Format: Hardcover, 327 pages
Release Date: July 23rd 2020
Publisher: Prairie Wind Publishing
Source: Library
Genre: Crime Fiction / Mystery
Secrets are exposed and
Ryder Creed's life hangs in the balance in the riveting sixth
installment of the award-winning Alex Kava Ryder Creed K-9 mysteries.
NOTHING STAYS HIDDEN FOREVER...
During
a training exercise, Creed’s scent dog, Grace, is drawn off course and
discovers a shallow grave. The body was never meant to be found, hidden
deep in an isolated part of Florida’s Blackwater River State Forest. The
remote area has no easy access in or out. The killer obviously hoped
his secret would be scattered and swallowed up by the forces of nature.
When Creed's dogs continue to find more remains, investigators quickly
realize they’re dealing with someone who knows the forest intimately and
has been using it to hide his handiwork for years.
Soon they’ll also discover just how far this killer is willing to go to stop them and keep his secrets hidden forever.
Hidden Creed is the sixth installment in author Alex Kava's Ryder Creed K-9 Mystery series. This story picks up 3 months after Desperate Creed. Ryder and his sister Brodie are out on a training exercise when Ryder's dog, Grace, a Jack Russell Terrier, finds a buried body in a heavily wooded area known as Blackwater River State Park. What's apparent is that the body was never meant to be found. The remote area has no easy access in or out. The killer obviously hoped his secret would be scattered and swallowed up by the forces of nature.
After Brodie is chased home by an unknown person and survives because she will no longer be considered easy prey, things ratchet up quickly. FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell is already in Florida doing her own investigation of a dump site found in one of the storage units. There are body parts and tissue samples, but no one can identify the owner. Are the two dump sites connected? As a criminal profiler whose specialty is capturing serial killers, Maggie joins the hunt. Meanwhile, Grace continues to find more remains reminiscent of the Body Farm in Tennessee where people donate their bodies, and investigators quickly realize they're dealing with someone who knows the forest intimately and has been using it to hide his handiwork for years.
Blackwater River State Forest is 200,000 acres in the Florida panhandle. The forest backs up to Ryder Creed's 50-acre dog training facility called K9 CrimeScents. Which means that Ryder, Grace, Hannah, her sons, Brodie, Jason, Scout, and the rest of the dogs, including a newer dog found shot in the woods, are a target for the killer. It is apparent that Brodie has become a regular of this series which I like. She brings something to the series which is a bit of reality having been a kidnap victim for 16 years before being found. Plus, I hope that she will begin training with her own dog soon, maybe Hank, an American bully breed?
I liked the new Medical examiner Vickie Kammerer as well. Vicki’s interplay with Maggie, Brodie and Ryder is entertaining and fun, it makes the story a joy to read. There’s another part to the story which focuses on two women: Kayla Hudson and Veteran Taylor Donahey. Kayla is dealing with real life issues with her son having serious health issues and her husband dealing with substance abuse. Taylor is a character who hasn't exactly had an easy life since coming back home from Afghanistan. She's lost her son and has trusted the wrong person who claims he will help her reunite with her son. Everything is tied together. Everything.
Is anyone finished with the will they or won’t they between Ryder and Maggie? I honestly put the blame mostly on Maggie’s shoulders because she’s scared of commitment. I get slow burn, but this is getting ridiculous. Hell, even VICKIE calls Maggie out for her commitment phobia. I once again applaud the author for actually incorporating realistic places into her story. As you can see, I added links so that you can do your own research into the place where this story takes place. As a Floridian, I believe everyone who lives in this State needs to do more exploring for what this State has to offer. Don’t just focus on Orlando or Key West or Daytona. Look at the bigger picture!
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