The Good Boy, Theresa Schwegel
The Good Boy, Theresa Schwegel
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
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The Good Boy

Author: Theresa Schwegel

Narrator: Luke Daniels

Unabridged: 12 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/05/2013

Synopsis

Edgar award winner Theresa Schwegel returns with The Good Boy, her most dramatic and emotional novel to date, a family epic that combines the hard-boiled grit of her acclaimed police thrillers with an intimate portrait of a young boy trying to follow his heart in an often heartless city.

For Officer Pete Murphy, K9 duty is as much a punishment as a promotion. When a shaky arrest reignites a recent scandal and triggers a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, all eyes are on Pete as the department braces for another media firestorm.

Meanwhile, Pete's eleven-year-old son Joel feels invisible. His parents hardly notice him—unless they're arguing about his "behavioral problems"—and his older sister, McKenna, has lately disappeared into the strange and frightening world of teenagerdom. About the only friend Joel has left is Butchie, his father's furry "partner."

When Joel and Butchie follow McKenna to a neighborhood bully's party, illegal activity kicks the dog's police training into overdrive, and soon the duo are on the run, navigating the streets of Chicago as they try to stay one step ahead of the bad guys—bad guys who may have a very personal interest in getting some payback on Officer Pete Murphy.

About Theresa Schwegel

Theresa Schwegel is a Loyola University graduate and the recipient of an MFA in screenwriting at Chapman University. Her debut novel, Officer Down, won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel and was short-listed for the Anthony Award. In 2008, she received the 21st Century Award from the Chicago Public Library Foundation. She lives in Chicago.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Maxine on December 01, 2013

After being demoted to the K-9 unit because of a past incident, officer Pete Murphy has been forced to downsize his life: smaller house, poorer neighbourhood. His wife now spends her time on the phone complaining to friends and family about him, his teenaged daughter, McKenna, has become sullen and......more

Goodreads review by Jo on February 01, 2016

Mystery author Theresa Schwegel has written a heart-wrenching suspense story that plays out on the mean streets of Chicago with her new book, "The Good Boy''. The action starts when 11-year-old Joel Murphy and his dog Butch follow Joel's teenage sister to a party because he thinks she is in danger.......more

Goodreads review by Christopher on November 22, 2013

Theresa Schwegel may think that she has updated Jack London's WHITE FANG but I think that she has reheated THE WIZARD OF OZ into an overlong B&W police procedural. The boy's odyssey is all about saving his dog from increasingly dire straits with threat of euthanisation. While I'm not sure that the t......more

Goodreads review by Janeandjerry on April 22, 2018

This was the book chosen for the psychological thriller group and I enjoyed reading it......more

Goodreads review by Shelleyrae on October 31, 2013

The Good Boy, Theresa Schewgel's fifth novel, is part crime thriller, part family drama unfolding through the perspectives of Detective Peter Murphy and his son, Joel. After a manufactured scandal nearly ruined his career, Pete was demoted to the K9 unit and forced to relocate his family after sacrif......more

Quotes

“A terrific piece of crime writing--propulsive action paired with the authentic sounds of a city on the make. Theresa Schwegel's ear for dialogue is pitch-perfect--from the station house to the streets, from cops to robbers to teens, Schwegel serves up fully-realized characters who pop off the page. An essential read.” —GILLIAN FLYNN

“A vivid, nuanced, and emotional tale told in prose that crackles with electricity. The characters are real, their world is our own, and their stories the kind that linger long after the last page is turned. At once a thriller and a beautifully rendered family story, it simply won't disappoint.” —MICHAEL KORYTA

“A brooding, world-wise, humane piece of crime fiction...Readers who respond to it will find the book lingering in their minds longer than most.” —USA Today

“Theresa Schwegel is an Edgar-winning crime writer whose Chicago police stories are more nuanced and impassioned than most books of their genre....For all the dog books currently in vogue, it's hard to beat this one for canine verisimilitude or talent....The dog elevates a fairly conventional detective story into something much more lovable.” —The New York Times

“[A] nail-biter...The reader will empathize with everyone from Pete, who has his heart in the right place but makes several wrong turns, to Butch, who never speaks yet says volumes.” —Publisher's Weekly

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