I continue to enjoy Alan Russell's Gideon & Sirius series, especially since this third book, Lost Dog, avoided something that had annoyed me in the previous two books. In Burning Man and Guardians of the Night, Sirius-- a normally extremely well-behaved dog-- threw a fit about something, and Gideon ignored him. Subsequently, Gideon experienced a great deal of pain for dismissing his partner's concerns. That doesn't happen this time, and that thrilled me to no end. Gideon may be a smart aleck, but he's a smart aleck who can learn.

Although I knew the identity of the killer seconds after the character was introduced, there was still a lot to enjoy in this book. The missing woman, Heather Moreland, had a very small part that still packed a powerful punch. Russell had to be economical with his words, but he delineated Heather's character so well that I actively worried about her safety all the way through the book.

I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Michael Gideon's sort of character. He's a smart aleck, and I love his use of puns and poetry, his references to movies and television, and so much more. If I don't actually laugh out loud, Gideon usually makes me smile as I read his quips.

Russell usually adds to my knowledge as I read these books, and Lost Dog is no exception. I learned about two systems installed in Gideon's patrol car: a special air conditioning system, and something called a Hot-N-Pop. If the temperature inside the car gets too high and the human does not respond, one of the doors will automatically unlock and pop open so the dog can get out. There have been K-9 deaths here in Phoenix due to the animals being in locked patrol cars, so when I read about these systems, I immediately wondered about our police department installing them.

Read a Gideon & Sirius mystery and you will learn things. You will laugh. And you will find yourself on the edge of your seat wondering if man and dog are going to save the day. Bring on book four! ( )

I loved the first two books in this series, but I was less enthralled with this one for reasons I will explain. First, the good stuff. Alan Russell is an excellent writer. Gideon is a witty guy, who is fun to spend time with, and Sirius is one of the best dog characters ever. The author weaves in a lot of interesting historical facts about LA, and Gideon's knowledge and choice of music adds to his intrigue as a character.

The aspect I love most is Gideon's relationship with Sirius. This is handled exceptionally well. Throughout the story, we're shown the strength of their bond, the trust they have in one another, and how a police dog works.

Now for the not so good stuff, in my opinion. The story largely lacks substance, to the point where the case itself feels distant to the interplay between the man and his dog. Much of the story is focused on Gideon and Sirius as a pair, not necessarily doing anything at all related to the major case they're supposed to be working.

The major pitfall for me is a bit of a spoiler, but I'll do my best to keep this general and not tell you anything that isn't in the book's description. At the very start of the story, Sirius leads Gideon to a lost, injured dog. This dog happens to have a strong need to track. When they discover the dog's owner is missing, that tracking sense was my first thought. Yet it took Gideon most of the book to figure out what the dog was trying to tell him, even though Gideon knew the dog had an innate tracking ability. Given that Gideon works with a police dog that is trained in tracking, I just didn't buy into him being that obtuse with the other dog. Consequently, I spent most of the book wondering why he was being so dense.

This is a fun, light read, providing you don't take the mystery too seriously.

*I received an ebook copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.* ( )

I enjoyed this book very much. The tone and style reminded me of older works with Spenser, Spade and Mages all rolled into one. There was a smooth, laid back kind of mood in the background with tense, desperate moments in between. You have a thoughtful, stressed out detective and his K9 partner Sirius solving crimes and then he's a punster, music and movie addict at other times. Complex characters and brutal scenes blend with " name that tune " moments and the author makes it work beautifully.
The story begins with an abduction, moves to lost dog and continues on with murders to be solved or prevented. Lots of action, good writing and well edited.
Because I have to pick, 2 problems. 1) minor but stopped me for a second. Where did he get the flex cuffs? Out of the hospital dressed in scrubs, 1 pocket(usual on scrubs on rear pants) fulll of wallet and phone, hands full of leash? 2) bigger problem was member of police force but no supervision, little contact with others. Can't imagine a police force having a K9 team and not using it. No assigned cases, no working on open cases, just left to find cases and solve them on his own. Works for PI except no money but not at all believable for cop.
Still a good read! ( )

Gideon and Sirus are back solving crimes. This time, Sirius takes the lead and rescues Angie, a wounded bloodhound cross set upon by a pack of coyotes. But when Gideon tries to take Angie home to Burbank, there is no one there. Where is Heather? The two are known to be inseparable. The Burbank police don't think there is much of a case and aren't pleased that Gideon is hanging around but Gideon is determined to reunite Angie and Heather.

At the same time Gideon is busy trying to up the paperwork left by his new friend XXX who fell while hiking a difficult trail. As he works, Gideon gets a prickling sensation that the death was perhaps not accidental.

This is the third book in the series. Gideon and Sirius are mature characters that behave as they should. Gideon makes horrible puns while listening to his extensive music collection. Sirius is a worthy companion. Angie, with her bloodhound heritage, makes a good contrast.

This is not the most rigorously written mystery you will read this year, but will rank in the upper third. Heather is a strong female character and the murderer is sufficiently well hidden that many people will be surprised.

I received a review copy of "Lost Dog: A Gideon and Sirius Novel Book 3" by Alan Russell (Thomas & Mercer) through NetGalley.com. ( )

Excellent cop/K-9 thriller written puntastically. The cop thread is well worked and I found it of particular interest that there was a good description of a support group for the loved ones of murder victims. The main theme is of the formerly abused dog and his link to finding his kidnapped owner. Of course, the K-9 and his cop are the instruments of attaining that goal, and there are side stories to make everything more complete. The interwoven thread is what the victim perceives and thinks prior to and during her captivity. See publisher's blurb for clues, no spoilers here.
I received an advance ebook courtesy of NetGalley. ( )