Suspect

Book Description The explosive new masterpiece of suspense from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author.

LAPD cop Scott James is not doing so well. Eight months ago, a shocking nighttime assault by unidentified men killed his partner Stephanie, nearly killed him, and left him enraged, ashamed, and ready to explode. He is unfit for duty--until he meets his new partner.

Maggie is not doing so well, either. A German shepherd who survived three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan sniffing explosives before losing her handler to an IED, her PTSD is as bad as Scott's.

They are each other's last chance. Shunned and shunted to the side, they set out to investigate the one case that no one wants them to touch: the identity of the men who murdered Stephanie. What they begin to find is nothing like what Scott has been told, and the journey will take them both through the darkest moments of their own personal hells. Whether they will make it out again, no one can say.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist *Starred Review* The most multifaceted and appealing new protagonist in crime fiction this year just may turn out to be a dog--and a hard-boiled dog, to boot. Maggie is a German shepherd trying out for the LAPD's K-9 unit, but it looks like she isn't going to make it. A former military dog, Maggie survived three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan but was severely wounded (her handler was killed) and now suffers from the canine version of PTSD. LAPD cop Scott James, shot during an altercation in which his partner was killed, also suffers from PTSD and has been assigned to the K-9 unit, but it doesn't look he's going to make it, either. Scott and Maggie immediately bond, but the hard-nosed sergeant who heads the unit doubts whether either one can measure up. Man and dog think otherwise, however, and as Scott continues--off the books--to investigate the shooting that cost his partner her life, he finds that Maggie has his back, just as his partner did. Taking a break from his critically acclaimed Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series, Crais launches what looks like a stand-alone, but anyone who reads 20 pages of this gripping and heartrending thriller will devoutly pray that it's the beginning of a new series. As Scott digs deeper into the death of his partner, he stumbles on a massive cover-up. That story is thoroughly involving and skillfully presented, but, frankly, it's hard for the reader to think of anything but Maggie. We become singlemindedly obsessed with the safety of this beautiful, sensitive, and stunningly intelligent animal, much as Maggie lives to protect and please Scott. Crais take us inside Maggie's head--and, even more, her remarkably sensitive nose--but always in the most believable of terms (this is no talking-dog cozy). A read-in-one-sitting thriller, plot- and character-driven in equal measures. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Crais has hit the New York Times best-seller list eight times, with Taken making it to number one. The track record will jump-start this one, but the book itself will do the rest. --Bill Ott

Review Praise for SUSPECT

"Action-packed, deeply touching and sure to be one of the best-written and most original crime novels of the year."-Associated Press

"The most multifaceted and appealing new protagonist in crime fiction this year just may turn out to be a dog-and a hard-boiled dog, to boot... A read-in-one-sitting thriller, plot- and character driven in equal measures."-Booklist (starred review)

"Maggie is one gorgeous girl, altogether worthy of playing a leading role in SUSPECT, Robert Crais's heart-tugging novel about two wounded war veterans who nudge each other back to life after suffering a traumatic loss... [Maggie] holds us captive, enthralled by Crais's perceptive depiction of her amazing capabilities."-Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

Praise for Robert Crais

"Robert Crais is hands-down the World's Greatest Crime Fiction Writer, and that's no joke" -Huffington Post

"Most crime novel fans have a shortlist of authors they will buy on name recognition alone. If Robert Crais isn't on that list, he should be. His novels get better with every new book" -Portland Oregonian