The Second Grave

A Chicago K-9 Thriller, Book 2

By: Jeffrey B. Burton

Narrated by: Will Tulin

The discovery of two graves digs up past crimes and a dangerous killer trying to erase their tracks in this fast-paced K-9 thriller series set in Chicago.

Another day another find for dog trainer Cory Pratt's cadaver dogs Alice and Rex. This time a mass grave with three bodies and a second single grave over three decades old. A cold case that Cory's sibling and Chicago Police detective Crystal has to solve fast as the killer of the four men is still out there.

While the identities of the men are determined one by one, the bodies are linked to an infamous crime which remains unsolved to this day. And with the killer trying to cover their tracks, other dangerous and lethal individuals start getting involved....

Figuring out what happened all those years ago while trying to minimize the current body count, Cory, Crystal, and the dogs are hot on the heels of the killer. But their involvement puts them right on their list and in more danger than they bargained for.

For fans of action-packed K-9 mystery series, such as Margaret Mizushima's Timber Creek K-9 mystery, Paula Munier's Mercy Carr mystery, and Susan Furlong's Bone Gap Travellers mystery: "A mighty impressive thriller" (Booklist)

©2025 Jeffrey B. Burton (P)2025 Tantor Media

Too many characters

I struggled to follow this at times as it jumped back in forth in time. It's better suited to read as a hard copy. Also, it was really glitchy in audible as it cut off the last few words at the end of each chapter.

Main character

I have been pleasantly surprised by this series. The main character is a dog trainer and has two HRD canines. What stands out most is he is in his early 20s. Most stories I have listened to or read have the lead character in their 30s. When I think back on my own 20s, the only mature individuals - in that they have experienced "life" - had served in the armed forces. Yes, being involved with sniffy dogs captured my attention, but I will admit I am curious to see how young Corey matures and if he continues with coding or maybe follows in his father's footsteps or becomes a police officer or a canine behaviorist. The relationship with his older sister is refreshing, as is her position as a detective while relatively young herself.