Hidden Creed

Ryder Creed #6

by Alex Kava

Secrets are exposed and Ryder Creed's life hangs in the balance in the riveting sixth installment of the award-winning Alex Kava Ryder Creed K-9 mysteries.

NOTHING STAYS HIDDEN FOREVER...

During a training exercise, Creed’s scent dog, Grace, is drawn off course and discovers a shallow grave. The body was never meant to be found, hidden deep in an isolated part of Florida’s Blackwater River State Forest. The remote area has no easy access in or out. The killer obviously hoped his secret would be scattered and swallowed up by the forces of nature. When Creed's dogs continue to find more remains, investigators quickly realize they’re dealing with someone who knows the forest intimately and has been using it to hide his handiwork for years.

Soon they’ll also discover just how far this killer is willing to go to stop them and keep his secrets hidden forever.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Thriller, Dogs

325 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 18, 2020

About the author

ALEX KAVA IS A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR of the critically acclaimed Maggie O’Dell series and a new series featuring former Marine, Ryder Creed and his K9 dogs. Her stand-alone novel, One False Move, was the 2006 One Book One Nebraska. Published in over thirty countries, Kava’s novels have made the bestseller lists in the UK, Australia, Germany, Japan, Italy and Poland. Her novel Stranded was awarded both a Florida Book Award and the Nebraska Book Award. She is a member of the Nebraska Writers Guild and International Thriller Writers. Kava divides her time between Omaha, Nebraska and Pensacola, Florida.

Reviews

[Valleri · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This person has a family somewhere. They might still be wondering what happened to him ... or her."

I absolutely love the characters in the Ryder Creed series! My favorite, hands down, is the little scent dog, Grace, though. (Please, please let Grace live forever!) There is so much heart in this series, yet I never find it to be sappy. There is always some humor, as well, along with a wee bit of romance.

On the cover of this book, there is a quote from Jathan and Heather: "Every time an Alex Kava novel ends, I can't wait for the next one." That is EXACTLY how I feel!!!

[Linden · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the latest installment of this series, Rider and Brodie find some bodies in a heavily wooded area with the help of Rider's dog, Grace. Maggie O'Dell, the FBI agent, arrives because it looks like the work of a serial killer. There's some pretty grisly descriptions of decay, death, and body parts in this novel, so if you are sensitive to that sort of thing, it might not be an ideal choice. If not, it's a well-plotted mystery and, as usual, dogs play an essential role in the story. Three and a half stars.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really love the Ryder Creed Series! This book can be read as a stand alone, but why would you. Character development and story continuity are a big part of why I read a series, and this one is no different. Love this series mainly because of the scent dogs and it is a police procedural. Highly recommend this book and series!

2 thumbs up and 4.5 stars

From the blurb: NOTHING STAYS HIDDEN FOREVER...

During a training exercise, Creed's scent dog, Grace, is drawn off course and discovers a shallow grave. The body was never meant to be found, hidden deep in an isolated part of Florida's Blackwater River State Forest. The remote area has no easy access in or out. The killer obviously hoped his secret would be scattered and swallowed up by the forces of nature.

When Creed's dogs continue to find more remains, investigators quickly realize they're dealing with someone who knows the forest intimately and has been using it to hide his handiwork for years. Soon they'll also discover just how far he's willing to go to stop them and keep his secrets hidden forever.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Blackwater River State Forest is 200,000 acres in the Florida panhandle. The forest backs up to Ryder Creed's 50 acre dog training facility. While on a training exercise, Creed's dog Grace finds a body. Then another. Then another. Since she's a serial killer expert, FBI Agent Maggie O'Dell arrives to help. One problem - the killer knows where Creed lives. Everyone is in danger.

I really like Ryder Creed. I love the way he saves broken people and dogs. His love for his dogs shines through every book. I like all the supporting cast as well: Brodie - Ryder's sister, Hannah - his business partner, Jason - handler and his dog Scout. There's a backstory to all these characters which is told in earlier books so I suggest you start with book #1 to get the full scoop. I hope medical examiner Vickie Kammerer becomes a regular in this series. As always, Kava builds up to an exciting conclusion.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this 6th book in Alex Kava's "Ryder Creed" series!!!

[Melissa Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hidden Creed was a thrilling story that had plenty of twists and turns! The setting was perfect for what took place and I really liked that it was so close to home for Creed that there was more inclusion of characters who normally don't have as much time in the story. Brodie is amazing in this story and I am delighted with her progress. She plays an integral part right along with Creed. As always, the dogs are amazing and the plot is fast and furious. I am waiting with bated breath to see where this series goes next!!

[Oliwia Lipska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ciekawe, ale jest to któraś z kolei część serii i bez znajomości poprzednich ciężko jest się połapać w niektórych momentach. Mimo wszystko było dobrze zbudowane napięcie (pod sam koniec zwłaszcza!), krótkie rozdziały i wielorakie perspektywy, przez co czytanie było urozmaicone.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have to love the dogs that star in this series…especially Creed’s little Gracie, a Jack Russell Terrier that will steal your heart. Along with a top notch mystery the reader will learn some fascinating information about scent dogs and how they are trained and these amazing dogs work with rescue people as well as police departments all over the country often going into places that their human handlers couldn’t go. You can’t ever go wrong with an Alex Kava book but you diffidently can’t go wrong with any book in this series. I have yet to find one that is not entertaining…has wonderful characters…a believable plot…and portrays law enforcement officers as they deserve to be portrayed. Oh...and did I mention the really cute dogs?

[Curlyhair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryder Creed and Co back doing what they are great at, finding a killer and again with the help of Maggie O’Dell. Another great story, plenty of action and all within a stones throw from Creed’s house.

[(NurseLisa) Square Granny from Ohio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!!!!

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Source* Library
*Genre* Mystery
*Rating* 4.0

*Thoughts*

Hidden Creed is the sixth installment in author Alex Kava's Ryder Creed K-9 Mystery series. This story picks up 3 months after Desperate Creed. Ryder and his sister Brodie are out on a training exercise when Ryder's dog, Grace, a Jack Russell Terrier, finds a buried body in a heavily wooded area known as Blackwater River State Park. What's apparent is that the body was never meant to be found. The remote area has no easy access in or out. The killer obviously hoped his secret would be scattered and swallowed up by the forces of nature.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've followed the Maggie O'Dell series since 2000, always excited each year for a new release, including the Creed series. I enjoy the Creed series but something is lost from the early Maggie O'Dell stories. Too much is dependent on readers having read earlier books in the series, there is little character development in the last couple of Creed stories and no suspense, very predictable. While the Creed series are quick reads and I do finish them, there is not the sense of wanting to pass on and share with my reader friends. Also, I read the ebook, so I do not know if there is the same editing issues with the hardcover, but there are many grammatical mistakes in the ebook. Purchasing ebooks @ 12.99 for a published author, one expects better quality. Unsure if I will continue with this series...disappointed Kava fan...

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 4 out of 5]

To już szósty tom przygód Rydera Creeda i jego niesamowitych psów, a ja podeszłam do niego z dużą dozą nieufności, bo do tej pory ta seria mocno mnie rozczarowała. Ale na szczęście okazało się, że niepotrzebnie się bałam, bo ten tom okazał się świetny i jest obecnie moim drugim ulubionych w serii!

Jest trochę inny niż poprzednie, bo tym razem zagrożenie czai się o wiele bliżej, a przez to całość wydaje się o wiele mroczniejsza. Tak, jak zazwyczaj Ryder wyjeżdża daleko od domu, by wraz ze swymi psimi pomocnikami ścigać złoczyńców, tak tym razem to oni przybywają do niego, dowiadując się, gdzie mieszka i stanowiąc bezpośrednie zagrożenie zarówno dla niego, jak i dla jego najbliższych. Nie wiedzieć czemu takie rozwiązanie sprawiło, że ta część wydała mi się o wiele ciekawsza i słuchałam jej z ogromnym zaangażowaniem!

Poza tym! Uwielbiam Brodie. Ta kobietka szybko znalazłam swoje miejsce w historii, a w tym tomie następuje jej gwałtowny rozwój i to w dobrą stronę, a mi tylko pozostaje się cieszyć. Trochę za to denerwuje mnie relacja Maggie-Creed, która toczy się tak wolno, że już zaczynam mieć tego dość. Poznali się jeszcze w serii Maggie, teraz leci już szósty tom, a oni tańczą ze sobą ten idiotyczny taniec krok w przód, milion kroków w tył, co każe mi myśleć, że autorka kompletnie nie ma pomysłu na ich relację i jeśli się zejdą wszystko się posypie. Niby spoko, ale od sześciu tomów nic się między nimi nie wydarzyło, a napięcie jest wręcz namacalne...

Zawsze twierdzę, że jeśli czytelnik dotarł tak daleko to już musi być fanem! Ja prozę Kavy śledzę od chwili, gdy po raz pierwszy poznałam Maggie o'Dell, a było to w 2009 roku! Za nami już dużo i jeszcze więcej przed nami, ale jestem w stanie dużo wybaczyć, bo wiem, że dostanę coś dobrego :)

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great series, and it just keeps getting better with each book. Ryder Creed rescues abandoned or injured dogs and trains them for scent dogs and, or, search and rescue dogs. (If a dog can’t be trained for this purpose, he keeps them all, and loves them all.) He and his partner,Hannah, have have built a huge kennel with several buildings, and has everything any of his dogs needs, even a vet clinic. Grace is his exceptional scent dog. When Ryder and his sister, Brodie, are out in the woods doing some training with Brodie and Grace, Grace unexpectedly finds a body partially buried. But when she alerts that there are more bodies, Ryder realizes they have stumbled upon a serial killers burial ground.
FBI agent, Maggie, (who happens to be Ryders girlfriend), is sent to the area to investigate a very suspicious storage unit. Unbeknownst to anyone the storage unit and the burial site may be connected. Maggie and Ryder are both trying to figure out their personal relationship, are they a couple or just friends?
The book was very exciting, and of course the dogs are awesome, and it seems Ryder and Maggie’s relationship will be advancing forward.

[Olivia Mackervall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looking at my other creed review I think it was just that the plotline for the last book in this series was lazy.

This one is about tons of bodies dumped at a burial sight by Creed's property and Grace (dog) finds them by accident.

The person dumping the bodies is so sloppy, I'm surprised they didn't find him earlier.

Didn't love it but didn't hate it. It was readable and I finished it but I just think I'm not a thriller person.

[Alma (retirement at last) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this latest Creed novel. It was non stop from start to finish.
Great story line and brilliant characters.
Do Maggie and Ryder get together? You’ll just have to read the book.
The dogs, once again play a major part in the story and Brodie comes in to her own.
I admit I enjoyed this one more than the last one.
Enjoy the journey.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book! It’s a solid mystery with interesting characters and kept me engaged. It takes place in the swampy forests of Florida and it’s got some gruesome parts which makes it just the right amount of creepy for me. I’ll be reading more by this author!

[CHM · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am..over the relationship..

[Sarah Bittel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic Ryder Creed story. Everything you expect from this series and these characters. I just find myself wishing they were longer! Looking forward to the next one!

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Creed book so far. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! I can’t wait for the next one!

[Hella Comat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t know that there was a genre called “K9 Mystery” but I’m all in.

Ryder Creed takes stray dogs and trains them into being scent, drug, explosive trackers or whatever they are best at. At his training center near Pensacola FL he stumbles upon a set of bodies deep in the woods. However, he’s being watched and trying to discover the identities and cause of death of the bodies is complicated when the man who has been burying them decides to get even with Ryder and his dogs.

[Magnus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read. I really like the Creed series, you can feel Kava enjoys writing about dogs

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this series so much that I can't keep to my intended one-a-year pace. At this rate, I'll soon catch up and be forced to cool my heels waiting for the next book.

If you're a fan of Alex Kava's Ryder Creed series, you know to pay attention to her acknowledgments at the back of each book in which she often tells readers where she got the inspiration for that particular one. Hidden Creed is no exception. Learning about her writing process is interesting as well.

Although I did find the serial killer element of the book a bit tame, I really enjoyed Hidden Creed. In it, Kava shows readers some of what is involved in training medical alert dogs. I never cease to be amazed at how incredibly talented canines are. Kava is working some magic with two of the secondary characters. Jason, the young Army veteran, is slowly working himself out of depression from losing an arm as well as PTSD. As he becomes more open, he comes in contact with more people. I love watching his healing process. I also love watching Creed's sister, Brodie, as she recuperates from her own ordeal. She's an incredible young woman who's very tired of everyone treating her like she's going to shatter into a million pieces. I look forward to what she will do in the next book.

If you love fast-paced thrillers with marvelous working dogs and two-legged characters who rapidly come to feel like family members, you really need to read this series. Start at the beginning with Breaking Creed. You can thank me later.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't even realize another one was out until I was browsing the library.

Good story, even if the plot veered a little, good characters.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read. Thank you Alex! Keep them coming!

[Jacek · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/5/10

[Krissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Another wonderful book by Alex Kava. I love catching up with Ryder and his friends and with Maggie too. V
I cannot wait for the next book

[TerryLovesToListen Ware · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh how I love these Ryder Creed books! The characters, especially the dogs, have become friends I love to catch up with. I shed a few tears for my precious Tinkerbelle (2005-2020) with each book. She would have been an excellent scent dog. Can't wait for the next one. <3

[Chris]

Hidden Creed was a fantastic addition! I loved that the overall theme for this installment was growth. It’s seen with Brodie Creed, Ryder’s sister who was rescued and brought back into his life within the past year, and Maggie and Ryder’s relationship!

Location wise this one was hugely centralized around K9 Crimescents in Florida, the workplace and home of Ryder Creed and his business partner Hannah Washington, as well as Jason Seaver, another dog handler, and his sister Brodie. When Maggie O’Dell is introduced this time around she’s also in Florida, near Pensacola, checking out a storage unit that was sold at auction that ended up having a ton of gruesome things inside that got her to thinking about a case from years ago. I loved the reference to Damaged, book 8 in the Maggie O’Dell series, and the character of Joe Black who was harvesting organs for money.

During a training exercise with Creed and his scent dog Grace and Brodie in the Blackwater River State Forest, that backs up to their land, Grace manages to find and alert to something that was in fact not the jar placed in a random location in the forest as part of the exercise. The new medical examiner, Vickie Kammerer was with Maggie at the storage unit so the two of them go to Creed’s property together. Even though Creed and Maggie already had plans to get together later that evening for dinner, the reunion with Maggie and Hannah and Brodie upon arriving at their house was wonderful!

I have to say I loved Vickie’s character! She’s freaking hilarious and injected just the right amount of humor into the story! She worked great with Maggie and even Brodie, helping her get out of her shell a bit more and getting to feeling more comfortable thanks to Vickie not tiptoeing around her. Even asking her for help when they make it out to the woods and begin bagging evidence around all the marked sites that Grace found.

At the same time we get to see the POV of the antagonist as well as two others characters who, in time, we find to be important to the unraveling story! The connections, the dialogue, the entirety of the third act and, as I said above, the growth of one character in particular was written in the best way possible and it makes me all the more excited to continue with this series! At times I’m hesitant to keep going, maybe take a break and stop binging my way through the series but I mean it when I say that I miss these characters any time I’m not reading!! Maybe because I haven’t been taking breaks every two or three books in the series to read something else, but to be caught up should be fun! Makes the anticipation for the next book release all the more exciting! Thank you as always, Alex Kava!

**
The dead are meant to stay buried. The graves were hidden for a reason. And the one who put them there will do whatever it takes to ensure that Ryder Creed and his dogs fail to crack the case. Which side will triumph?

The sixth installment of the Creed series opens as Ryder’s scent dog Grace finds a shallow grave concealed in an isolated part of Florida’s Blackwater River State Forest. Ryder tells his sister Brodie—whom he recently found after she spent 16 years in captivity—to return to his compound and call the authorities.

Little does Ryder know, the killer follows his sister back home. But Brodie is not easy prey. Instead, she relies on the survival skills she learned while captive to reach her destination unscathed.

Meanwhile, Ryder’s dogs continue their search at the crime scene, only to discover even more remains buried in the forest. It doesn’t take long for the investigative team to realize they are dealing with a treacherous killer, one who has successfully kept heinous crimes secret for far too long.



As I read this series, I always enjoy finding out more about Kava’s characters. This time out, I was hoping to understand FBI Agent Maggie O’Dell’s psyche on relationships. Kava does not disappoint. But she isn’t the only cast member who shines here. Another character I really like is quirky newcomer, Medical Examiner Vickie Kammerer. As ME, Vicki’s interplay with Maggie, Brodie and Ryder is so entertaining and fun, it makes the story a joy to read.



Once again, Kava weaves an intricate storyline which unfolds as a suspenseful, pulse-pounding page turner you will not be able to put down. This time, however, we are introduced to a killer who uses the forest to bury his dead, yet is unable to escape the burial ground himself. If you’re searching for a thriller that keeps you guessing and immerses you in richly drawn settings populated by fascinating characters, you won’t want to miss Alex Kava’s riveting new chapter in the Creed saga, Hidden Creed. Enjoy!

**
Although I did find the serial killer element of the book a bit tame, I really enjoyed Hidden Creed. In it, Kava shows readers some of what is involved in training medical alert dogs. I never cease to be amazed at how incredibly talented canines are. Kava is working some magic with two of the secondary characters. Jason, the young Army veteran, is slowly working himself out of depression from losing an arm as well as PTSD. As he becomes more open, he comes in contact with more people. I love watching his healing process. I also love watching Creed's sister, Brodie, as she recuperates from her own ordeal. She's an incredible young woman who's very tired of everyone treating her like she's going to shatter into a million pieces. I look forward to what she will do in the next book.
**
This one is a bit different than the previous ones, because this time the threat is lurking much closer, and thus the whole seems much darker. As, as Ryder usually leaves the house to chase the villains with his canine helpers, this time they come to him, finding out where he lives and posing a direct threat to him and his loved ones. I don’t know why this solution made this part seem much more interesting to me and I listened to it with great commitment!

Other than that! Most will love Brodie. This woman quickly found her place in history, and in this volume there is its rapid development and it is in the right direction,
***
This one is about tons of bodies dumped at a burial sight by Creed's property and Grace (dog) finds them by accident.

The person dumping the bodies is so sloppy, I'm surprised they didn't find him earlier.
***

[Stephen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reads like the script of a B-movie. Maybe if I'd read one of the earlier novels it would have been more interesting. An easy read. No big words.