“Dogs do what they do to please us or save us. They don’t have anything else. We owe them no less.”
Suspect, by Robert Crais
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, January 2013
detective thriller
312 pages (hardcover)
LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well. Eight months ago, a shocking nighttime assault by unidentified men killed his partner Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for duty – until he meets his new partner.
Maggie is not doing so well, either. A German shepherd who survived three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan sniffing explosives before losing her handler to an IED, her PTSD is as bad as Scott’s.
They are each other’s last chance. Shunned and shunted to the side, they set out to investigate the one case that no one wants them to touch: the identity of the men who murdered Stephanie. What they begin to find is nothing like what Scott has been told, and the journey will take them both through the darkest moments of their own personal hells. Whether they will make it out again, no one can say.
A couple years ago, James Rollins – a former veterinarian and one of my favorite authors – created a great dog and handler duo in Tucker and Kane. When I heard Robert Crais’s latest book featured a similar pair, I was eager to see his take. Luckily for me, Suspect turned out to be one of the first round books in my library’s Tournament of Books, and while I ultimately went with John Grisham’s Sycamore Row as the winner of the round, it wasn’t an easy decision.
Right off the bat, we’re introduced to Maggie. I don’t imagine that it’s easy to write an animal’s point of view without it coming off as contrived, but Crais pulls it off. Maggie feels every bit as real a character as any of the humans, and with just as much personality.
I also thought he did a good job drawing secondary characters that aren’t just clichés or plot points. This is something I noticed in the one other novel of his I’ve read, and part of the reason I wanted to read more of his work. But Scott and Maggie and their developing relationship were definitely the highlight of this novel.
And ultimately, that was its downfall. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a great read… but the mystery itself was completely overshadowed. From a character development standpoint, it was important for Scott to learn the truth about what happened. But from a reader standpoint, it could have been replaced with just about any other story and it wouldn’t have made a difference. Scott and Maggie coming together was what made the book.
Does Suspect sound like something you’d pick up? Have you read any books featuring an animal as a main character?
Cheap Thrills 
Yes, thanks to your review this is now on my list of books to sniff out at the library!
Yay, I hope you enjoy it!
I’ve been looking for a good thriller from an author I haven’t read before, and this book sounds right up my alley. I’ve read a book that did feature a military/service dog, but as a side character rather than a main character. Definitely going to keep my eyes out for this one. :)
Nice, what was the other book? Thanks for stopping by!
I think it was one of James Rollins’ books, one of his books in the Sigma Force series. It was called “Bloodline,” and the new supporting characters were an army veteran and his service dog.
Yes! This was the one I mentioned at the beginning of the review! I love James Rollins! Did you know they are getting a spin-off of the Sigma series? The Kill Switch comes out in a couple months.
I am such a space case, haha! I totally missed that!
I didn’t know! :O Who’s it going to focus on?
Tucker and Kane, the veteran and his dog.
OH YES! :D SO EXCITED!
Writing an animal well does sound impressive! It’s too bad the mystery wasn’t as well done.
It’s wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t anything special. To be honest, I don’t know what more I would have wanted from the mystery that could have balanced it out with the characters.
I haven’t read too many books with an animal’s POV. It sounds interesting.
It was! Thanks for reading!
I’ve never read a book form an animal’s POV and I thing it should be a hard thing to pull of. This book sounds very intriguing. Adding it to my TBR list.
The sections from the dog’s POV are kept to a minimum, which I think helps keep it from becoming too much.