Technically a re-read from many, many moons ago, "Watcher" was every bit as good as I remembered. The primary reason I loved this book (again) was because of the genetically-enhanced golden retriever, Einstein.
Dean Koontz frequently features dogs in his works -- golden retrievers, in particular -- but in this instance, the dog is gifted with human-level intelligence, so Einstein was truly his own character alongside the humans, Travis and Nora. Perhaps more so.
If you like tense suspense/horror, it's worth your time. If you're a dog-lover, you really should give it a look.
The No.1 bestselling classic from Dean Koontz, the master of chilling suspense, that will thrill fans of Stephen King and the Odd Thomas series.
They escape from a secret government project: two mutant creatures, both changed utterly from the animals they once were. And no one who encounters them will ever be the same again.
A lonely widower, a ruthless assassin, a beautiful woman, a government agent.
Drawn together in a deadly hunt, all four are inexorably propelled towards a confrontation with an evil beyond human imagining.
For the last 19 years, I have worked narcotics K-9s for a private company called Sherlock Hounds Detection Canines. I recently retired from the K-9 work, but over the years, I loved seeing how dogs solve crimes in real life. Not only do they help us solve crimes, but dogs have a way of reaching people and changing lives. Dogs are quite literally “man’s (or woman’s) best friend,” and because of that, they become the best partners for many characters in books. There’s nothing better than discovering a new K-9 series that depicts the real-life love and bond between K-9 and handler.
A friend of mine sent me this book and I’m thrilled she did. I’ll admit, I was a little worried at the beginning of the book that something bad was going to happen to the K-9, Vira. Instead, I discovered a fascinating storyline of a dog with a near-death experience developing “superpowers.” Vira finds her way to trainer Mace Reid who teaches her to find human remains. I like books that depict different types of working dogs.
I appreciated how Burton wove the city setting of Chicago into the plot as Reid and Vira hunt a cunning serial killer. A strong female sidekick, Chicago Police Officer Kippy, rounds out the story in a great way. It kept me up past my bedtime, unable to put the book down.
Jeffrey B. Burton's The Finders is the beginning of a fast-paced new series featuring a heroic golden retriever cadaver dog named Vira and her handler, Mason Reid.
Mason "Mace" Reid lives on the outskirts of Chicago and specializes in human remains detection. He trains dogs to hunt for the dead. Reid’s coming off a difficult year―mourning the death of a beloved springer spaniel as well as the dissolution of his marriage. He adopts a rescue dog with a mysterious past―a golden retriever named Vira. And when Reid begins training Vira as a cadaver dog, he comes to realize just how…
