Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  The Hound of the Burgervilles

SERIES:  Quest Investigations

AUTHOR:  E.J. Russell

PUBLISHER:  Reality Optional Press

LENGTH:  214 pages

RELEASE DATE:  November  14, 2021

BLURB:

This case is really going to the dogs…

After I try a little off-the-books interrogation to locate my selkie almost-boyfriend’s nearly-ex-husband (don’t ask, it’s complicated), I’m in the doghouse again with my bosses, who bust me back to surveillance. Ugh. So when another human inexplicably storms into Quest Investigations—something our security spells ought to prevent since I’m supposed to be the only human admitted to our offices—I’m reduced to staking out local fast food restaurants to check out the guy’s alleged sighting of a giant, glowing-eyed, dumpster-diving spectral hound.

Ridiculous, right? Humiliating, too, not to mention boring. But at least they didn’t fire me.

Imagine my surprise when there actually is a giant, glowing-eyed, dumpster-diving spectral hound—one of the Cwn Annwn, Herne the Hunter’s traitor-tracking dog pack, to be exact. Jeez, who let this dog out? It’s my case, though, so it’s up to me—Matt Steinitz, aka Hugh Mann—to return him to Faerie. But while Herne’s normally hopping kennels are inexplicably unpopulated by pups, they’re playing host to one extremely dead body.

Uh oh. Looks like someone’s bite was a lot worse than their bark.

Guess my love life will have to take a back seat again while we nose out the truth.

Dammit.

The Hound of the Burgervilles is the second in the Quest Investigations M/M mystery series, a spinoff of E.J. Russell’s Mythmatched paranormal rom-com story world. It contains no on-page sex or violence, and although there is a romantic subplot, it is not a romance. The series is best read in order.

REVIEW:

Note:  This is the second book in this series and follows directly the events of the first book.  To understand the players and the quest, it’s best to have read the first book in the series.

Matt Steinitz, aka Hugh Mann, the only human employee of Quest Investigations, would really like to move his almost relationship with Lachlan Brodie, reluctant king of the selkies forward.  He’s getting impatient since his hopeful almost boyfriend is still married to his almost ex-husband who has gone into hiding.  And since he’s a water sprite, it’s anybody’s guess as to where he’s gone.  With Eleri, the erstwhile Dryad from the first book in this series is not working at Quest, Matt decides to go to Faerie and get help trying to locate him and thus move the dissolution of the handfasting forward.  But too man things go wrong, including a young naked werewolf (Jordan of course) and pissing off a powerful fae.

Back at Quest, Matt has take his punishment, which means another year on probation and busted back down from investigations to surveillance.  Quest is inundated with calls asking for Animal Control.  And then a human is able to enter the office – with a complaint about an unnatural “dog” that is following his route to deliver Burgers to all the Burgervilles around Portland.  So Matt is sent out.  His friends Eleri and Jordan show up though with snacks from Burgerville and when the hound appears, it’s clear that it’s one of Herne’s Cwn Annwn – or “hellhounds” in the vernacular.  But it’s a puppy and he’s hungry and thirsty and cold.  Jordan takes him under his wing and the dog, nicknamed Doop, is willing to follow Jordan and they return to Quest.

It’s clear that something has happened if this hound is out on his own the the “Outerworld” and so the Quest team decides to go a try to figure out what has happened that somebody let the dog out 😉  And its way worse than they though.  Murder and machinations and danger are afoot.  Then Lachlan shows up to help and throws Matt a bit off kilter.  They can’t do anything until Lachlan is free, but that doesn’t mean that Lachlan doesn’t want to do whatever he can to protect and help Matt.  And that goes for the rest of the team as well.  It’s a LOT bigger than any of them realized and also a lot more dangerous than anyone could imagine.  But the best part is that Matt is able to help BECAUSE he’s human, not in spite of being human.

Well this was another delightful entry in this spinoff series about the supernatural/paranormal Mythmatched world created by this author.  I really enjoyed every page of this story.  Matt and his feelings for Lachlan – whatever they may be exactly – are front and center and an initial driver of the story.  But those have to be set aside for the greater good when it turns out that he has stumbled on a much larger conspiracy that puts all the dimensions – faerie, human realm, Elysium, Sheol – at risk.  Some of the bad actors from previous stories are involved and it’s good to see that crime doesn’t pay.  Also it’s a treat to see Matt realize that he’s got a lot to contribute because he IS human and not a “supe” in this case 🙂  His relationship with Lachlan is taking baby steps, but hopefully they will continue to make progress.  This is the slowest of slow burns and I’m totally OK with that.  I’m loving the progression of this series and I can’t wait to see what happens next.  Highly recommended particularly for fans of smart paranormal mysteries 🙂

RATING:

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