The Side Job (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798885905084)

In this fast-paced mystery thriller, searching for a lost dog becomes a dangerous business for a college student who discovers the dog's owner is the true target of his search.

The chief of detectives' sister has disappeared. But not for the first time. Vicky Bracci has willfully vanished and reappeared unharmed in the past after costly and fruitless police searches. Psychiatric care ended the behavior, but Chief Bracci suspects she has relapsed and is hiding nearby with her dog "Wally" as she has before. So he hires a friend's son, college student Sean Mulloy, to find the dog, secretly believing he'll also find Vicky and head off another futile and personally embarrassing police search.

Aided by assertive female rookie cop Syd Stevens, Sean recovers the dog but not Vicky, and suspects it's the wrong dog despite an implanted ID chip. He wants to keep looking for the dog, but Bracci refuses, accusing him of trying to inflate his bill with a pointless search. Insulted and angry, Sean continues the search with Syd's help, determined to find the real Wally and prove Bracci wrong.

But unexpected complications ensue. A menacing figure resorts to violence when Sean refuses to find the dog for him. A caller claims Vicky is hiding from Bracci for good reason. And an uneasy mutual attraction develops between Sean and Syd. Setting a trap, they follow a suspect, hoping to find answers including Vicky's fate and whereabouts.

They have no idea of the danger that awaits...