Breaking Creed
Authors: Alex Kava
Tags: #Action & Adventure, #Fiction, #Suspense, #Crime, #Thrillers
Breaking Creed
Alex Kava
Penguin (2015)
Tags: Fiction, Action & Adventure, Thrillers, Suspense, Crime
Fictionttt Action & Adventurettt Thrillersttt Suspensettt Crimettt
New York Times– and internationally bestselling author Alex Kava’s thrilling new series introducing Ryder Creed, ex-marine turned K9 search-and-rescue dog trainer as he teams up with fan-favorite FBI profiler Maggie O’Dell. Ryder Creed and his dogs have been making national headlines. They’ve intercepted several major drug stashes being smuggled through Atlanta’s airport. But their newfound celebrity has also garnered some unwanted attention. When Creed and one of his dogs are called in to search a commercial fishing vessel, they discover a secret compartment. But the Colombian cartels’ latest shipment isn’t drugs. This time, its cargo is human. To make matters worse, Creed helps one of the cartel’s drug mules escape—a fourteen-year-old girl who reminds him of his younger sister who disappeared fifteen years ago. Meanwhile, FBI agent Maggie O’Dell is investigating a series of murders—the victims tortured, killed, and dumped in the Potomac River. She suspects it’s the work of a cunning and brutal assassin, but her politically motivated boss has been putting up roadblocks. By the time she uncovers a hit list with Creed’s name on it, it might be too late. The cartel has already sent someone to destroy Creed and everyone close to him. But Creed and his dogs have a few surprises in store on their compound in Florida. Will it be enough to stop a ruthless cartel determined to remove the thorn in its side once and for all?From the Hardcover edition.
ALSO BY ALEX KAVA
THE MAGGIE O’DELL NOVELS
Stranded
Fireproof
Hotwire
Damaged
Black Friday
Exposed
A Necessary Evil
At the Stroke of Madness
The Soul Catcher
Split Second
A Perfect Evil
THE STAND-ALONE NOVELS
Whitewash
One False Move
THE E-BOOK ORIGINALS WITH ERICA SPINDLER AND J. T. ELLISON
Storm Season
Slices of Night
G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS
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Copyright © 2015 by S. M. Kava
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kava, Alex.
Breaking creed / Alex Kava.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-698-16067-5
1. Police dogs—Fiction. 2. Drug traffic—Colombia—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3561.A8682B74 2015 2014028557
813'.54—dc23
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Version_1
FOR MY BOY, SCOUT
March 1998–May 2014
Miss you like crazy, buddy.
CONTENTS
Special Excerpt from SILENT CREED
AUTHOR’S NOTE
From the time I was able to crawl, I’ve been enamored with dogs. I even have a few scars that could have and probably should have discouraged me. My earliest memory is of the day I decided to follow our two farm dogs anywhere they went. They were my constant companions when my older brother and sister were in school and my younger brother was too little.
On this day I remember joyously trotting along with the dogs until I glanced over my shoulder and saw that our farmhouse was quite tiny in the distance. I must have been three or four years old at the time, and of course, I don’t need to tell you that my mother was frantic by the time I wandered back with my two friends.
For years now I’ve included dogs in my novels, but I’ve been itching to create a character who not only shared my love and my awe of dogs but who would be truly happy and most comfortable living in the company of dogs. And wouldn’t it be interesting to have the dogs be strong characters, as well? As much as I love research, finally I would be writing about a subject I knew quite well.
Needless to say, I’m excited about this new series, but never once did I realize nor could I predict how very difficult it would be to write about dogs while losing one of my own. And not just any dog, but my sixteen-year-old buddy, Scout, who had been at my side—literally sitting next to me—while I wrote all fourteen of my novels. He even waited until I finished this one before telling me he’d had enough of fighting kidney disease for two years.
My good friend Sharon Car said it perfectly: “Big personalities leave a big hole, and I’m sure Scout has left a crater in your heart.”
That, he has certainly done. But one of the privileges of being a writer is finding some small way to honor those we love. At the end of the book, you might notice that Jason names his puppy after Scout Finch from
To Kill a Mockingbird
. But in truth, Jason’s dog is named after my Scout who was actually named after my favorite literary character. In future books you’ll get a glimpse of my Scout’s quirks, like chasing his tail, giving kisses on demand, and making everyone—including the other dogs—laugh . . . a lot.
In addition, this book is dedicated to my boy, Scout. And although he was a West Highland terrier, something tells me he would have approved of being represented by a Labrador. His spirit is definitely big enough.