Harvested: A Max Boucher Story

"For a doggone good time, call Max." Someone in Seattle is stealing dogs. But not financially valuable pedigree animals- these are are and youthful mutts. No ransom requested. Just gone. After a dozen dogs have disappeared in the surrounds of one particular dog park, the desperate owners club together to employ PI Max Boucher, previously a Seattle police detective who quit the force some three years before after the death of his own dog, of his daughter, and the disappearance of his wife. Her body had never been found and Max still retains the hope that one day he will find her. "Call me Max" takes on the assignment as money is tight and finds himself embroiled in more than he anticipated. This is a fun read with melodramatic moments as Max is pursued by the ladies of the area as he is chasing dognappers. But there is also a fair amount of violence, heavy drinking and head banging. Some curious characters, too, including a cat loving veterinarian and an Asian restaurant owner plus, of course, a cast of canines. Narration by David A Conator was expressive, lively and full of passion, with distinctive voicings for every protagonist - a performance really fitting the written book well. I did enjoy this book and look forward to the next in series, Teaching Moments, of which there is a brief taster at the end of the audiobook. The hero, Max, is a curious character, with long term grief and anger problems that would almost certainly alienate him in real life, but he does seem to attract the local ladies in addition to having a very robust skull. Yes, this story certainly has it's lighter moments, if, perhaps, unwittingly. My thanks to the rights holder of Harvested, who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy via Story Origin

I have listened to most of Troy Lambert's Capital City Murders series. They are light mysteries that are easy to read. This book started out like that, a cozy mystery about missing dogs, but it quickly got darker. I loved the character of Max. He is a perfect flawed character, still reeling three years after his wife went missing and his child and dog were murdered. He refuses to admit his wife is dead and will not give up the case. He quit the police force and became a PI. He takes on the case

Harvested (Max Boucher Mysteries #1) by Troy Lambert was given to me as an audio book by StoryOrigin. I am voluntarily posting an honest review. This book was so good, I finished it the second day! Max Boucher is a troubled P.I. He was a police detective until his daughter and his dog were killed and his wife disappeared. He can't get past that terrible event and believes that his wife is still alive. He is referred a case by his old partner. A number of owners in his old neighborhood have had their dogs stolen and have pooled resources to hire Max to investigate. Max begins to believe that there is a huge conspiracy behind what initially appeared to be ordinary dog-knapping. As he delves deeper, he also begins to suspect that there may also be a clue to his wife's disappearance. Various characters appear who are well developed, both dog owners and bad guys. The story becomes more and more complicated as clues are found. The climax and ending of this story are exciting, surprising and make me want to read more about Max Boucher's adventures.