One of the best series debuts I read this year is The Dead Years by Jeffrey B. Burton. I’m a big fan of his Mace Reid K-9 mysteries, so I anticipated a good story and had high expectations. And Burton delivered.
Chicago siblings Cory and Crystal Pratt are still struggling with their parents' tragic deaths, but they are thankful for each other and their jobs to distract them. Cory has a dog training company and owns two human remains detection dogs. The CPD occasionally calls on him, and when working on a case, he and his sister, a newly minted CPD detective, occasionally cross professional paths.
The police, challenged by a spate of violent killings that seem connected to a Netflix program and its cast and crew, call on Cory, with his talented canines, and Crystal, still getting used to her detective stripes, to help identify the killer and stop the body count from rising.
But the cunning serial killer doesn’t appreciate them poking around his business and isn’t about to be canceled. The killer becomes obsessed with the siblings—particularly Cory and his dogs. Will Crystal, Cory, and the pack be able to elude the killer long enough to stop them before one or all of them become the latest victims?
I’m a massive fan of sleight-of-hand, and Burton slipped one right past me regarding the killer. Extra points for that! The Dead Years is a fast-moving, expertly plotted thriller. A debut is the best time to get in on a series, so dog and mystery lovers, here’s your chance to start a great one. Burton’s second book in his Chicago K-9 thriller series, The Second Grave, comes out in February 2025.
Burton is also the author of three books in the Mace Reid K-9 mysteries and three in his Drew Cady series.
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