The Good Boy
A Novel
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4.1 • 11 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Edgar award winner Theresa Schwegel returns with The Good Boy, her most dramatic and emotional novel to date, a family epic that combines the hard-boiled grit of her acclaimed police thrillers with an intimate portrait of a young boy trying to follow his heart in an often heartless city.
For Officer Pete Murphy, K9 duty is as much a punishment as a promotion. When a shaky arrest reignites a recent scandal and triggers a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, all eyes are on Pete as the department braces for another media firestorm.
Meanwhile, Pete's eleven-year-old son Joel feels invisible. His parents hardly notice him—unless they're arguing about his "behavioral problems"—and his older sister, McKenna, has lately disappeared into the strange and frightening world of teenagerdom. About the only friend Joel has left is Butchie, his father's furry "partner."
When Joel and Butchie follow McKenna to a neighborhood bully's party, illegal activity kicks the dog's police training into overdrive, and soon the duo are on the run, navigating the streets of Chicago as they try to stay one step ahead of the bad guys—bad guys who may have a very personal interest in getting some payback on Officer Pete Murphy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Daniels delivers a strong performance in his reading of Schwegel's latest crime novel about Butch, a smart Shepherd-Malinois mix and prime member of the Chicago Police Department's K9 unit; his partner, officer Pete Murphy, who is doing his best to recover from a recent scandal that threatens his family and his career; and Pete's son, Joel, a socially awkward but resourceful 11-year-old. When Joel runs afoul of a local bully and his gang, he and Butch end up on the run, forced to navigate the streets of Chicago in search of safety. Although Daniels starts off a little stiff in his narration, he quickly warms to the material and delivers an engaging reading. He keeps the pace taut and suspenseful, but never allows the story to slip into melodrama. Daniels's characterizations are effectively diverse; he presents each character with an individual voice perfectly suited to age, gender, and ethnicity. A Minotaur hardcover.
