Silent
Creed by
Alex Kava combines a riveting mystery, a backstory of military
dog handlers, and rescue dogs. Anyone who loves canines and
wants them highlighted in a storyline should read these novels.
With a wonderful supporting cast of “human beings”
these stories are informative, relevant, and suspenseful.
Ryder Creed is a dog handler who trains a variety of dogs
to help out in tragic situations, either to find cadavers
or rescue people. The author is able to capture the feel of
rescue operations, including the urgency, danger, and how
Mother Nature plays a role. The other dog handler, Jason,
is an intern of sorts, using Ryder as his apprentice. Both
these characters are former military and Kava delves into
their experiences while fighting the War on Terror. She highlights
how dogs can be used to support those heroes who sometimes
have suicidal thoughts. A quote from the books nails the feelings,
“You take a dog in, you earn his trust, his unconditional
love… I understood you’d be around to take care
of him (Scout, the black lab puppy.)”
With each story Kava tries to highlight different types of
canines. Ryder works closely with his rescue dog Bolo, a sturdy
Rhodesian ridgeback because this breed could withstand heat
and the damp cold, never alarmed by the weather conditions.
Grace, the featured character of the last book, a Jack Russell
Terrier, does not help in this rescue, being too small. However,
she was brought into the story mid-way as an emotional support
for Ryder. There was also a shout out to Scout, a black lab
puppy.
Kava stated, “He was named after my dog who I lost last
year. He has a lot of the characteristics of my Scout. I even
dedicated the first book in the series to him. The main characters
have to be the dogs. I’m a dog lover. I’ve surrounded
myself with dogs my entire life, some of which have been rescues.
I’ve had as many as six in my pack at one time. Each
and every one of them has been a special member of my family.”
In this book a devastating mudslide in North Carolina has
Ryder and his dogs attempting to find survivors. As the search
and rescue intensifies it becomes evident that there are secrets
hidden under the mud and sludge. Because some of the bodies
found were killed not by Mother Nature, but by gunshots, FBI
Agent, Maggie O’ Dell is assigned to investigate why
people were being murdered at this top-secret government research
facility. It becomes apparent that someone is trying to control
the investigation of the murders, which leads Ryder, Maggie,
and the dogs on a perilous mission.
A word of warning, although there are some facets of the plot
that are resolved, there is another that is a cliff hanger,
as in a TV show where the viewer has to wait for the next
installment. This piece, the medical experiments about a deadly
virus, is the main plot line for the next book, Reckless Creed.
The author did a lot of research including finding out “that
there are dogs that can accurately detect cancer in patients.
In the next book Ryder will use those training methods of
detection. I left a piece of the plot up in the air on purpose.
As a reader myself I enjoy books that have an element of ‘what
will happen next.’”
Silent Creed has an intense storyline along with
details about rescue operations, the difficulties faced by
returning military personnel, and the importance of dogs in
people’s lives. Anyone who loves dogs should read these
books.
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