The Garbage Man by Candace Irving is Book One in A Hidden Valor Military Veteran/K9 Suspense Series.
She's scarred by more than the wounds on one side of her face. She thought she'd made it past the night terrors, but they've returned in full force. Thanks to her German Shepherd "Ruger", Kate Holland has one anchor in her small-town sheriff's deputy life. Her boss, Lou, is like a surrogate father, but he can only help as much as she allows, and she won't allow much. The source of her pain made her an unwilling hero in her hometown and in the military life she served, but it also broke her in pieces she can't seem to put back together on the inside. Tough on the outside, she's cracking all over again on the inside.
This new case is gruesome but precise and meticulous. Body parts arranged neatly in stapled garbage sacks exact distances apart in a line in secluded places with no prints of anything anywhere.
Even the coroner finds the situated remains hard to stomach.
Identification of the individual leads to bizarre circumstances but no real clues until . . .
Introduction of each character is done very well, defined by subtle and not-so-subtle nuances in appearance, gestures, speech. This story is my first introduction to Candace Irving, and her writing impressed me. As my reviewers know, I prefer the exclusion of profanity, but I also understand its use when it's not obsessive. There is some here. In The Garbage Man devotion, extreme loss, personal trauma, betrayals, purpose, resolution, and realization all make their marks in solving the murders. Good story, well done. One of the final scenes brought tears for this reader. Dog lovers will absolutely adore Ruger, and I love that he's my favorite breed - portrayed realistically if you've ever had the pleasure of owning one.
Highly recommend this one.
Father, you know us inside and out. You know what and how we think. I ask that you would bless Candace, continue to give her the stories you have just for her to tell, and encourage her all along the way as only you can do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.