An FBI Dog’s Thrilling Book Recommendations

CASE STUDY: HAWK

BREED: BLACK LABRADOR

HANDLER: MEG JENNINGS

HISTORY: Critically ill with parvovirus, Hawk was abandoned on the front porch of the Cold Spring Haven Animal Rescue in Virginia. He was nursed back to health by Meg, a former Richmond Police Department K-9 patrol handler, whose German shepherd had recently died in the line of duty. Hawk is Meg’s heart dog (canine soul mate).

WORKING HISTORY: After training in search-and-rescue with Meg, Hawk joined the FBI Forensic Canine Unit as part of the Human Scent Evidence Team when he was a year old. Meg and Hawk have been with the team for three years.

PERSONALITY: Loyal and dedicated, Hawk has the skill and stamina to stay in a search for hours at a time. He is extremely obedient, but strong willed—Hawk will only disobey a direct order from Meg if she is in jeopardy. When not working, Hawk is a lovable and loving family pet, and Meg’s constant companion.

LIKES: Auria, Cold Spring Haven’s resident senior mare. Brian’s German shepherd, Lacey. Cara’s mini blue pit bull, Saki, and retired racing greyhound, Blink. McCord’s golden retriever, Cody. Favorite toy: a squeaky red and yellow stuffed dragon. Favorite treat: chicken jerky.

DISLIKES: Unsuccessful searches. Anyone who is a threat to Meg. Bears.


Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea

When it comes to buried secrets, Hawk will always try to dig them up. Emma Kind is trying to dig up justice and finally put her late sister to rest. But to do so, she’ll first have to clear her sister’s name and prove her innocence in a murder case. To find the truth behind the gruesome murder, Emma will have to untangle her sister’s twisted private life full of sex, tragedy, and betrayal.

The Missing by Lisa Childs

Hawk and Meg both search to seek out justice, just like reporter Edie Stone. But when Edie travels to Bane Island to seek answers in the wake of a murder, she’s met with silence. The entire island is shrouded by mystery and a dark history of women vanishing without a trace. As she gets closer to the truth, it becomes clear she’s now the one in danger.

No Strangers Here by Carlene O’Connor

Hawk knows time is of the essence during a search, and for Dimpna, she’s in a race against time to clear her family of suspicion in a murder case. But Detective Inspector Cormac O’Brien isn’t so sure of her family’s innocence. Especially when evidence continues to stack up against them…

All the Dark Places by Terri Parlato

During most searches, Hawk believes everyone is a suspect. And when Molly Bradley’s husband is murdered, she adopts the same belief. Molly thought she had a special bond with her close friends, but when her husband is found dead the morning after a dinner party, she doesn’t know who to trust.

You Can Hide by Rebecca Zanetti

Just like Hawk has an instinct to protect his handler, Meg, FBI profiler Laurel Snow has an instinct to protect her sister. But when a sophisticated serial killer begins terrorizing the town, can her sociopathic half-sister really be trusted? It’s up to Laurel to save her troubled sister’s life, but to do so, she’ll have to risk her own…

The Wife Before by Shanora Williams

During a search, Hawk knows when he needs to be sneaky. For Samira Wilder, her survival may depend on how well she can evade her husband’s suspicion. After all, many people think he murdered his late wife. And after Samira discovers the first Mrs. Graham’s old diaries, she believes they may be right.

The Girl Who Survived by Lisa Jackson

Hawk and Meg know when to investigate, and also when to run and hide. When Kara McIntyre was seven, her entire family was murdered in their Oregon cabin. Twenty years later, the killer is back and set on terrorizing her. Suddenly the people she loves are being picked off again. Kara knows she is the killer’s ultimate target. But will she be able to survive them again?

Cold Snap by Marc Cameron

Hawk knows every search and rescue mission has high stakes, especially those in the wilderness. But no one fit for a deadly game of survival in the Alaskan wild quite like Arliss Cutter. But can the US Marshal successfully survive the elements and evade a sinister serial killer?


In the latest page-turning F.B.I K-9 novel, Special Agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue Labrador, Hawk, find that a training session in the Minnesota wilderness becomes a fight for survival…

Keeping their search-and-rescue skills honed isn’t just a job requirement for FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk—it’s essential to saving lives. A water search training weekend in the Boundary Waters area of Minnesota has attracted participants from all levels of law enforcement, each vying to win. The races are challenging, the rivalry is intense, and Meg is already under pressure when Hawk alerts to a scent in the water—and discovers the fresh body of one of Meg’s fellow competitors.

The contest is called off, but Meg’s still feeling the heat. The victim had made an unfounded complaint about her, one that could cost Meg her job and see Hawk removed from her care. The field of suspects is daunting, and all of them are experts in throwing others off the trail. And though Meg’s team flies out to Minnesota to help uncover the truth, they’re on unfamiliar territory, pitted against a killer with the skills, and the motivation, to stay hidden in plain sight…

“Includes fascinating details about search dogs and their work as well as unique settings and a colorful cast of recurring characters.” – Library Journal