Silk & Serif

Received via NetGalley from HarperCollins Publishers Australia in exchange for a completely unbiased review

Detective Mike Winters and his trusty police dog Falcon are part of a Australian canine unit. They have faced down a terrorist attack and survived because of their teamwork. Mike and Falcon are national heroes who have overcome the odds, and are now happily back on their usual beat catching bad guys in their neighbourhoods. Unfortunately this reprieve is short lived when Mike and Falcon stumble upon the corrupted ring in the police force. No one is sure how high it goes, but who ever is at the top knows Mike Winters is on their trail.

McCredie has a distinct writing method, using lots of high speed chases, police dog tracking scenes and bravado. The overall feeling of the book is plucky and happy - even when Mike is at his worst the author still finds ways to insert humor into the story (meeting the old lady in the woods, for one). Although the whole story is larger than life, I suspect McCredie designed it that way.

The characters are decent, if not likeable in a acquaintance sort of way. Perhaps if I had read the first book of the series I might have had more of an emotional investment in many of the characters. The book works decently well for a stand alone book, there is never a moment where you cant quite understand whats going on.

My only complaint is the description of how Falcon and Mike work together - although McCredie is a certified police dog handler, he over emphasizes what are obviously tiny, incremental behaviours from his partner. The swishing of the tail, the muscle ticks, all of these are huge indicators on the tracking success, but its also something a lay person would not see - and I felt like Falcon's physical reactions were embellished. Although, I concede that tiny movements are integral in the understanding of Falcon/Winters relationship and the work they do. The embellishment was necessary.

In all, if you are a dog fan, or a working dog fan, this book if for you. One cop, one dog, a deep corruption plot, and lots of action make for a fun and easy read.