When a VA therapist is brutally stabbed, Kate Holland is stunned—the man had clashed with her own shrink days earlier. But the shock deepens when Kate discovers stolen military-grade explosives hidden in his home.
The victim had been investigating a war crime overseas, and now the fallout is erupting in Arkansas. With Ruger at her side and Arash in the fight alongside her, Kate follows a trail of secrets and corpses toward a killer who won’t stop until innocent blood is spilled.
To stop him, Kate must risk everything—including the fragile trust she’s building with the two allies she can’t afford to lose.
BLOOD ON THE WIRE (Hidden Valor K-9 Mysteries Book #5) by Candace Irving is another outstanding action packed and thrilling addition to this series. I enjoyed every book in the entire series and Kate and Ruger’s journey, but I believe you could read this book as a standalone and still love it due to the strategically placed background information you may have questions about.
Special State Investigator Kate Holland and her K-9 Ruger are called to investigate the stabbing death of one of the Little Rock VA’s psychologists. When she gets to the scene, she realizes she met this doctor arguing with Kate’s own doctor just a few days earlier. As Kate and the local detective search the doctor’s home, they discover two safes. One has a cache of military grade C-4 and the other has a notebook filled with writing in code.
As Kate investigates the murder, she discovers the doctor was looking into a crime from two years ago in Afghanistan. There are suspects that are almost too convenient and many tangled stories of truth and lies. As the body count increases, Kate realizes someone is trying to get rid of all ties to the real killer and crimes of the past.
I love this series! I look forward to reading not only an intricately plotted suspense/mystery, but an intimate story of a vet’s healing journey through PTSD and a terrible wartime incident all while she navigates her current job, her work and personal connection to her dog, and finally her learned ability to open up in her personal relationships. The intricate plot and twists in this book left me continually guessing until the very end.
I highly recommend this suspenseful police procedural/K-9 mystery! This is a well written, engrossing series and I cannot wait for more.
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About the Author
A former US Navy Lt., Candace Irving is the daughter of a librarian and a retired boatswain’s mate chief. Candace grew up in the Philippines, Germany, and all over the United States. Her senior year of high school, she enlisted in the US Army. Following basic training, she transferred to the Navy’s ROTC program at the University of Texas-Austin. While at UT, she spent a summer in Washington, DC, as a Congressional Intern. She also worked security for the UT Police. BA in Political Science in hand, Candace was commissioned as an ensign in the US Navy and sent to Surface Warfare Officer’s School to learn to drive warships. From there, she followed her father to sea.
Candace Irving writes gritty military thrillers. She is the author of the Deception Point Military Detective Thriller Series and the Hidden Valor Military Veterans/K9 Psychological Suspense Series. She also writes military romance and romantic suspense as Candace Irvin (without the “g”).
Chasing Justice, Hunting the Truth, and Killer Secretsare the first books by Kathleen Donnelly of the National Forest K-9 Series. She is an author that should be put on everybody’s radar. Having been a handler for a private narcotics K-9 detection company, she is able to use her experiences to craft realistic stories in these novels.
Each of the three books explains more of former Marine Maya Thompson’s and Deputy Sheriff Josh Colte’s pasts, shedding light on the emotional and physical scars of the hero and heroine. They delve into topics involving law enforcement, military reentry after serving overseas, and PTSD within a suspenseful storyline.
After losing her military K-9, former marine Maya Thompson swears she’ll never work with dogs again. But when she returns home to Colorado and accepts a job with US Forest Service law enforcement, fate brings K-9 Juniper into her life just as another tragedy unfolds. The mountain setting in all the plots adds to the suspense. The mystery/action stories are riveting, plus there are added bonuses that have good descriptions and details of how K9s train and work.
Maya and Josh are both recovering addicts who self-medicated their PTSD. She is a K-9 handler with the Forestry Service, and he is with the Sheriff’s office. Throughout the books their mutual attraction grows into a relationship of love.
The plot of book 1, Chasing Justice, involves a deepening drug war and the disappearance of her grandfather, Sheriff Wayne. Book 2, Hunting the Truth, has Maya investigating her past when her mother and grandmother were killed. Killer Secrets, book 3, has an avalanche exposing a serial killer’s dumping grounds in Antler Valley, Colorado. Now Forest Service officer Maya Thompson and her K-9, Juniper, must catch the murderer before they become the next targets.
Donnelly has also written another series involving canines. The first book, Colorado K-9 Rescue has FBI victim specialist, Mckenna Parker, and her crisis canine, Mocha, assigned to a case with FBI agent Evan Knox. McKenna and Mocha help people who have been through major trauma. In this book it is someone rescued from being kidnapped. Now Evan, McKenna, and Mocha must find other local girls who disappeared.
The link to Donnelly’s newsletter is https://kathleendonnelly.com/contact/#newsletter, and if someone signs up, they will receive a non-fiction compilation of short stories about her time as a K-9 handler, titled Working Tails.
Donnelly writes gripping stories that are very realistic. They take readers on a thrilling ride of action-packed non-stop adventure that have twists and turns. The characters will touch people’s hearts as they try to make a life for themselves and lean on each other as well as their furry companions.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the Forest Service K-9 series?
Kathleen Donnelly: I had the setting in Colorado because I grew up there and loved the mountains. My dad was a researcher in the forest service. It is so beautiful, but the mountains can be very dangerous. It is the perfect Jekyll and Hyde setting. I am a retired canine handler, where I did it for nineteen years.
EC: Were you a canine handler for law enforcement?
KD: No. I worked for a private company and owned one, Sherlock Holmes Detection Canine. We went to schools, private business, and some rehabs. Our dogs were trained to find drugs, alcohol, and gun powder. We did go through the same training and certification as law enforcement officers. I try to keep it realistic as far as police procedure and all the drugs in the stories are fact based.
EC: Did you speak with any law enforcement or military people?
KD: One of our handlers was a retired handler officer who reads my books and gives me feedback. I have another friend, a retired chief of police. I have a lot of sources I can reach out to in law enforcement. I was also able to connect with a forest service law enforcement canine handler. He is very helpful because some of my friends would say we would do it this way in city PD, but that is not how forest service will do it.
EC: What about Maya’s PTSD?
KD: I also had a fellow writing friend, Tara Darlene Smith, who was an army veteran who suffered from PTSD. I believe she drove convoys in Iraq. She told me what it was like. She has published a book, Sunflowers in Iraq about what she went through. She helped develop Maya’s battle with PTSD. She told me you do not get over PTSD, just learn how to manage it.
EC: Was the scene where Maya overruled her dog realistic?
KD: The storyline for the first book in the series, Chasing Justicewas based on my own experience. I thought as a handler I wanted to add this realistic aspect, where sometimes things do not go as planned. I had Maya, the handler, not wanting to do the work anymore because of an experience she had, but realizes she is just meant to do it.
EC: Did you base Juniper’s personality on real life dogs?
KD: My dog, Boomer, although not a Malinois, but a black lab, is high energy and does check our house for drugs when we come home. I do have to watch him and keep him away from the tree ornaments. The K-9s are very driven and high energy even when they retire.
EC: How do multi-purpose dogs alert and know what to do?
KD: Dual purposes dogs have more than one job. They have different types of collars or harnesses to show them what job they were going to do. Anytime a dog latches on to a scent for finding evidence, a body, or tracking, their body language changes. Their body language is completely different: the tail can go up, body tenses, they can lie down, or their breathing changes. One of the handlers I spoke with told me, which I added in the story, his dog did a sit for narcotics and laid down to indicate evidence. The dog work I keep as accurate as possible and try to work the storyline around that accuracy even when I was working and my dog was telling me that there was something there, but I missed it.
EC: How would you describe Maya over the course of the three books?
KD: She was a Marine who fought in Afghanistan. She is broken, closed off, loves dogs, she feels grief and anger which shows in her PTSD, and feels guilty over losing her working dog, Zinger, in Afghanistan, blaming herself. She tries to shut off her emotions, and at other times spirals out of control. She can be stubborn, jumps to conclusions, resilient, and a fighter. Maya also wants to be more like her grandfather Wayne, which is why she joined the military and law enforcement, always wanting justice. Because she knows loss, she works hard to help someone find closure.
EC: Is she a recovering alcoholic?
KD: Yes, she now realizes as evidenced in the book quote, she “drinks to quit feeling.” As a character she shows why she got PTSD, dealing with PTSD, and trying to recover from PTSD. I wanted to portray this accurately. A lot of veterans come home, and they do not have a “normal” anymore. She tries to shut down the memories, flashbacks, and nightmares through alcohol. She had a friend, grandfather, and cabin to pull her out of it.
EC: How would you describe Juniper?
KD: She helped Maya with her anxiety, to feel calmness, and gave her purpose. She made her realize her past fear and to trust herself with another dog. Juniper is Maya’s ears, eyes, and smells. She needs structure, is high energy, and high drive. She can be intimidating and loves to destroy objects. She is a typical Malinois, wound tighter than any working dog. When I would look for dogs at rescues, I wanted them to be friendly but are so high energy with extra drive that they could not be just a pet, but a great working dog. They need to be entertained even when retired. The Malinois like Juniper are similar, but only on steroids. One of the best portrayals of a Malinois was the movie “Dog” with Channing Tatum. They did not exaggerate.
EC: The role of Grandfather Wayne?
KD: Protective, stubborn, gruff, a fighter, strong, and indestructible. He did not want her to follow in his footsteps. He raised Maya with her grandmother. He is very proud of her, but it is hard for him to tell her. It was easier for Maya to speak with her grandmother because she understood her so well. Losing her grandmother adds to the grief and loss for Maya. Throughout the books Maya and Wayne try to find if she was murdered.
EC: How would you describe Josh?
KD: A good listener, charming, can be arrogant, kind, and not judgmental. His backstory has affected him and caused PTSD. He wants to help people.
EC: How about the relationship?
KD: He really understood Maya on a level no one has. They are attracted to each other but also found each other annoying. They were good friends first. She thinks she is not good enough for him and does not think she is in a spot to have a relationship. The relationship seems to progress with each book.
EC: How would you describe one of the supposed bad guy characters, Eric Torres?
KD: Cunning, ruthless, smart, charismatic, manipulative, a bad cop who took bribes, and he is not who he appears to be at first sight.
EC: How would you describe the murderer of the third book of the series, Killer Secrets?
KD: Manipulative, a hunter, uses drugs to get his victim incapacitated, feels powerful, obsessed with Maya. He is also methodical, controlling, meticulous, knows investigative techniques and likes to play games with the victims. I developed him off some of the FBI’s research on serial killers and then used my own characteristics.
EC: What about the other series, Colorado Canine Rescue?
KD: It is different than the Forest Service K-9 Series. It is much more of a romance series. Each character has their own story.
EC: How would you describe the female lead, McKenna?
KD: Vulnerable, strong, determined, resilient, and anxious. She is a survivor and wants to help others who had traumatic experiences. She faced her trauma more than Maya had faced hers. There is a statistic where those in law enforcement or the military like Maya have faced over 800 traumatic events where someone like McKenna had that one trauma.
EC: What about the male lead, Evan?
KD: Sometimes rude. Untrusting. A workaholic, driven, and outgoing.
EC: What about the relationship?
KD: At first McKenna thinks of him as a jerk. He likes to tease. Both are sensitive. He makes her feel safe.
EC: How would you describe the dog, Mocha?
KD: He is a canine victim specialist dog. I heard the FBI started this crisis program. They comfort victims. The dogs are deployed to horrific events. Mocha brings joy, provides comfort, and helped McKenna with her trauma.
EC: What about your non-fiction book, Working Tails?
KD: In book 4 of the Forest Service novels, Buried Lies, Josh’s past comes back to haunt him and he is framed for murder. This ties up a lot of his past. It comes out January 2026. Book 5’s plot has one of the bad guys coming back for revenge against Maya. It is titled, Deadly Revenge and comes out July 2026.
The next story in the Colorado Canine Rescue series will feature Cassidy, McKenna’s sister. Probably comes out in 2027.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Kate Holland has a new mission. As a special investigator for the governor’s office, she takes on Arkansas’ toughest cases—especially those involving veterans. At her side is Ruger, now her fully trained K-9 partner.
Their first case begins with a mutilated body and a stolen identity. The victim wasn’t who he claimed to be—and he was still actively serving his country when he died. As Kate digs deeper, other bodies surface…and the truth emerges: a warrior is missing.
Working the case puts Kate and Arash on dangerous ground—professionally and personally. The closer they get to the truth, the tighter the noose around them. Kate will risk everything to bring the missing soldier home. The only question is, who will make it out alive?
LAST DOG OUT (A Kate Holland/Hidden Valor K-9 Mystery Thriller Book #4) by Candace Irving is another gritty and intense police procedural/crime thriller addition to this outstanding action-packed series with a female veteran protagonist and her dog that you cannot forget even after the conclusion of each book. This is a series that I feel is best read in order due to the protagonist’s personal journey through PTSD, emotional trauma, and healing. Please note: this book does discuss PTSD, suicide, and depicts a dog fight.
Kate Holland and her newly promoted K-9 partner, Ruger are barely situated in their new jobs as Special Investigators for the Arkansas governor’s office, when she receives a call to investigate a mutilated body found in a ditch that is presumed to be a Marine veteran. As Kate begins to search for answers, the identity of the man from his wallet begins to fall apart.
Kate and her law enforcement friends must deal with politics, military secrets, and a secretive circle of powerful men and corrupt law enforcement involved in dog fighting, illegal arms, and prostitution. She discovers beside unraveling this web of death, money, and power, she is also looking for a stolen retired CAD (Canine Assault Dog). Can she find the killer, bring justice to the dead soldier, and find the CAD still alive?
It is no secret that I love this series and this book did not disappoint! Kate’s journey with PTSD has come a long way since book one and it continues here. The bond between Kate and Ruger is strong and beautiful. I love reading about his instinctive protective reactions towards Kate. Ruger’s climatic scene in this book had me holding my breath on the edge-of-my-seat. Kate’s relationship with Arash is believably written and I am looking forward to following it into future books. All the recurring secondary characters are realistically written and well developed. The police procedural/crime thriller plot was well written and fast paced with many twists and surprises throughout. This plot does go into dark criminal activity and animal abuse, but I never felt it was gratuitous.
I highly recommend this addition to the Kate Holland/Hidden Valor K-9 Mystery Thriller series!
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About the Author
A former US Navy Lt., Candace Irving is the daughter of a librarian and a retired boatswain’s mate chief. Candace grew up in the Philippines, Germany, and all over the United States. Her senior year of high school, she enlisted in the US Army. Following basic training, she transferred to the Navy’s ROTC program at the University of Texas-Austin. While at UT, she spent a summer in Washington, DC, as a Congressional Intern. She also worked security for the UT Police. BA in Political Science in hand, Candace was commissioned as an ensign in the US Navy and sent to Surface Warfare Officer’s School to learn to drive warships. From there, she followed her father to sea.
Candace Irving writes gritty military thrillers. She is the author of the Deception Point Military Detective Thriller Series and the Hidden Valor Military Veterans/K9 Psychological Suspense Series. She also writes military romance and romantic suspense as Candace Irvin (without the “g”).
The death of a nameless young woman in his emergency room spurs physician AJ Docker to seek answers. Together with his policeman friend and a police dog, he sets out on a quest for justice for his lost patient, but he discovers more questions than answers as he delves into the criminal world.
Last Patient of the Night is an action packed thriller interspersed with lighthearted stories from the emergency room, featuring a cast of interesting characters.
LAST PATIENT OF THE NIGHT (AJ Docker Thriller Book #1) by Gary Gerlacher is a fast paced action/adventure crime thriller that gives the reader a mash-up of amateur sleuth in an E.R. doctor protagonist, AJ Docker, his policeman friend and K-9 police dog, and two local detectives work the case as a police procedural all intertwined with humor as well as thrills, danger, and action.
This first book in a series introduces the main characters, AJ Docker and K-9, Banshee. The Doc has a way with the ladies (think James Bond as an E.R. doctor), is smart, talented as an Emergency Room doctor, and has a penchant to help the underdog and/or persecuted. He is also sports oriented and trained in firearms and marital arts. The secondary characters are interesting in their own ways, and the dialogue is snarky and fun. The crime thriller plot is fast-paced and kept me turning the pages. This is a thriller you pick up for escapism, action, fun, and an easy read.
I am looking forward to following Doc and Banshee in future books.
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About the Author
One of the wildest work environments imaginable, Emergency Rooms give staff the joy and satisfaction of saving lives as well as the low of pronouncing death just minutes apart. Each emergency room runs on adrenaline-fueled heroes working 24/7/365 to help patients. After thirty years in the field of medicine as a pediatric emergency physician, Gary Gerlacher has a lifetime of stories to share from his experiences. His books seek to capture the chaos and energy of life in the emergency room, while seeking justice for traumatized patients. They feature a potent mix of emotion, action, and humor, as Doc and Banshee, his K9 sidekick, travel the country to meet new challenges in each work environment. Gary is a serial entrepreneur in the healthcare space and lives in Dallas with his wife and two rescue dogs. He is currently working on opening a competitive cheer gym with his daughters (thoughts and prayers please). Last Patient of the Night, Faulty Bloodline, Sin City Treachery and Deadly Equation are currently available on Amazon. Book five, Terminal Exchanges, will be released in October, 2025.
With a second serial killer case under her belt, Deputy Kate Holland is finally making headway with her PTSD. But when skeletal remains are unearthed on a sandbar amid the Arkansas River, Kate’s world is rocked again.
The decaying bones belong to a soldier once attached to a nearby National Guard unit, and their DNA links to an unsolved missing person’s investigation headed up by the very cop who spent his life undermining Kate’s personal and professional confidence.
The more Kate digs into the murdered soldier’s life, the more connections she discovers between the victim, an old family friend…and her own father.
Other bodies have begun to turn up as well, and these new murders appear to be connected to the original soldier’s death—and a sinister plot years in the making.
Will the clues her father missed all those years ago lead to the deaths of every current officer on the Braxton police force—including Kate’s?
BENEATH THE BONES: A Kate Holland Psychological Suspense (A Hidden Valley Military Veteran/K-9 Mystery Book #3) is another fantastically addictive addition to the Hidden Valley Military series featuring veteran and smalltown deputy Kate Holland and her K-9 companion Ruger. I start one of these books and I cannot put them down! I do recommend reading them in order due to Kate’s personal and psychological journey.
Deputy Kate Holland is making headway with her treatment of her PTSD and Ruger is almost done with his training to get his K-9 certification. When bones are discovered in a sandbar near the river, they are identified as a veteran from a cold case missing person’s case handled by her dead father.
As Kate begins investigating, she finds disturbing connections to an old family friend and while she does not want to believe it, he offers a confession to the cold case murder. A current murder is discovered as she goes to question a veteran tied to the same group of veterans that have ties to the old bones. A planned conspiracy is beginning to be uncovered that could kill many innocent people unless Kate discovers the plan and location of lethal munitions filled with a deadly biological gas.
I love this series! Kate is a flawed protagonist that has gone through hell, survived terrible physical disfigurement and mental trauma, but is finally getting the help she needs. Her ability to solve her previous serial killer cases demonstrated her grit and determination, but now with her continued healing and the emotional support of her K-9, Ruger, and the start of a relationship with fellow deputy, Arash, Kate is even more realistic, relatable, and believable. I am so excited to follow this relationship in future books. The suspense of the conspiracy plot was high with so many threads to connect, twists, and surprises throughout.
I cannot recommend this book and series enough! Once you open one of these books, you will not be able to stop reading.
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About the Author
A former US Navy Lt., Candace Irving is the daughter of a librarian and a retired boatswain’s mate chief. Candace grew up in the Philippines, Germany, and all over the United States. Her senior year of high school, she enlisted in the US Army. Following basic training, she transferred to the Navy’s ROTC program at the University of Texas-Austin. While at UT, she spent a summer in Washington, DC, as a Congressional Intern. She also worked security for the UT Police. BA in Political Science in hand, Candace was commissioned as an ensign in the US Navy and sent to Surface Warfare Officer’s School to learn to drive warships. From there, she followed her father to sea.
Candace Irving writes gritty military thrillers. She is the author of the Deception Point Military Detective Thriller Series and the Hidden Valor Military Veterans/K9 Psychological Suspense Series. She also writes military romance and romantic suspense as Candace Irvin (without the “g”).
ACT OF VALOR (True Blue K-9 Unit Book #2) by Dana Mentink is an action packed Christian romantic suspense in this True Blue K-9 Unit series published by Love Inspired Suspense. This is the second book in the series featuring another of the Jameson brothers who all work in the NYPD K-9 unit with their varied K-9 partners. This is easily read as a standalone with a HEA and a complete crime suspense plot, but there is an over-arcing murder mystery that is in all the books of this series, so I am reading them all in order.
Violet Griffin works as a ticketing agent at La Guardia as well as helping in her parent’s family restaurant. When she encounters a suspicious passenger, she suddenly finds herself the target of a drug smuggling ring that wants her dead. When she is attacked in the employee lounge, Zach is in the airport with his beagle and saves her, but her attacker gets away.
NYPD K-9 Officer Zach Jameson and his drug sniffing beagle, Eddie, are in time to save Violet this time, but she is determined to live her own life and makes protecting her difficult and leaves her open to attack. Zach and Violet have been friends since childhood, and he is determined to protect her by bringing down the drug ring that is threatening her life.
As Zach guards Violet their chemistry ramps up. Violet refuses to ruin her friendship with Zach if he does not return her feelings of more than friendship, but she is willing to pray for and with Zach since he has lost his faith in God with the murder of his brother while trying to stay alive and bring down the drug ring.
This is a well written Christian romantic suspense that kept me reading from start to finish. The romance was believable with Violet and Zach both realizing how much they cared for each other, but afraid to lose their long-term friendship. The arguing between the two was humorous even though it was over serious matters. There are no sex scenes and yet the chemistry and love are there. There are strong faith and prayer elements throughout the story, but they are well placed and never slowed the story. The suspense is action packed and fast paced. I loved Eddie and enjoyed the balance between his work attitude and his lovable and at times naughty personality when not working. I was glad there was mention of a little progress in the murder mystery that is spread over the entire series, but I wanted more.
This is an exciting and thrilling Christian romantic suspense that ticked off everything I would hope for in this type of genre book.
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About the Author
Dana Mentink is a USA TODAY and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author. She’s written more than forty mystery and suspense novels for Love Inspired Suspense, Harvest House, and Poisoned Pen Press. She is honored to have received two ACFW Carol Awards, a Holt Medallion Award, and a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award.
