The Lost is the third Mace Reid K-9 mystery by by Jeffery B. Burton. Released 28th June 2022 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 288 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is a solid installment in a very strong series in the animal mystery subgenre. The series started strong and has gone from strength to strength. The characterizations and descriptions are well rendered and distinct. Protagonist
Mace Reid is a dog trainer who specializes in training human remains
dogs (cadaver dogs). His "pack" includes ('Vira - short for Elvira), a
golden retriever who is a natural wonder as a
cadaver dog, and just might be a canine Einstein in addition. The plot
arc is full of action and the author is adept at moving the narrative
along without info dumping.
There is some anthropomorphism, but it's not out of control. Honestly
for some readers who love animal mysteries, it will be a plus. I think
there are relatively few readers who will be yanked out of the story by
that facet of the writing. The dialogue is well done and flowed
smoothly. Mace is sarcastic but eminently likeable, kind, and honest to a fault. Some of the secondary antagonists are caricatures, but that's more or less to be expected with cozy mysteries. There are some disturbing descriptions of violence and ruthless killers included, but it's in character and not egregious. The language is rough (R-rated) in places.
This
is a strong addition to the series and I am eagerly looking forward to more. Four strong stars for me, certainly 5 for fans of mysteries
featuring dogs.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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