When I reviewed Jeffrey B. Burton’s The Finders, I referred to the series debut as an intense, sometimes graphic novel with a remarkable dog. The second book, The Keepers, says “A Mace Reid K-9 Mystery” on the cover. Make no mistake, the cadaver dogs, especially Vira, are the true heroes of the book.

Mace Reid has a pack of cadaver dogs, but Elvira (Vira) is special. She not only finds bodies, she somehow identifies traces of the killer. But, it’s not easy for an ordinary man when his dog can identify violent killers. However, she and Sue, now a retired German shepherd, saved Mace once.

Police officer Kippy Gimm calls Mace to a crime scene where a musician has been violently killed. Although the police keep the murder weapon a secret, Kippy and her partner, Dave Wabiszewski, find the killer who makes no secret of his hatred of the victim. Vira identified the killer, and she and Mace are at the police station watching as the suspect confesses. Mace later regrets that trip to the police station. A police sergeant tags him as the “dog man”, and says he and his dog are needed at Washington Park.

Special Prosecutor Peter Feist didn’t come home the night before after asking the police to clear the park at 11:30 PM. It doesn’t take Vira long to find the body. It takes her even less time to alert when two men arrive at the crime scene. And, Mace is smart enough to alert when one man yells at Vira at the park and the other confronts him at Feist’s funeral.

After a shocking murder, Kippy and Mace are forced to go on the run, accompanied by three of the dogs. Burton’s book sets a relentless pace as he throws his characters and the dogs into the dirtiest of Chicago politics and a desperate attempt to escape a relentless, powerful killer. The Keepers is a fast-paced novel of Chicago abuse of the bureaucracy.

Mace Reid is an ordinary man. He’s no hero. Kippy calls him a lousy liar, and he turns beet red when he’s upset or embarrassed. He’s just a likable man caught up in an explosive situation. But, he and Kippy have to be creative, inspired by their fear and danger. They’re just lucky to have three cadaver dogs on their side. And, one person makes a mistake when he says, “They’re cadaver dogs. Sniffers, not fighters.”

Jeffrey B. Burton’s website is https://jeffreybburton.com/

The Keepers by Jeffrey B. Burton. Minotaur Books, 2021. ISBN 9781250244567 (hardcover), 288p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a .PDF to review for a journal.