A Boy and His Dog

by C.I.I. Jones

Austin Christie is having some trouble, both at home and at school. He is too quiet in class to make friends and attracts bullies. His divorced mom and dad, who are bound and determined to be good co-parents, just don't have the time for him. After a violent outburst at school, his therapist mother decides that Austin needs a companion. A therapy dog. Elvis the goldendoodle is everything the Christie family needs for their wayward son. Elvis turns out to be so much more when he shows Austin some of his best dog tricks.

Cujo meets We Need to Talk About Kevin in this psychological horror story about family ties and mental health. And the pure chaos that occurs when both of these begin to deteriorate.

Genres: Horror

Paperback

Published July 12, 2022

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pulled right into this story. As a big advocate for mental health, which also is a huge part of my books, I love seeing authors put creative spins on the topic. At first, I thought this was going to be a sort of coming of age story about a young boy getting a therapy dog and developing self-care strategies to overcome his traumas. However, what I got was something much darker, which I didn’t necessarily mind. Honestly, like what Blood and Honey is to Winnie the Pooh, this was the exact opposite of wholesome. I enjoyed the writing style quite a bit and the obvious comparisons to Son of Sam were really fun. Elvis, the therapy dog, and Austin, our lead, had some fantastic dialogue, as they reigned down a spree of terror to the community. And there is a ton to read into throughout, as well. Just a very enjoyable and unique story. This was my first reading experience from CII Jones, but look forward to seeing their other offerings.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a boy and his therapy dog. Although Austin wasn’t thrilled about his parents getting him a new dog to teach him responsibility, Elvis, the dog, ended up teaching Austin some new tricks. Elvis is a Golden Doodle with a mix of Mr Peabody and Cujo on steroids.
Austin and Elvis will stick with me for quite awhile I’m sure. This story made me feel so many emotions….sad, lonely, angry, and a little disturbed at times with some blood and gore scenes.
All in all, I throughly enjoyed this tale of Austin and his dog. This was the first time I read anything by this author and loved it, so I will be waiting and anticipating to see what he comes out with next!

[Corrina Morse · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Austin gets into trouble in school, and with his parents recent divorce and attempt at co-parenting, the solution, it seems, is to get him a therapy dog…. but that's the last thing Austin wants! Especially a Golden Doodle called Elvis!
He feels misunderstood, a loner, his parents don't 'get' him, and he's suffering more and more anger issues! With the help of his new dog, he begins to learn a hard, dark lesson in responsibility! It turns out Elvis is in fact, a very special dog, kind of like a posh Cujo!

With a feeling of tense anticipation from the get go, this story is creepy, chilling and sinister, and the sinister level rises the closer to the end you get! Its a tale of a boys mental health and his sad descent into insanity, madness, murder and cannibalism….

I really enjoyed this book, the dream sequences were great as were the kills. This was a great coming of age story!
This isn't my first book by CII Jones, and it won't be my last. He's an author to keep an eye on! 😁

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 3 out of 5]

“It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have.”

Well honestly not surprised that it’s a doodle that is part of the issue here 😂 those dogs are loco!

Austin is in a bad place and instead of trying to listen, his divorced parents get him a therapy dog. Elvis the Doodle is a cute and cuddly pup, but he only encourages Austin’s dark thoughts to grow roots. Bloodshed ensues!

I liked the story, but felt the plot/pacing was a bit off (there’d be a constant rollercoaster of intense scenes, then nothing going on, then intensity again, then nothing…). I also noticed a few editing errors, just the wrong names used for the wrong characters mainly, but it threw me out of the story.

[Samantha Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Boy And His Dog" by C. I.I. Jones

Austin Christie is a troubled teen who lacks responsibility. His parents, Wayne and Martha (more so Martha), believe that a dog will help teach Austin that responsibility. Austin isn't overly thrilled with the idea at first. He isn't sure what he'll do with a dog. But Elvis isn't just any dog and he plans to teach Austin much more than his parents had hoped her.

This story had a lot of the bizarre elements that Jones story Egg Man had and I really enjoyed that. This story also reminded me heavily of the FUBS series by Peter Caffrey. I'm still not quite sure how I felt about the ending of this novel but I do believe it was well written and it kept me engrossed until the end. 4 🌟

[Courtney Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cujo meets We Need to Talk About Kevin feels so true for this book…except I felt bad for Cujo. I, in no way, feel bad for this golden doodle, OR, his owner Austin.

As a dog owner, and a new parent, I love watching my daughter bond with the pup. This book taints and sours what one would expect to be a wholesome, and common human experience, relatable to anyone with a family pet or angsty teen, in the most disturbing way. Leave it to C.I.I. Jones to make anything I once felt was safe and comfortable, absolutely horrific.

[Sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this! I will definitely be reading it again. Short, suspenseful and pretty well done. Only complaint is I wish there had been more to read, but truly despite it being a short read it had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick enjoyable read. Ever wonder what your dog is thinking? Don’t ask!

[Aaron Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a mix of Cujo, Dr. Dolittle, and Psycho! Seriously... I was sucked in by the first few pages and just couldn't put it down.
It's hard to go into detail on good books like these, because I don't want to give away anything, so you're just going to have to check it out and trust me. It's great!

[DA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I was immediately drawn in my the character of Austin. I could feel the effects of his parent's divorce and their lack of attention had on him. I couldn't really fault him for the things he did honestly.
My favorite part of this book is that you're left wondering is this really happening to him or is it mental illness?

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew it! Doodles are evil! 😈😈

Jokes aside: I actually really enjoyed this and I’m usually pretty skeptical about self-published books. I find most of them to be half-baked concepts that could use a little more fleshing out, but this novel does a good job of following through. It’s very refreshing.
Also I’m a sucker for evil dog novels (which there should be more of!) and had to pick this one up. The novel was engaging, and there was some parts that I actual felt a sense of dread while reading. It had me thinking about it when I put it down, which is definitely a major plus. If you enjoyed books like “Hellhound” by Ken Greenhall or “A Boy and his Dog” by Harlan Ellison, this will be a good choice.

I only have one complaint, I think it could’ve used a bit more editing. Sometimes the names are mixed up or they’re just wrong. This made it a bit confusing at times, but it wasn’t enough to pull me out of the story completely.

Overall this book was well worth the read if you’re a fan of killer canines.

[Allison Betch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on the indie boxes of horror Instagram account and was just so excited to have won and to have the chance to review an indie horror story.

As for the book, I really enjoyed it. It’s about a boy, Austin whose parents think is just a little weird. His mom, a therapist gets him a golden doodle named Elvis. At first Austin wants nothing to do with the dogs until Elvis starts talking to him and communicating all of the horrible things that Austin wants to do to people.

From the beginning you will be completely enthralled in this story. It’s a quick and fun serial killer read.

Obviously the dog’s voice is just Austin’s thoughts being brought to life. We learn at the end that Austin has been showing signs of being a murderer for a while. Signs like killing small animals.

I would recommend this one to all of the little horror gremlins like me for sure! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review;
Just a story about a boy, his dog and a psychotic/mental breakdown..... I guess... maybe, but seriously I really enjoyed this story, I mean I always enjoy a story with an animal as a protagonist and I loved this dog, the rest of the characters were also great. While a good ending its not necessarily the ending I'd have chosen but thats why I'm not an author! The story was awesome and pretty gruesome, I would 100% recommend this book to people.

[Dom Mendoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost did not rate this as 5 stars, but my ultimate deciding factor was how different this book is from anything I’ve read, along with the thoughts and questions that it provoked in me.

It just makes me think of how natural it is now for both parents to work in a family. They are both expected to work and have good jobs to make enough money to support their children. BUT does mental illness’ huge prevalence stem from children not seeing enough of their parents?

This book was so much more to me than an unrealistic story of a boy and his dog. It dug deep and held on.

[Tracy Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like everything and everyone is against Austin. His mom and dad get divorced, he gets suspended from school and now his mom thinks it’s a great idea for him to have a therapy dog…. Bring in Elvis, an adorable golden doodle. Things seem to be getting better until they aren’t. I was really happy with the way the author kept me reading. I went in knowing it was a horror book but the cover was so sweet with a boy and his dog. My only complaint was that I wanted more…

[Lucille Bransfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. That was a quick ride through crazy town. I felt like I was reading something along the lines of We Need to Talk about Kevin, except they weren’t talking about the elephant in the room. Divorce is hard, but it’s harder when it’s actually ignored. I finished not really knowing if Elvis was imagined or not?! Hmmm

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was a ride!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While the first third went a bit slow for me, once those hooks were in I couldn't put it down. It was a great story and went I directions I didn't expect, and had some truly tense moments. And the fact that it was a cute doodle dog instead of something bigger made it that much more menacing. I def recommend giving it a go!!!

[Amanda Elizabeth Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, no dogs were harmed in this story. This book delves into mental health among teens and how the working parent and child relationship suffers. It also looks at a child and pet relationship and if that can be a bad thing. I loved this book. It was deep. I felt bad for Austin and felt like his parents really dropped the ball when it came to helping their son.

[Ben Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started fast, kept its pace and ended abruptly, which is the best kind of ending. It’s like a fascinating photo-negative Hallmark movie dripping with blood. A seemingly typical suburban family brings home a lovable dog to help coax their angsty son out of his shell. And once that happens, no one is safe.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story very much. There were some errors that bothered me (example: author used “for all tense and purpose) but the story itself was good. I keep going back and forth on the ending lol I think he didn’t stop though, just lured his next victim. 😂

[Jacinta Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great writer and story ! I’ve read other books of his and they are without a doubt outstanding! This is a great story about a boy and his dog with a twist. Which is what I’ve come to expect from his books ! Must read !!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet, heartwarming story about a boy and his dog. Just kidding, the boy is psychotic, and the dog... Well. I quite enjoyed the story, and the writing is excellent. I definitely wouldn't mind reading more about Austin and Elvis. 4.25 stars

[Alison Faichney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had an interesting premise but ending up staying fairly predictable. None of the characters were very likable. The book was well written but at times the dialogue and actions would feel cliched.

I don’t think this one will stick with me very long. I’d be happy to check out more by C.I.I. Jones in the future, but found this story didn’t vibe with me as much as I’d hoped.

[Jeff Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beware of Dog

A fast paced tale of murder, mayhem and mental illness, unless Elvis really was talking to him all that time, in which case, murder, mayhem and the supernatural. Not a happy story, but a fun read.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very well written, and I felt a bunch of emotions while reading this.
I started off absolutely hating Austin, but.. kinda start feeling for him towards the end.
I sort of wished the ending had a bit more.. action, but it was a reflection of Austin and his odd, quiet personality.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read! Kind of like a young modern David berkowitz? Ish? And I very much appreciate indie authors who put out books that I don’t see lots of grammar mistakes; that stuff pulls me out of the story.

The story is fun, the kills are good and gory, and I definitely recommend!

[kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILER

I really liked this book. My only gripe is that I noticed a name change for Greg Atwood at one point he was called Sam. And in the last chapter it said his dad was the sixth victim but I believe there was only five. Besides those minor details, the book was great!

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book but finished it very pleased. Well done, C.i.i. Jones, it was a fun ride. I look forward to reading ENDS ARE ODD soon.

[Megan Stockton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the book that I read and I knew Jones had it. As a debut, I felt like he had such potential to command and develop a story and characters. I have been following him ever since.

[Erika Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Takes guard dog to a whole new level😂