Reckless Creed

Alex Kava has just come out with the third book in her Maggie O'Dell/Ryder Creed partnership, Reckless Creed (#616).  (See my post of 11/28/16.)  This time it's a pair of unrelated suicides - a jumper taking a 19 story plunge in Chicago and a young woman who has waded into a river in a National Forest in Alabama with her pockets full of rocks, that pull Maggie and Ryder together.

Ryder is hired to track the troubled young woman with Grace, his dog.  The local sheriff and a Federal agent need help locating her, but once Grace does her job, she finds some dead birds to bring to Ryder. When that same Federal agent shows up shortly afterwards with a convoy of black SUVs, intent on euthanizing Ryder's entire kennel, an unexpected heroine steps up to stop them.  Meanwhile, Maggie's investigation has tied her Chicago suicide victim back to Pensacola, Ryder's turf.  She suspects murder and the possible return of an old enemy.

Ryder and his crew must teach dogs a new skill to deal with a threat of pandemic infection.  But will they be able to do it without losing their dogs as well?  The race is on the find the nemesis who managed to slip away away from the pair in a prior case.

Every bit as gripping as the previous books.  It's interesting to watch the relationships in the series develop.  I look forward to the next installment.