Troy Lambert

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S STRAY ALLY ABOUT?
Ex-Special Ops soldier, Todd Clarke, is on his way to an interview for a job he doesn't need, but can't turn down--to act as part of the security for the new governor of Idaho at a special event--when a tragedy on the freeway stops him. Next thing he knows, he's being framed for murder.

Clarke escapes from custody and sets out to hide from the authorities while his wife's high-priced attorneys do their job. But then a Colonel that Clarke had investigated for Aryan activities (and other malodorous actions) sets U.S. troops out to hunt him down and the gloves have to come off.

Accompanied only by a dog that befriended Clarke after the death of his former owner, he evades capture for a while. Then he realizes what's going on and has to risk capture--and probably his life--to stop that Colonel and his allies.

THE UNANSWERED QUESTION
At some point, it starts to click with the reader that not only is Sparky a fantastically behaved dog--better than training alone could explain, but it's fiction--roll with it. But every other dog behaves strangely, too. I'm not going to say more than that.

We are never given an explanation for that. I have a handful of theories--all half-baked and probably wrong. But Lambert really doesn't even hint at an explanation.

And it works. All sorts of characters--white hats as well as black hats--recognize the behavior, and some even wonder about it. But they all just accept it as something that's happening. This really helps the reader to roll with it, too. But more than that--the pacing of this book doesn't really encourage reflection or consideration of plausibility. You're just trying to hang on to the ride and not get thrown out at the next turn.

In most circumstances, I'd get annoyed and ask for a little more to be given to the reader. But Lambert's adventure is one of the exceptions. I'd like to be told that one of my hare-brained notions was right--or to be definitively told I was wrong. But honestly? I don't care. Dog Complex #2 doesn't need to bother with explaining things--just give me another story like this.

THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE THING
I'm very tempted to classify this book as a Fantasy novel more than anything else. Sure, there's the very strange, nigh-unbelievable, and unexplained dog behavior (see above)--but you know what? It's easy to suspend disbelief and roll with that.

But an African American being elected governor of Idaho in a contemporary story? Come on, Lambert...pull the other one. Add to that a large, multi-ethnic, progressive Christian group gathering to celebrate that election? In Boise? Next to that, it's time to start talking about the gritty realism of a Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams book.

Set this in 2070, and I could go with it. Although that'd still be hard to swallow. Set in a 2020-ish world? Forget it. I'm not saying that I'm against that kind of thing happening--I just can't see it. Sorry.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT STRAY ALLY?
This was a fast and furious action thrill-ride. A protagonist with a murky past that you know is doing the morally right thing (even if you wonder about some of his methods) up against an obviously evil plan with the odds stacked against him by men on both sides of the law.

You can't help but root for this guy and love every second of vigilante action.

Large parts of this book felt like a contemporary First Blood--the ex-special ops soldier taking on all-comers and finding a way to win. But then it shifts into just pure action-hero kind of area and is just fun.

Grab a bucket of popcorn and buckle in for a wild ride with Stray Ally.… (altro)

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader along with a Q&A with the author.
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Max Boucher is a P.I. in Seattle. Like a good (fictional) P.I., he spends a lot of time drinking. He spends most of the rest of his time working just to make ends meet. He really wants to devote his time to looking for whoever murdered his daughter, killed his dog, and either kidnapped or murdered his wife. He—and his former colleagues in the Seattle PD—have followed every lead they have, but he'd spend all of his life going back over the evidence time and time again if he could.

Now, he's taken on a case—he takes on every case that comes his way—that takes him back to his old neighborhood. The dog park that he and his family used to go to, in fact. There's a rash of dognappings in the area, and owners have come together to hire him to find their canine friends. The police can/will only do so much, but Max can devote more time to it.

It doesn't take long for things to get hairy—there's a connection to a Korean mob boss. Some of the dogs start reappearing—with strange injuries. And it turns out that this has been happening all over Seattle for some time. Max isn't sure what he's gotten himself into, but it's about a lot more than missing poodles.

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
Obviously, you've got to have a compelling P.I. in a book like this—and a good hook for the story. That's what the reader comes for, and the writer had better deliver. A plausible villain, is important, too—but the others can overcome an iffy one. But what will really make a P.I. novel work is the supporting characters—the cop buddies/frenemies/rival (depending on the series), the client, the witnesses, and so on.

Lambert nails this throughout the book. I like Boucher and want to see more of him, but I enjoyed some of the side characters more than him. There's a friendly and helpful veterinarian who could probably carry a cozy mystery series on her own—and I would buy six of those tomorrow if they existed.

There's a guy who details Max's car (he's got an older car that's his pride and joy)—which is something definitely called upon when your case involves carrying injured dogs (and injured detectives) around. If Eddie shows up for a scene or two in every book in the series, you can color me pleased. I'm not even sure why—I also don't care much, I just liked him.

I'm not going to say I enjoyed the Korean mob boss* in the same way I did those two. But the scenes with him are some of the most intense in the novel.

* Ahem. Suspected boss, of a mob that may not even exist.

I could go on for a few more—I don't remember exactly my point when I started this section, other than to rave about Dr. Gamble and Eddie. But I guess that I just want to stress that Lambert gives us more than a solid P.I. He knows how to give the reader characters to invest in and care about—even if only for a page or two.

BEWARE OF (HURT) DOGS
* (yeah, that's a lame section title—but it's better than "It's a Dog Eat Dog Book" with the implied cannibalism)

I know I have readers who will be antsy about this book—we're talking about kidnapped and injured dogs here (there's a reason I have a recurring post about books about dogs who live). And for those who cannot take violence toward animals, this is a book to avoid.

I will say, however, almost all of the violence happens "off-screen"—you see very little of it on the page. And what you see on the page isn't that bad (up until the climactic bit at the end, but the violence there is spread amongst characters with two and four legs (and the two-legged ones get the worst of it).

The point of this book is Boucher investigating the kidnappings, stopping them by getting to the bottom of things and rescuing as many dogs as he can. So if you're on the fence, you can hold on to that.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT HARVESTED?
This was a good read. Lambert delivered in every way I wanted a book like this to—solid plot, unique case, great character work, and a pace that keeps you turning the pages long past the time you should put the book down for sleep or chores. I'd recommend this just for the (relative) novelty of a Seattle P.I.—mid-sized US cities need to be the setting of more P.I. novels. The book delivers on everything it promises and gives you an open (and welcome) invitation to come back for another. I know I'm accepting that invitation.

Oh—minor spoiler—by the end, one of the kidnapped dogs can't be matched with an owner and ends up staying with Max. So you know I have to come back, just for more of him.

I'd have come back anyway—I want to see how Max moves on from this point in general. I'm quite curious about the clues he discovered regarding his wife's case, too. I'm assuming (and really don't want to know the truth until I'm into the next book) that book 2 will advance the investigation into his wife's kidnapping while Max and his new partner dive into another stand-alone case—and we'll continue that way for a while. That sounds like a great time to me. Grab this one—the second book is out now, you might as well grab it, too. You'll have fun.… (altro)

Harvested by Troy Lambert

Max Boucher #1

Max is a likable character that must be attractive the way the women seem to fall all over themselves when they see him. He is, of course, not interested because his wife disappeared but he feels she is still out there and he is still married. When the case of the missing dogs comes his way he thinks the payment offered is good enough to take it on and as he begins to investigate he finds the missing dog situations to have more to it than he first thought. The clues come in slowly but each one leads to his finally determining what might be behind the dogs disappearing. There are a few twists and turns and a red herring or two along with a tough situation Max finds himself in that is rather dicey. By the end of the book Max is beginning to heal and put his life into perspective but he still is unsure who was behind the loss of his daughter, wife and dog and my guess is that in book two he will continue to look for the evil behind what happened.

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars… (altro)