Reviewed by Caitlin Lyle Farley for Readers' Favorite

An imaginative interpretation of mythology makes Stacy Benedict’s debut novel, Hound Dog Confidential, unforgettable. Leela and Reidar are knights, the police of Primordial society. Their latest assignment is to find a missing socialite who’s addicted to clay, the most dangerous form of dark alchemy. But Natalie isn’t the only Serpent Primordial who’s gone missing. Several other Hydra and Dragon alchemy addicts have disappeared in Flower City recently. Leela enlists Yarah to help her and Reidar investigate, but she’s far from willing. A former alchemy addict with an unstable marriage to a human, Yarah is battling to save her relationship and her sinking restaurant. Yarah can get Leela and Reidar into the Alchemist’s castles, but their undercover visit has terrible consequences. The case becomes personal, and even more impossible as politics and power make their suspect untouchable.

The unique concept behind Hound Dog Confidential makes this a delightful addition to any urban fantasy fan’s library. Stacy Benedict’s characters are well-rounded with believable personalities. There is such a strong sense of realism emanating from them that it’s easy to empathise with their problems, even if one can’t relate to them directly. I particularly enjoyed the representation of LGBT couples in Hound Dog Confidential. I found the first few chapters to be a little slow. It felt like the complexities of the characters' personal lives were distracting from the main plot, but I was wrong. Benedict weaves her story threads together as masterfully as any thriller writer, and the race to the conclusion is exhilarating. Hound Dog Confidential is a satisfying read and I look forward to discovering what happens in the next book.