Mace Reid, Officer Kippy Gumm, and, best of all, Mace’s cadaver dogs, are all back in the third book in the series, The Lost. While Mace’s HRD, human remains detection dogs, especially Vira, are brilliant, and Kippy is streetwise and has flashes of inspiration, Mace is once again just an ordinary man caught up in unusual cases. He knows he’s not quite as bright as the woman he’s dating or the dogs in his life. But, who can resist Mace’s bumbling awareness?

When money’s in play, so are lives. There’s been a home invasion at the house of Kenneth J. Druckman. Druckman is the founder and CEO of Druckman Financial Group, possibly one of the richest men in the country. He was knocked about, and his former supermodel wife, Calley, along with their five-year-old daughter, Eleanor, were kidnapped. The FBI calls on Mace and his dogs to search for the missing. It’s Vira who finds the dead body. It’s also Vira, with her special abilities, who indicates to Mace that Druckman himself was involved.

Special Agent in Charge Len Squires is head of the Chicago Division of the FBI. Mace might not always appear believable, but Squires knows he can trust Vira. Now, he just has to discover why Druckman would be involved in the disappearance of his young daughter.

The Lost is a complex book that begins with an unusual dinner party, and ends on the estate of a wealthy man. What does a CEO, a mystery man and his estate’s caretaker, a nanny, two Russians, and a missing child have in common? They’re part of a complicated mess for Mace and Kippy. While Mace could have moved on, Kippy’s an excellent police officer determined to put all the pieces together and find that missing little girl. And, Vira? No one is going to mess with Mace and Kippy, Vira’s pack, when she’s on the job.

There’s so much more to this story, but I can’t spoil the surprises in every few chapters. If you’ve read the first two books, you probably fell in love with Mace’s pack of dogs. Mace is aware he’s dating up, and, in the case of his dogs, he’s not sure who is in charge. But, Mace has a way of bumbling into hero status. He adds touches of humor to a difficult investigation with his thoughts. “He made the faulty assumption I wasn’t an idiot.” Mace isn’t an idiot. He’s a man trying his best. That’s much of his appeal in Burton’s The Lost. Intelligent dogs, an intelligent woman, and a humble man. What more do you want in a K-9 mystery?

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

The Lost by Jeffrey B. Burton Minotaur Books, 2022. ISBN 9781250808622 (hardcover), 289p.

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