The Handler: A Mystery Thriller (Maddie Castle Thrillers Book 1)

A K9 handler from the police department is killed, and Maddie Castle is called in to evaluate whether the handler's dog can be rehabilitated. Castle, a former K9 handler herself, was wounded in the line of duty years earlier—a shooting that killed her own four-legged partner and ended her career. She has since returned to her hometown trailer park and works as a private investigator, struggling financially and with chronic pain from her injury. Working to save the K9 offers Castle a chance to reconnect with the job she lost. As she investigates the handler's death, a desperate mother contacts her about her missing son. This case pulls Castle into Pittsburgh's criminal underworld, where she encounters powerful individuals willing to use violence to protect their interests. Castle pursues the truth about the boy's disappearance, uncovering a dark secret with potential consequences for the entire city. The first book in the Maddie Castle Thrillers series, written by L.T. Ryan with C.R. Gray, follows Castle as she navigates the line between right and wrong in her search for justice.