A Bone to Pick

by Jan S. Gephardt

Too valuable to kill? Oh, but that was then.

XK9 Rex was bio-engineered and cyber-enhanced to be the most perfect law enforcement canine ever created. Transmondian spymaster Col. Wisniewski thought he could turn him into the most perfect weapon.

But Rex had other plans. Wisneiwski couldn't bend him to his will. The Colonel would have killed any other dog, but Rex was too valuable. Instead, Rana Station paid a literal fortune to add him and his XK9 Pack to the Orangeboro Police Department.

Now Rex and his Pack are working detectives on the trail of a criminal gang that blows up spaceships - and Rana Station has recognized XK9s as uplifted sapient beings. That means it's illegal to buy them, so they've stopped paying that literal fortune. And this gives Col. Wisniewski a new license to kill.

How far must Rex go, to dodge his old enemy's deadly intent and also crack the case?

634 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2021

About the author

Jan S. Gephardt (pronouns: she/her) is a science fiction novelist, fantasy artist, and publisher from Kansas City. Her “XK9s Saga” books feature a pack of uplifted police dogs who live far in the future inside a habitat space station in a different star’s planetary system.
She and sister G. S. Norwood co-founded Weird Sisters Publishing LLC in 2019. Jan is the Chief Cat-Herder and Art Director for Weird Sisters, which means she is in charge of book production, illustration commissions, and all marketing.
See more about Jan's writing and artwork on her websites and social media profiles!
https://jansgephardt.com/
https://weirdsisterspublishing.com/
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jan-S.-...
https://www.facebook.com/JanSGephardt...
https://www.instagram.com/jangephardt/
https://bsky.app/profile/artdog.bsky....
https://www.facebook.com/JanSGephardt...
https://www.facebook.com/WeirdSisters...

Reviews

[Pat Schieber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want an XK9! Great stories and the best characters. The author has dogs, there can be no doubt. Any dog lover will LOVE these books.

[G.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jan S. Gephardt is a master at world-building. From political structures to agricultural experiments to the politics of families large and small, Gephardt gives her readers a richly-textured tapestry of life and culture on Rana Station where her XK9: Bones trilogy is set.

A Bone to Pick, the second book of the trilogy, begins immediately after the first book, What’s Bred in the Bone, leaves off. In this hefty chunk of the saga, XK9 Pack Leader Rex and his mate, Shady, deal with assassins from a foreign intelligence service and hardly-less-threatening agents from Rana’s own spook central, plus international space terrorists, and more domestic threats, including Charlie’s newly rekindled romance with Hildie.

A Bone to Pick is not a fast read, but there is plenty of action, intrigue, and romance to hook you from the start and keep you reading to the breathless end. I highly recommend it.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An evil spymaster is out to silence newly-recognized sapient being XK9 Rex, before the super-smart police dog can spill secrets to the officials on Rana Station. But with help from his mate Shady and their human allies, Rex and the Orangeboro Pack might still win the day--and solve the case of the exploded spacecraft "Izgubil" while they're at it. Meanwhile Rex's hospitalized human partner Charlie discovers he might have a second chance to make romantic sparks fly with his long-ago BFF Hildie.

The dogs are back with their unique take on the world and their essential dog-natures, despite their very bright brains. They'll sniff out clues from the microgravity of the station's Hub to the sub-basement level of the Five-Ten. There's laugh-out-loud humor, flat-out action, and spine-tingling suspense in this second book of the XK9 "Bones" Trilogy. Don't miss it!

[KatyReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first came across this series of books on social media, and the premise was unlike anything I had ever read. I am a sucker for books with dogs in them and a big fan of science fiction. These have lots of both. The characters are distinct and well developed and there is lots of action. This book seemed to focus more on the relationships between characters than the previous one. I can't wait to see what is coming next. If you aren't a subscriber, this author has a great mailing list. Worth looking into for a peek at the process of bringing this world and its characters to life.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this story about uplifted dogs working as scent detectives in a space station. I read this book in 2021 and now have re-read it in 2024. It is engrossing, and the personalities of each dog and its human partner clearly come out. I highly recommend this series!

[Groucho42 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie's still recovering from the injuries in the last book, but Rex, his pack, and humans are all trying to get used to the dogs being officers. The bad folks who want the dogs dead continue to try while space station politics take up time. A nice follow up.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0

I really enjoyed the story of an uplifted species but I did find the book a tad repetitious and boring.