.

The character construction was good enough that I really didn't like Katherine at all and was hoping for her comeuppance.

There were sections of the book where I wasn't able to second guess what was happening or going to happen. I did guess somewhat about the ending, but only a little.

So if you want a mystery then certainly take this book up and read it, you won't be disappointed.

What a complete change of direction from the previous two books!! This deals with scams within the high end fashion industry and involves a gold digging female and a man who loves and understands dogs.
Dogboy is a nickname given to Lindsay Kramer whilst at University, he had a reputation for always showing great affection to stray dogs, a sort of dog whisperer. Catfish is the name his wife is known as, Katherine Kelly Fisher, a boutique owner and a social influencer.
After eighteen months of marriage, Katherine wants to sue for divorce. This is where all the fun and scheming starts which amazes and disillusions in equal parts.
Most people will root for Dogboy, he married for love and followed his heart. He made money to support his wife and step daughter, and was always loyal to his oldest friends. He is a character you really care about, a person you want to hold and reassure, he is worthy of so much more than the hand he has been dealt.
Catfish deserves all she gets, it is slightly unsettling that such deception and scheming go hand in hand with cold heartedly marrying for money, but both parties are calculating, ruthless in business dealings, yet one seems more deserving in the end.
The research is phenomenal and I have learnt so much about the high end fashion industry, and it doesn’t cover itself in glory.
The tension in this novel is really ramped up, it was so realistic, cunning and so emotional, the pace leaves one breathless in so many ways!
Absolutely intriguing and deeply engrossing story, real seat of the pants action, a real page turning thriller! A five star read , no doubt about it, and what a film this would make! Anybody who loves dogs, cannot be all bad.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, AuthorsUpFront for my digital copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review.
I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon UK.

I thank NetGalley and the author for providing me an ARC copy of the novel which I freely chose to review.
I have read Luke Gracias’s previous novels, full of adventures, mysterious documents, and threats to humanity, and I was intrigued when I heard about his new one, especially as it promised to be a totally different kind of story. And it is, although, like the previous ones, it is not easy to categorise.
The novel is divided into three parts: Part 1 (Greed v Trust), Part 2 (Power v Justice), and Part 3 (Dogboy v Catfish). After a brief introduction to one of the main characters (Lindsay Kramer, the ‘Dogboy’ of the title) through the narrative of an episode involving him and some of his friends that took place when they were university students in Melbourne —where we also meet some of the other characters who play a part in the story and discover the reason for his nickname—, we move on to the mystery which drives the novel: a man, Lindsay Kramer has gone missing. OK, so this is a missing person story, you’ll think. And you’d be right. But it is much more. Throughout the book, we get to learn about Dogboy’s relationship with his wife, Katherine Fisher (known as ‘Catfish’, for reasons you’ll learn if you read the book), the ups and downs of that relationship, the dubious reasons for Catfish’s marriage to Kramer, her manoeuvring to get hold of his many assets (he is a very rich man) soon after his disappearance, and how that raises suspicions from everybody she gets in contact with. She milks the social media attention and sympathy, trying to get what she wants without having to wait the requisite time required by Australian law. There are parts of the novel that read like domestic noir, and Catfish is a fascinating character with a great capacity for reading people and exploiting their weaknesses.
Other parts of the novel focus more on the investigation by the police, who are trying to locate the missing businessman, and the readers get to follow Detective Finlay and Inspector Green, who soon discover that matters are much more complicated than they seemed at first sight. Initially, the disappearance pointed to a possible suicide, but the death of Catfish’s first husband in Thailand made them start to unravel a complex web of deceit, crime, and murder. The amount of detail about their investigation, the difficulties they find at every turn, and the many people they have to follow, interrogate, and collaborate with turns this part of the book into a police procedural novel, and one that is gripping and fascinating. Like most people, I have come across counterfeit luxury goods (mostly pretty bad fakes), but I never gave much thought to the huge industry behind that, the money it moves, or where this money comes from. Here, the complex net involves also money laundering and drug smuggling, and the factual information and the sheer amount of research evident when reading the novel are staggering. I am sure readers of police procedural novels, especially those interested in complex and twisted plots and unconventional crimes will have a great time reading this novel.
There is an actual trial as well (I am trying not to give too much of the plot away) but it does not occupy a big part of the book, and it is fairly slim in details.
The book, which is written in the third person, is told from different points of view: sometimes one of Dogboy’s childhood friends, sometimes the police, sometimes Catfish, and some of the other characters, although we hardly ever see or hear anything directly from Dogboy, other than through documents or statements he has left behind. He is a bit like Laura from the movie of the same name by Otto Preminger: Laura goes missing and the rest of the characters give their versions of her, which say more about each character than about the real Laura. The writing is functional and serves the story well, with plenty of detail to help readers understand the nature of the crimes (and once we get to see how it all works, we also appreciate the significance and the symbology behind the cover), but not so excessive that it slows the story down.
The novel talks about love, greed, crime (counterfeit designer goods, drug smuggling, and money laundering), manipulation, legal and illegal pursuits, loyalty, friendship, success, media use, and abuse. Its ending is satisfying, and it works especially well for readers who prefer not to have any loose ends or any questions left hanging when they close a book. Everything is explained, and I think most readers will be happy when they get to the end.
Would I change anything? This is a book that focuses mostly on the plot, which, as I said, is complex. There are plenty of twists and turns and quite a few surprises along the way. There are many adventures in a variety of locations (in Australia, Thailand, Portugal...) and a lot of things take place in this novel, but I missed learning more about the protagonists. Although we spend a lot of time investigating Catfish and her actions, there are only brief snippets of what she actually thinks or how she feels, and the same (but to a greater extent) applies to Dogboy Kramer. Although the rest of the characters play smaller parts, we learn very little about them as well, even those we spend a fair amount of time with (like Green and Finlay). Such a complex story and the planning involved made me curious to learn more about the people behind it, but that would probably have slowed it down, and turned it into a different kind of narrative.
A great story, complex, full of fascinating detail about counterfeit designer goods and the illegal activity behind them (a mind-boggling world), and some of the most manipulative and memorable characters I’ve come across in a while. Unmissable for those who love unusual police procedural novels with a twist or two.

This book is action packed, fast paced, giving moments of tension and anxiety. Dogboy v Catfish by Luke Gracias is one such book that is sure to give that thrill and suspense that is expected from a thriller.
The aspect that I liked less was the informative way that the author used to talk about the laws and the divorce procedures. Taken that out it is am amazing thriller.

#dogboyvcatfish, #LukeGracias, #netgalley, #thriller

I came across Luke Gracias as an author, back in 2016, with his first book, The Devil’s Prayer. That was a really good story and I would recommend that to anyone who has not read this, or indeed his follow up book, No Shadow Without Light. Although Dogboy v Catfish is a completely different tale, this is another book I would recommend. We first meet Dogboy with a group of friends from the University of Melbourne under his real name of Lindsay Kramer. He gets his nickname because of his amazing control over dogs, even those he has never seen before. This skill comes to fruition when he and the group of friends are attached by a bunch of thugs, who are themselves attacked and chased away by a pack of dogs that arrive out of nowhere to support Dogboy and his friends. Years later we find Lindsay married to Katherine Fisher, another character with a nickname. For her it is Catfish, from the shortening of her name. By now a very wealthy man, Lindsay had offered to set up Katherine with her own luxury good shops in a building he already owned. We then learn that Katherine’s first husband had died in mysterious circumstances whilst on a business trip to Bangkok. We come back to that mystery later. The next thing that really gets the main story line started is about 18 months into Katherine’s second marriage, when she gets in touch with a divorce specialist (who happened to be one of the old group of Lindsay’s Melbourne University friends from years ago). Katherine’s claim was that Lindsay had been cheating on her and she was therefore after a huge divorce settlement from this very wealthy man. As the story line develops further, we learn that the innocent Lindsay had already recognised that Katherine was very much a gold digger, whom he had found had been spending his money outrageously. Lindsay then makes his own move by disappearing, thus preventing Katherine from getting access to any of his assets until he is declared dead (which could be after a considerable number of years). The story then settles down with attempts by the police to find Lindsay. The police then find out that Lindsay had already hired a private investigator to track down what had happened to Katherine’s first husband in Bangkok and they make good use of this information. Luke Gracias now shows his attention to detail, as it emerges that Katherine had been involved in the sale of high-level counterfeit goods, through her shop, and had connections with money laundering and drug dealing too, and Luke shows us in detail how this all works. I have probably revealed too much of the story line already, for which I apologise, but I can assure you that the overall story has much more to come (including the later use of Dogboy’s skill with dogs) and much much more to enjoy. All in all, I found this a fascinating story in a book in which I always wanted to read the next chapter to find out what was happening. Many thanks go to Net Galley for providing me a copy of this book for review.

Very enjoyable read. Two very clever minds at work, one conniving, the other astute. Mix them with lawyers, detectives, and a cast of criminals, the web is spun. Exploiting Australian family law rarely figures in crime & mystery thrillers but is masterfully laid out in this tale.

Thanks for providing a free copy of this for me to read and review.

Very enjoyable, well written, intriguing and gripping.

I'm not going to tell you all about the story as too many previous reviews have already done that but if you like a good mystery/thriller and a story you'll want to keep reading then get this.

It certainly kept me up late to reach the conclusion.

This was a very unusual police procedural book full of details about counterfeit goods and illegal activities with a twist or two thrown in for good measure. A completely different read from the usual books by this author, I absolutely loved every page. Thanks to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this fabulous book.

This was a really great riddle to solve. Kept me focused the whole way through. Somer well described characters and a storyline that said true the whole way to the end. I loved the conclusion.

When Lindsay Kramer - Dogboy married Kath Fisher - Catfish, he married for love but she married with an eye on his fortune. That is the premise of the book but as the story unwinds you find that it is much more than that. A very interesting tale set in Australia concerning counterfeit goods, drugs and the criminal underworld. The solid police investigations uncover surprises and twists at every turn.
Thank you to NetGalley and Luke Gracias for the chance to read this book.

Many thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliantly written thriller full of mystery and suspense. Gripping and a must read.

‘Each time she approached the glass panel doors Katherine admired her reflection.’

Meet Katherine Kelly Fisher, known as ‘Catfish’. Lindsay Kramer, known as ‘Dogboy’ is her second husband. Dogboy is Catfish’s second husband: her first husband, and father of her daughter Emma, apparently took his own life in Bangkok. Not long after, Catfish married the wealthy and reclusive Dogboy. And, on the day they married, she set the date for their divorce. Catfish was aware that after eighteen months of marriage she could claim half of their combined assets and receive maintenance payments until her daughter turned eighteen.

We first meet Catfish at a family law firm in Melbourne, Australia where she is seeking to initiate her separation from Dogboy. Alas, sadly for Catfish, Freya Keogh ultimately declines to take her case. And then Dogboy goes missing.

The police start investigating Dogboy’s disappearance and Catfish tries hard (using social media and various contacts) to get her hands on Dogboy’s assets.

What an awful person Catfish is! I nearly didn’t read this novel because of the title, but once I started, I found it hard to put down. The police investigation into Dogboy’s disappearance takes them to Bangkok where they find the circumstances surrounding the death of Catfish’s first husband are suspicious. But how is Catfish involved and where is Dogboy? A missing person case becomes far more complex when the police uncover connections between counterfeit designer goods, money laundering and drug smuggling.

The novel is divided into three parts: Greed v Trust; Power v Justice; and Dogboy v Catfish. There are more than a few twists in this story, and I would hate to spoil the read for those yet to undertake it. A complex plot which is an intriguing blend of thriller and police procedural with plenty of suspense and more than a little intrigue.

‘All you need is the head of one snake and the endless knot will unravel.’

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith