Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Great main characters that draw you into the mystery
Cons: Character development can overshadow the story early on
Bottom Line:
A cop and his dog
That will tug at your heart strings
In this stand alone
Becoming Pack
Robert Crais has a very loyal following in the mystery
community. I’ve read a few of his books
over the years, and I keep meaning to go back and read more of them. But with the release of the stand alone novel
Suspect, I knew I had a place to jump in.
Now I know why he has such a loyal following.
Nine months ago, Scott James lost his partner and almost
lost his life when they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, he’s still recouping from his wounds and
joining the K-9 unit of the LAPD. He
selects as his dog Maggie, a Marine Corp trained dog who lost her first partner
in Afghanistan .
Both Scott and Maggie are suffering from PTSD and neither
are certain about taking to each other.
But as Scott begins to investigate the still unsolved case that cost him
his last partner, the two begin to bond.
Will it be enough to help Scott face the past?
Frankly, I’m a little unsure why I was drawn to this
book. Between my allergies and owners
who can’t seem to control their dogs, I’m not much of a dog person. And yet when I read the premise, I was
intrigued. And boy did it pay off.
Scott and Maggie are both real and deeply sympathetic
characters. I wasn’t that far into the
book before I was rooting for the two of them to bond and have a happy
ending. Remember, I’m not a dog person,
so this is saying something. In fact, I
would say that Maggie was my favorite character in the book. There are a few others that stand out in the
supporting cast, but most of the time is spent with Scott and Maggie, and it’s
a pleasure to spend the time with them.
The plot? Well, as a
mystery this isn’t a barn burner. It’s
always a thread running through the story, but it doesn’t become the main focus
until just past the half way point. Once
it does, hold on tight because it’s a great ride. Until them, I found the struggles that Scott
and Maggie were facing plenty fascinating to keep me turning pages.
The book is mostly written from Scott’s third person point
of view. Occasionally, however, we get a
short chapter from Maggie’s point of view.
No, she’s not figuring out clues on her own, but it is an interesting
peak into how those who study dogs think dog minds work right now. It also helped me really bond with her
character. I know, I was skeptical when
I first heard about it, but it really does work and doesn’t take away from the
story at all.
Now that I’ve read Suspect,
I will be making time to read more of Robert Crais’ backlist. This is a masterful book that anyone, dog
lover or not, will enjoy.
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