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Dog Walker #3
Stolen
Jane Ashcroft swore she was done with the life that once defined her—heists, forgeries, the rush of stealing priceless art. In Santa Fe, she finally tastes something like quiet mornings walking dogs, evenings with her trusted dog Fable and her ally R, and the illusion of an ordinary future.
Then her old friend, Margot, lures her back. The job is a single painting worth tens of millions, and the dangerous thrill Jane thought she’d left behind. But what begins as one more flawless score unravels into a maze of double-crosses. Margot—once her closest confidante—has her own secrets. Others in Jane’s circle are playing their own game. And the one prize Jane can’t live without is stolen to force her hand.
She wants out. Instead, betrayal tightens like a noose, pulling her deeper until the final reckoning leaves no one untouched.
A psychological thriller of high-stakes art theft and shifting loyalties, The Dog Stolen follows one woman drawn back to the only life she swore she’d never live again—until betrayal makes escape impossible.
Then her old friend, Margot, lures her back. The job is a single painting worth tens of millions, and the dangerous thrill Jane thought she’d left behind. But what begins as one more flawless score unravels into a maze of double-crosses. Margot—once her closest confidante—has her own secrets. Others in Jane’s circle are playing their own game. And the one prize Jane can’t live without is stolen to force her hand.
She wants out. Instead, betrayal tightens like a noose, pulling her deeper until the final reckoning leaves no one untouched.
A psychological thriller of high-stakes art theft and shifting loyalties, The Dog Stolen follows one woman drawn back to the only life she swore she’d never live again—until betrayal makes escape impossible.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 26, 2025
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2424 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 3, 2025
‘An old thrill, the rush of a job pulled off clean’ – suspense and danger, again!
Adding to the suspense of this psychological thriller is the ‘secret’ identity of the fine author who assumes the nom de plume of D.L. Maddox for creating this excellent third volume of The Dog Walker series, stories driven by emotional realism, layered suspense, and protagonists who confront danger with resilience and complexity. As Maddox offers, the use of a pen name ‘reflects a creative choice – designed to align with the unique voice, themes, and characters of these books – rather than a concealment of identity.’
Grasping the readers’ attention, this new volume opens in Santa Fe, and the aura of the main character is captured in the opening lines: ‘By late September, the air in Santa Fe had sharpened into something that felt like freedom. Mornings lifted bright and cool, afternoons warmed enough that the adobe walls took on a soft glow, and the evenings settled with a hit of wood smoke. Jane had been here six months – long enough to know which lanes in the Eastside stayed shaded all day.…which cafes refilled your coffee without asking if a dog lay at your feet with that polite, hopeful stare.’
The author distills the plot well: ‘Jane Ashcroft swore she was done with the life that once defined her—heists, forgeries, the rush of stealing priceless art. In Santa Fe, she finally tastes something like peace: quiet mornings walking dogs, evenings with her trusted dog Fable and her ally R, and the illusion of an ordinary future. Then her old friend, Margot, lures her back. The job is irresistible: a single painting worth tens of millions, and the dangerous thrill Jane thought she’d left behind. But what begins as one more flawless score unravels into a maze of double-crosses. Margot—once her closest confidante—has her own secrets. Others in Jane’s circle are playing their own game. And the one prize Jane can’t live without is stolen to force her hand. She wants out. Instead, betrayal tightens like a noose, pulling her deeper until the final reckoning leaves no one untouched.’
Maddox continues to impress with writing skills that further sustain both interest and admiration. This superb novel stands well on its own, but likely the reader will stay with this entire excellent psychological thriller series – including the upcoming volume 4!
Adding to the suspense of this psychological thriller is the ‘secret’ identity of the fine author who assumes the nom de plume of D.L. Maddox for creating this excellent third volume of The Dog Walker series, stories driven by emotional realism, layered suspense, and protagonists who confront danger with resilience and complexity. As Maddox offers, the use of a pen name ‘reflects a creative choice – designed to align with the unique voice, themes, and characters of these books – rather than a concealment of identity.’
Grasping the readers’ attention, this new volume opens in Santa Fe, and the aura of the main character is captured in the opening lines: ‘By late September, the air in Santa Fe had sharpened into something that felt like freedom. Mornings lifted bright and cool, afternoons warmed enough that the adobe walls took on a soft glow, and the evenings settled with a hit of wood smoke. Jane had been here six months – long enough to know which lanes in the Eastside stayed shaded all day.…which cafes refilled your coffee without asking if a dog lay at your feet with that polite, hopeful stare.’
The author distills the plot well: ‘Jane Ashcroft swore she was done with the life that once defined her—heists, forgeries, the rush of stealing priceless art. In Santa Fe, she finally tastes something like peace: quiet mornings walking dogs, evenings with her trusted dog Fable and her ally R, and the illusion of an ordinary future. Then her old friend, Margot, lures her back. The job is irresistible: a single painting worth tens of millions, and the dangerous thrill Jane thought she’d left behind. But what begins as one more flawless score unravels into a maze of double-crosses. Margot—once her closest confidante—has her own secrets. Others in Jane’s circle are playing their own game. And the one prize Jane can’t live without is stolen to force her hand. She wants out. Instead, betrayal tightens like a noose, pulling her deeper until the final reckoning leaves no one untouched.’
Maddox continues to impress with writing skills that further sustain both interest and admiration. This superb novel stands well on its own, but likely the reader will stay with this entire excellent psychological thriller series – including the upcoming volume 4!
December 18, 2025
I did not expect a thriller about art theft and dog walking to make me feel this much, but here we are.
The Dog Walker: Stolen drops you into Jane Ashcroft’s fragile new life in Santa Fe, where her days are built out of quiet routines and the steady presence of her dog Fable and her partner in survival, R. The early chapters move with the same pace as her dog routes through the Eastside streets and galleries. There is so much attention to light on adobe walls, to the way a Borzoi like Sabine moves, that you start to believe in this hard won peace right alongside her. Which makes it hurt more when Margot Sinclair strolls in with charm, old loyalty, and an invitation that is really a test: one more job, one painting, tens of millions at stake.
The heist setup is delicious in that very specific way. The private gala. Lucien Voss and his painting Eclipse of Silence glowing on the wall like a wound. The meticulous planning around forgeries and catering vans and security feeds. But what works best is that the book never lets you forget the cost. Jane and R are not glamorous criminal masterminds. They are women who have done time, who carry scars from Connecticut and Oregon, who are trying, very badly sometimes, to build a quieter life. When Fable and Sabine are taken and ransomed for the exact amount of their score, the book shifts from clever caper into something more ruthless. I actually felt a little sick reading those pages, which is a compliment.
I kind of loved how messy the loyalties get. Margot, who is both genuine friend and dangerous wildcard. Voss, whose ego is a problem all by itself. R, who keeps seeing angles Jane does not want to face. There are double crosses, then double crosses on those, and yet the emotional through line stays simple. Who do you save. What are you willing to lose. The last section, with its tired burritos in a diner, the talk of fifteen million gone, and that final move to Bergen with its wet streets and language classes, lands softer than I expected, but in a way that feels right. Not triumph. Survival.
The Dog Walker: Stolen drops you into Jane Ashcroft’s fragile new life in Santa Fe, where her days are built out of quiet routines and the steady presence of her dog Fable and her partner in survival, R. The early chapters move with the same pace as her dog routes through the Eastside streets and galleries. There is so much attention to light on adobe walls, to the way a Borzoi like Sabine moves, that you start to believe in this hard won peace right alongside her. Which makes it hurt more when Margot Sinclair strolls in with charm, old loyalty, and an invitation that is really a test: one more job, one painting, tens of millions at stake.
The heist setup is delicious in that very specific way. The private gala. Lucien Voss and his painting Eclipse of Silence glowing on the wall like a wound. The meticulous planning around forgeries and catering vans and security feeds. But what works best is that the book never lets you forget the cost. Jane and R are not glamorous criminal masterminds. They are women who have done time, who carry scars from Connecticut and Oregon, who are trying, very badly sometimes, to build a quieter life. When Fable and Sabine are taken and ransomed for the exact amount of their score, the book shifts from clever caper into something more ruthless. I actually felt a little sick reading those pages, which is a compliment.
I kind of loved how messy the loyalties get. Margot, who is both genuine friend and dangerous wildcard. Voss, whose ego is a problem all by itself. R, who keeps seeing angles Jane does not want to face. There are double crosses, then double crosses on those, and yet the emotional through line stays simple. Who do you save. What are you willing to lose. The last section, with its tired burritos in a diner, the talk of fifteen million gone, and that final move to Bergen with its wet streets and language classes, lands softer than I expected, but in a way that feels right. Not triumph. Survival.
November 8, 2025
The Dog Walker: Stolen by D L Maddox
Story follows Jane and she's a dog walker. It suits her and is safe where she lives. It's only a stepping stone. She then meets up with Margot from her past and persuades her to attend a showing of a painting. Jane was heavily into the art scene til she got jailed. We find out all about that and the mistakes she made over the years. There are meetings and Jane decides that she'd do the job. She works with R and they each get a cut of the job. She has gotten a taste of what she had before and wants more of it. But why not take a few people out of the equation so she would get more money?
Super love the breath by breath move she makes during the heist. After hearing about the big heist in Paris a few weeks ago it's interesting to note the things Jane sees and hears and knows what to do with laser beams. During the scenes I could feel my heart rate rising as it did with her. So scary and yet so close to getting caught again.
After first heist she returns to her normal dog walking days to blend into the scenery.
So many twists and turns and never saw it coming out as it did , whew.
Super descriptive and I would read more works from this author. Can't wait
Story follows Jane and she's a dog walker. It suits her and is safe where she lives. It's only a stepping stone. She then meets up with Margot from her past and persuades her to attend a showing of a painting. Jane was heavily into the art scene til she got jailed. We find out all about that and the mistakes she made over the years. There are meetings and Jane decides that she'd do the job. She works with R and they each get a cut of the job. She has gotten a taste of what she had before and wants more of it. But why not take a few people out of the equation so she would get more money?
Super love the breath by breath move she makes during the heist. After hearing about the big heist in Paris a few weeks ago it's interesting to note the things Jane sees and hears and knows what to do with laser beams. During the scenes I could feel my heart rate rising as it did with her. So scary and yet so close to getting caught again.
After first heist she returns to her normal dog walking days to blend into the scenery.
So many twists and turns and never saw it coming out as it did , whew.
Super descriptive and I would read more works from this author. Can't wait
November 14, 2025
The Dog Walker: Stolen, by D.L. Maddox, is a psychological thriller that follows Jane Ashcroft as she confronts challenges she had hoped to avoid. After escaping prison with R, Jane becomes a dog walker to secure financial stability and a sense of routine. She develops strong connections with the dogs and their intriguing owners, yet trouble consistently finds her wherever she relocates while evading capture. In this installment, Jane returns to Santa Fe, a place from her past, where an old acquaintance seeks to utilize her skills that she had mastered before she went to prison. Will Jane turn down this lucrative and thrilling job for the stability she worked so hard to build?
Although D.L. Maddox is a pen name, I associate it with an exceptional series of psychological thrillers. I discovered this series shortly after I began working as a dog walker; fortunately, my experiences are far less perilous than those of Jane Ashcroft. Maddox demonstrates a remarkable ability to create vivid, suspenseful scenes throughout each chapter. I particularly appreciate the unique bond Jane shares with her friend R and her dog Fable. While each book in the series can be read independently, I found the narrative so compelling that I am eager to read the next installment.
Although D.L. Maddox is a pen name, I associate it with an exceptional series of psychological thrillers. I discovered this series shortly after I began working as a dog walker; fortunately, my experiences are far less perilous than those of Jane Ashcroft. Maddox demonstrates a remarkable ability to create vivid, suspenseful scenes throughout each chapter. I particularly appreciate the unique bond Jane shares with her friend R and her dog Fable. While each book in the series can be read independently, I found the narrative so compelling that I am eager to read the next installment.
December 11, 2025
THE DOG WALKER: STOLEN is a tense and entertaining psychological thriller that keeps the energy high from the very first chapter. D.L. Maddox delivers another gripping installment in the series, blending fast-paced suspense with characters who feel real with plenty of emotion. Jane is a captivating protagonist. The mystery unfolds with the right amount of twists, and the stakes rise in a way that makes the story incredibly hard to put down. Maddox’s writing is sharp, vivid, and confident, making this third book a standout. Fans of psychological thrillers will have an absolute blast with this one. A Great addition to the series. Highly recommended.
December 29, 2025
A new city to hide in and walk dogs. It is beautiful there and her friend R is with Jane. More of Jane's past is revealed. The art scene and people with their own galleries are now a part of their lives. Jane was once a skilled art thief and a supposed friend connects her to millionaires that want her to steal paintings from private collections. R and a few friends from her past life join Jane in planning and executing these heists. There is a hitch, are the rich really rich and how can Jane, R and their dog Fable escape? Fast paced, exciting read. This is a series so on to the next book.
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January 27, 2026
I’d give this a 3.8. I think that Jane and R’s story became repetitive in this book and though you can read the book as stand alone, reading it in chronological order makes the main characters feel quite predictable. I probably won’t be reading reckoning (last book) but I am curious about the prequel, so I may give that a go.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews