Tag: The Keepers

PUB DAY REPOST: The Keepers by Jeffrey B. Burton: A Sequel Stronger than its Predecessor—a Real Treat for Fans.

The Keepers

The Keepers

by Jeffrey B. Burton
Series: Mace Reid K-9 Mystery, Volume 2

eARC, 288 pg.
Minotaur Books, 2021

Read: June 17-19, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s The Keepers About?

While at a police station wrapping up a case he’d helped Chicago Police to wrap up, Mace and his golden retriever, Vira, are brought along on an urgent call, the man in charge of the State Attorney’s Special Prosecution Office went missing at a park around midnight.

It doesn’t take long for Vira to find his body. Not long after that, while Mace is waiting to be sent home, Vira’s almost impossible/might-as-well-be-supernatural abilities give Mace a reason to believe that he knows the Attorney’s killer.

And Mace regrets that instantly—the man responsible isn’t anyone Mace, or his police friends, want to cross. But they have no choice—which leads to them being on the run, fighting some of the more powerful men in Chicago just to survive, much less get anywhere to finding his killer.

Returning Characters

In The Finders, there were two uniformed officers and two police detectives involved with Mace and the investigation. This time out, it’s pretty much just the two uniformed officers—Kippy Gimm and her partner Dave Wabiszewski. It’s not often (at least not often enough) that non-detective officers get the focus, and it’s a refreshing change of pace.

Also, while readers had enough exposure to all the police characters to be satisfied, it’s nicer this time to not have your attention split and the reader can really get to know these characters better and form a closer emotional bond. If memory serves, we met Kippy before we met Mace last year, but we didn’t get that much time with Wabs. It’s good to have that changed.

Ohh, a New Dog

Mace has added another dog to his pack, a three-month-old bloodhound named Billie Joe. Billie Joe isn’t good for much more than comic relief at the moment, but I’m sure within a book or two, Mace’ll have him trained enough that he can carry his own weight. In the meantime, he’s fun to chuckle at.

There’s an extended comedic break at the beginning of Chapter 21 that is great on its own—but it comes at just the right time in the book to give a little breather as the tension mounts and just before it shifts into a new gear. It’s just Mace talking to his dogs, pretty much the same way that anyone with pets has done regularly. I could rea 3-4 more of those each book and it wouldn’t get tired.

In the meantime, I’ll just reread that scene occasionally.

The Killer

That’s not really the best heading for this section, because there are a few killers running through these pages—and as some are acting on orders from others, who really gets that label? Anyway, I wanted to say a little about the individual who is immediately responsible for most of the deaths in the book—this isn’t a spoiler really, we meet him in Chapter 1.

He is large, frightening, brutal, and efficient. He’s also a very chatty guy who has a lot to say about the English language. This side of Justified‘s Boyd Crowder, you’re not going to find a criminal as chatty as this guy. I enjoyed his little talks about English idioms more than I should have. If this guy isn’t one of your favorite baddies of the year, you should rethink things.

Best of all? He’s not a serial killer. I was a little afraid that after The FInders this series would be Mace and His Dogs vs. Various Serial Killers. Now that it’s clear that Mace and the dogs will be dealing with a variety of criminals, I’m a bit more positive about the series as a whole.

So, what did I think about The Keepers?

At the same time I was reading this, I was listening to an audiobook (nonfiction) about Capone and Ness during Prohibition. Listening to a thoroughly researched account of corruption in Chicago politics while reading a novel about corrupt Chicago officials, really makes the fictional feel more reality-based. I’m not saying everyone needs to go out and grab a book about Capone and Ness to fully appreciate this, I’m just saying being reminded that things may not have changed that much in almost a century adds a little something to the experience.

I loved this, I really did. I remembered liking last year’s debut, I remembered most of the bigger plot points, the dogs, and so on—and remembered really enjoying the book. In less than one chapter of Mace’s first-person narration, I remembered just how much I like him and his voice. I kicked myself for forgetting that part—Mace is a great protagonist for this alone.

When I wrote about The Finders last year, I said:

It’s possible that I’m rating this a little higher than it deserves. If I was being entirely objective, I’d probably take off a half or maybe a full star from my rating. But this isn’t an objective piece, or an objective rating—this is about how much I enjoyed this, how it appealed to me, entertained me and made me want to read on. For that, it scored really high for me.

I’m not saying that this year—this is a superior novel that I enjoyed as much, if not more—I was again entertained and couldn’t wait to find out what happened. I’m giving this the same rating without apology or disclaimer.

It was tense, it was funny, it was horrifying (on a couple of occasions), and my jaw hit the floor a few times. I still can’t believe a few of the choices that Burton made, even with a few days’ worth of thought. He does some risky things, swinging for the fences with this—and they absolutely worked.

You don’t need to have read The Finders to appreciate The Keepers for what it is—great Crime Fiction with a strong central protagonist, some great supporting characters, and a fantastic opponent. Oh, yeah, and a bunch of great dogs. More than enough reasons to take this recommendation and run to your nearest library/bookseller with it.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.


4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

The Keepers by Jeffrey B. Burton: A Sequel Stronger than its Predecessor—a Real Treat for Fans.

The Keepers

The Keepers

by Jeffrey B. Burton
Series: Mace Reid K-9 Mystery, Volume 2

eARC, 288 pg.
Minotaur Books, 2021

Read: June 17-19, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s The Keepers About?

While at a police station wrapping up a case he’d helped Chicago Police to wrap up, Mace and his golden retriever, Vira, are brought along on an urgent call, the man in charge of the State Attorney’s Special Prosecution Office went missing at a park around midnight.

It doesn’t take long for Vira to find his body. Not long after that, while Mace is waiting to be sent home, Vira’s almost impossible/might-as-well-be-supernatural abilities give Mace a reason to believe that he knows the Attorney’s killer.

And Mace regrets that instantly—the man responsible isn’t anyone Mace, or his police friends, want to cross. But they have no choice—which leads to them being on the run, fighting some of the more powerful men in Chicago just to survive, much less get anywhere to finding his killer.

Returning Characters

In The Finders, there were two uniformed officers and two police detectives involved with Mace and the investigation. This time out, it’s pretty much just the two uniformed officers—Kippy Gimm and her partner Dave Wabiszewski. It’s not often (at least not often enough) that non-detective officers get the focus, and it’s a refreshing change of pace.

Also, while readers had enough exposure to all the police characters to be satisfied, it’s nicer this time to not have your attention split and the reader can really get to know these characters better and form a closer emotional bond. If memory serves, we met Kippy before we met Mace last year, but we didn’t get that much time with Wabs. It’s good to have that changed.

Ohh, a New Dog

Mace has added another dog to his pack, a three-month-old bloodhound named Billie Joe. Billie Joe isn’t good for much more than comic relief at the moment, but I’m sure within a book or two, Mace’ll have him trained enough that he can carry his own weight. In the meantime, he’s fun to chuckle at.

There’s an extended comedic break at the beginning of Chapter 21 that is great on its own—but it comes at just the right time in the book to give a little breather as the tension mounts and just before it shifts into a new gear. It’s just Mace talking to his dogs, pretty much the same way that anyone with pets has done regularly. I could rea 3-4 more of those each book and it wouldn’t get tired.

In the meantime, I’ll just reread that scene occasionally.

The Killer

That’s not really the best heading for this section, because there are a few killers running through these pages—and as some are acting on orders from others, who really gets that label? Anyway, I wanted to say a little about the individual who is immediately responsible for most of the deaths in the book—this isn’t a spoiler really, we meet him in Chapter 1.

He is large, frightening, brutal, and efficient. He’s also a very chatty guy who has a lot to say about the English language. This side of Justified‘s Boyd Crowder, you’re not going to find a criminal as chatty as this guy. I enjoyed his little talks about English idioms more than I should have. If this guy isn’t one of your favorite baddies of the year, you should rethink things.

Best of all? He’s not a serial killer. I was a little afraid that after The FInders this series would be Mace and His Dogs vs. Various Serial Killers. Now that it’s clear that Mace and the dogs will be dealing with a variety of criminals, I’m a bit more positive about the series as a whole.

So, what did I think about The Keepers?

At the same time I was reading this, I was listening to an audiobook (nonfiction) about Capone and Ness during Prohibition. Listening to a thoroughly researched account of corruption in Chicago politics while reading a novel about corrupt Chicago officials, really makes the fictional feel more reality-based. I’m not saying everyone needs to go out and grab a book about Capone and Ness to fully appreciate this, I’m just saying being reminded that things may not have changed that much in almost a century adds a little something to the experience.

I loved this, I really did. I remembered liking last year’s debut, I remembered most of the bigger plot points, the dogs, and so on—and remembered really enjoying the book. In less than one chapter of Mace’s first-person narration, I remembered just how much I like him and his voice. I kicked myself for forgetting that part—Mace is a great protagonist for this alone.

When I wrote about The Finders last year, I said:

It’s possible that I’m rating this a little higher than it deserves. If I was being entirely objective, I’d probably take off a half or maybe a full star from my rating. But this isn’t an objective piece, or an objective rating—this is about how much I enjoyed this, how it appealed to me, entertained me and made me want to read on. For that, it scored really high for me.

I’m not saying that this year—this is a superior novel that I enjoyed as much, if not more—I was again entertained and couldn’t wait to find out what happened. I’m giving this the same rating without apology or disclaimer.

It was tense, it was funny, it was horrifying (on a couple of occasions), and my jaw hit the floor a few times. I still can’t believe a few of the choices that Burton made, even with a few days’ worth of thought. He does some risky things, swinging for the fences with this—and they absolutely worked.

You don’t need to have read The Finders to appreciate The Keepers for what it is—great Crime Fiction with a strong central protagonist, some great supporting characters, and a fantastic opponent. Oh, yeah, and a bunch of great dogs. More than enough reasons to take this recommendation and run to your nearest library/bookseller with it.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.


4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Coming Attractions: NetGalley and Sequels


Ahhh, NetGalley–the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems, as Homer Simpson would say if he were a book blogger.

I seem to have collected a few more NetGalley books than I intended to (still a smaller shelf than some people, I realize), all of which I need to take care of in the next month or two so I can beat the publication dates. All but one of them are sequels in series that I’ve really enjoyed, and the rest is from one of my all-time favorite TV shows, so this promises to be fun.

Because I didn’t have time or energy to come up with an actual post today. I thought I’d take a quick look at what I need to do to get my feedback ratio back up to 100%–this 96% is just bugging me.* Any of these spark your interest?

Moonlighting

Moonlighting: An Oral History by Scot Ryan

Once upon a time ABC-TV’s Moonlighting was among the most buzzed-about shows in the country, thanks largely to the bravado of creator Glenn Gordon Caron, who never met a television convention he didn’t want to break, and the sizzling on-screen chemistry between glamorous erstwhile film star Cybill Shepherd and a New Jersey bartender nobody had ever heard of before named Bruce Willis, who bickered and flirted ceaselessly on-screen and engaged in epic off-screen battles that all these years later remain the stuff of Hollywood legend.

This combustible blend of creative brilliance produced some of the most acclaimed, audacious, and innovative programming of the eighties, including a black and white tribute to film noir, with an introduction by Orson Welles; a parody of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, written in iambic pentameter; an homage to The Honeymooners; and countless metafictive episodes breaking through the fourth wall — almost unheard of at the time for hourlong comedy-dramas.

Without a doubt, Moonlighting helped pave the way for the era of prestige television we are now all enjoying. The real story of this pioneering television series and the extraordinary behind-the-scenes challenges, battles, and rewards has never been told — until now,

Author Scott Ryan (The Last Days of Letterman, thirtysomething at thirty: an oral history, The Blue Rose, Scott Luck Stories) conducted over twenty interviews with the actors, writers, directors, and producers who made Moonlighting such a dynamic, unforgettable show, delving deep into their thoughts and feelings as they relive this magical moment in pop culture history in this full-color oral history.

New Interviews with: Cybill Shepherd (Maddie Hayes), Allyce Beasley (Ms. Dipesto), Curtis Armstrong (Herbert Viola), Glenn Gordon Caron Creator, Executive Producer, Writer Jay Daniel Executive Producer, Director Roger Director Writer, Producer, Season 4 Showrunner Allan Arkush Director Bob Butler and more.

Publication Date: June 1

Million Dollar Demon

Million Dollar Demon by Kim Harrison

To save the city, Rachel Morgan will need to show some teeth in the next Hollows novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison.

The new master vampire of Cincinnati has arrived . . . and she wants Rachel Morgan out. No matter where Rachel goes, Constance is there–threatening Rachel’s allies, causing city-wide chaos, and, to add insult to injury, even forcing Rachel out of her current quarters. Ever since Rachel found a way to save the souls of vampires, the old undead’s longtime ascendancy has been broken. Now Constance sees eliminating Rachel as the key to consolidating her own power.

Rachel has no desire to be enthralled or killed–and she’s terrified of what may become of the city if Constance forces a return to the ancient ways. But even a witch-born demon can’t stand against the old undead–at least, not alone. And if Rachel refuses to claim the role of Cincinnati’s master demon, the city will tear itself apart, taking her and all those who stand beside her with it.

Publication Date: June 15

The Keepers

The Keepers by Jeffrey B. Burton

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.

Publication Date: June 29

Dog Eat Dogborder=

Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt

Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, work to free a man who risked it all to help a dog in need.

Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his wife, Laurie, enjoy walking their dogs, Tara and Sebastian. By this point in their marriage, it’s routine. When out for one of their strolls, their simple ritual isn’t so simple anymore. Across the street, a man is mistreating his dog. Three things happen at once: Andy yells, Laurie runs to stop the abuse, and so does a closer passerby, who so thoroughly beats the owner that both are arrested when the cops arrive.

Andy scoops up the dog and takes him to the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization that’s always been his true passion. Meanwhile, at the police station, the passerby is identified as Matthew Jantzen, and he’s wanted for murder. Andy and Laurie are struck by the fact that Jantzen, a man on the run, would nevertheless intervene to help a dog, and decide to find out more.

Dog Eat Dog, the twenty-second installment in the Andy Carpenter series, features the charming cast of characters – old and new – that David Rosenfelt is known for and the dogs that accompany them.
Publication Date: July 6

A Good Day for Chardonnay

A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones

From the New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones comes the second novel in her laugh-out-loud Sunshine Vicram mystery series, A Good Day for Chardonnay.

Running a small-town police force in the mountains of New Mexico should be a smooth, carefree kind of job. Sadly, full-time Sheriff—and even fuller-time coffee guzzler—Sunshine Vicram, didn’t get that memo.

All Sunshine really wants is one easy-going day. You know, the kind that starts with coffee and a donut (or three) and ends with take-out pizza and a glass of chardonnay (or seven). Turns out, that’s about as easy as switching to decaf. (What kind of people do that? And who hurt them?)

Before she can say iced mocha latte, Sunny’s got a bar fight gone bad, a teenage daughter hunting a serial killer and, oh yes, the still unresolved mystery of her own abduction years prior. All evidence points to a local distiller, a dangerous bad boy named Levi Ravinder, but Sun knows he’s not the villain of her story. Still, perhaps beneath it all, he possesses the keys to her disappearance. At the very least, beneath it all, he possesses a serious set of abs. She’s seen it. Once. Accidentally.

Between policing a town her hunky chief deputy calls four cents short of a nickel, that pesky crush she has on Levi which seems to grow exponentially every day, and an irascible raccoon that just doesn’t know when to quit, Sunny’s life is about to rocket to a whole new level of crazy.

Yep, definitely a good day for chardonnay.

Publication Date: July 27

Paper & Blood

Paper & Blood by Kevin Hearne

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles comes book two of an “action-packed, enchantingly fun” (Booklist) spin-off series, as an eccentric master of rare magic solves a supernatural mystery Down Under!

There’s only one Al MacBharrais: Though other Scotsmen may have dramatic mustaches and a taste for fancy cocktails, Al also has a unique talent. He’s a master of ink and sigil magic. In his gifted hands, paper and pen can work wondrous spells.

But Al isn’t quite alone: He is part of a global network of sigil agents who use their powers to protect the world from mischievous gods and strange monsters. So when a fellow agent disappears under sinister circumstances in Australia, Al leaves behind the cozy pubs and cafes of Glasgow and travels to the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria to solve the mystery.

The trail to his colleague begins to pile up with bodies at alarming speed, so Al is grateful his friends have come to help—especially Nadia, his accountant who moonlights as a pit fighter. Together with a whisky-loving hobgoblin known as Buck Foi and the ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan, along with his dogs, Oberon and Starbuck, Al and Nadia will face down the wildest wonders Australia—and the supernatural world—can throw at them, and confront a legendary monster not seen in centuries.

Publication Date: August 10

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