The Handler by L.T. Ryan and C.R. Gray is Book 1 in A Maddie Castle Thriller Series.
Maddie Castle lost it all when she was shot and her dog was killed. Her injured leg temporarily crippled her and the damage caused her way-too-soon retirement from the police department. The pain is excruciating, and she's gotten to the point where prescription opioids are the only relief she gets. Her job as a private investigator isn't flourishing, and she isn't doing well.
When a detective she knew is murdered after cornering a man who works for the kingpin of drugs in the area, his loyal service K-9 who is injured in the incident has become a problem. Maddie is the best at training the canines for service, and she is asked by a former cop to see if the dog's salvageable. Maddie knows how the dog's former partner finished off her training, and Maddie disapproved of his methods for precisely the reason the dog's become unmanageable. She carefully considers taking the dog home to see if she can be rehabilitated and decides it will give her a worthwhile goal.
Maddie gets a call from a woman whose son she helped in the past but is now missing. As it turns out, he straightened out his life since then, and the fact that he's missing is pointing to something very wrong.
When searching for him leads to some former school associates, the reunion is unpleasant at best but uniquely helpful.
Dirty cops, drugs, an innocent boy, a special dog, an impossibly intertwined mystery all connect for Maddie when she needs it most.
I've always enjoyed L.T. Ryan's writing and stories, having read a lot of his series, and the authors he's chosen to work with together present seamless entertaining novels. The Handler is no exception.
(Some profanity.)
Father, please bless L.T. with all that he needs to continue to write good stories with others who complement his style. Apart from you, we can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.