Alex Kava

If you're a dog lover who enjoys reading mysteries, you have to read Alex Kava's Ryder Creed K-9 series. She's created some high-octane thrill rides for one of my favorite casts in crime fiction. In Fallen Creed, she puts Ryder and his favorite scent dog, Grace, in the path of a snowstorm and a killer, and while I was anxious the entire time I was reading the book, I knew Ryder would come through-- and so would Grace. One of the most important things to know about Ryder Creed is that this show more former Marine K-9 handler can-- and will-- sacrifice his own well-being for that of his dogs.

In this latest installment, Grace is showing her skills in detecting electronics, a skill for which many trainers use food as a reward. Ryder refuses to do this:

"Many of the dogs that found their way to K-9 CrimeScents had been discarded or abandoned by their previous owners. Some, like Grace, had been on their own for long enough that they were skin and bones, scraping for what food they could find. To make that daily meal a reward for work rendered was something Creed would not even consider. Every dog in his kennel, whether working or not, deserved to be fed."

You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat animals, can't you?

Fallen Creed has fellow dog handler Jason and Creed's sister, Brodie, loading up a truck with their dogs Scout and Hank and driving from Florida to Nebraska to help in the search. Both suffer from PTSD, and Brodie is experiencing a growing attachment to Jason-- one to which he seems oblivious. While I'm on the subject of attachments, Maggie O'Dell's attachment to Creed deepens as well. This is a well-developed cast that is so so easy to get wrapped up in. I care about what happens to each and every one of them, whether two-legged or four-.

Another thing that I love about these fast-paced tales is that I always learn something: how scent dogs can detect electronics, how human trafficking is more lucrative because drugs can only be sold once but humans can be sold over and over (makes your skin crawl, doesn't it?), or how social media sites are one of the biggest threats to those in Witness Protection. It is possible to learn while feeling anxious about fictional characters...

While you don't have to start at the beginning of this series to enjoy Fallen Creed, I would hope that you choose to do so. (The first book is Breaking Creed.) There is absolutely no reason to deprive yourself of reading so many excellent books! show less

Although I had recently finished reading Lee Childs's Worth Dying For -- also set in Nebraska, and equally bleak in premise and setting -- I found Hotwire to be an even better story. I'm not usually interested in tales of the alien/unexpected/weird/werewolf-y/whatever, but the electrocution of several teenagers at a drug party in the woods -- and the survivors' stories of otherworldly beings that might be hallucination or might be something close to fact -- sucked me in right away.
The other show more plot -- which ends up meshing with the first -- has to do with food safety and lack thereof ... this part had me wanting to examine MUCH more carefully everything I eat!
The two protagonists -- Maggie O'Dell and Ben Platt [she's FBI, he's an Army colonel who works for USAMRID] -- seem to have a backstory (and a future in forthcoming books); their two cases ultimately intersect and give the reader a lot to think about, in terms of how little control government agencies can actually have over the safety of our food supply, "thanks" to mega-rich corporations with "good" lobbyists.
I haven't read any other Maggie O'Dell books, but this one impressed me and I will look for more. show less

I've been an ardent fan of this series since the very first book, Breaking Creed. Ryder, Hannah, Jason, and Maggie are strong, intelligent characters, and I absolutely love how Ryder has created his business: "Hannah liked to say they rescued abandoned and discarded dogs and turned them into heroes"-- and that's exactly what Ryder does. In Desperate Creed, Ryder's behavior with his dog, Grace, during a tornado made me love the man even more.

Ryder's sister, Brodie, has been added to the cast, show more and her adjustment to life after captivity is both life-affirming and heartbreaking. (I'm purposely not saying much about Brodie to prevent possible spoilers because I want all of you to read this series!)

As much as I enjoy the interactions of the characters, the high-octane plot of this book almost blew me away. There are the killers following Frankie from Chicago down to the Florida Panhandle. They are professionals. She is a rank amateur. Are they going to catch up with her? But, first and foremost, there are the tornadoes. I once lived in Tornado Alley, and I've had a few close encounters. I've also experienced earthquakes, blizzards, fire, and hurricane-force winds. What scared me most? Tornadoes. To put characters whom I feel so strongly about right in the path of a weather phenomenon that petrifies me? I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

Desperate Creed thrilled the adrenaline junkie in me to pieces, and it's the type of book in which readers should make a point of reading the Afterword. If you're in the mood to read a book you won't be able to put down, this is definitely the one you need to get your hands on. show less

I enjoy Alex Kava's Ryder Creed series so much that I dole out each book sparingly. I know I'm going to enjoy the read, and I never want to run out of them, no matter how much I love Creed's relationship with his dogs. Lost Creed was no exception.

In Lost Creed, we learn Ryder's backstory, of what led to his sister's abduction and the aftermath that destroyed his family. We get to meet Ryder's mother, who's made a name for herself in the field that Martha Stewart made famous. But most of show more all, we get to be partners with Creed and FBI agent Maggie O'Dell on another high-octane thrill ride as they search for the information they need in order to find out what happened to Creed's sister. Also helping us piece things together are occasional chapters from the point of view of one of the abducted women.

In the meantime, we readers also follow along with Creed's employee, young Jason Seaver, a vet with a prosthetic limb whose troublesome attitude is slowly mellowing out. He and his young dog, Scout, are on their first solo mission, and it's Jason's chance to really learn the meaning of Rule #1: "Trust Your Dog."

Lost Creed has excellent pacing, ever-increasing suspense, and characters who make you come back for more. Kava has done so much to inform her readers about how talented dogs are, and what makes this series even more special is the fact that all of the dogs in Creed's K-9 Crime Scents business are rejects-- many of them abandoned at the end of Creed's driveway. He gives them all stability, love, and training, and as a result, many of his dogs have become heroes. Creed's primary objective is to make sure none of his dogs are ever hurt again, and you just have to mentally hug the stuffing out of him for his resolve. (At least I do.) However, this is a mystery series, not only for dog lovers but also for those who love fast-paced suspense.

Now that I've read Lost Creed, I'm going to have to force myself to stay away from the next book in the series. As I said, I enjoy these books so much that I never want to run out. But... my resolve is weakening... show less