The Good Boy

September 30, 2013
Eleven-year-old Joel Murphy and his father’s police dog, Butch, take center stage in this nail-biter from Edgar-winner Schwegel (Last Known Address). Officer Pete Murphy, Joel’s father and Butch’s handler and partner, is embroiled in a civil suit brought by the brother of a slain gang member, which all leads back to Murphy’s last big case involving the protection of—and potential affair with—an influential Chicago judge. Wallflower Joel slips through life largely unnoticed, playing elaborate versions of cops and robbers with a neighborhood girl, Molly, while his older sister, McKenna, flaunts her teenage spirit with parties and underage drinking. But when Joel and Butch see something they shouldn’t—and more importantly, someone sees them see it—they take off, each determined to take care of the other at any cost. The reader will empathize with everyone from Pete, who has his heart in the right place but makes several wrong turns, to Butch, who never speaks yet says volumes. Agent: David Hale Smith, Inkwell Management.

January 6, 2014
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.