Desperate Creed – Ryder Creed #5 – Alex Kava
Today, in addition to running this morning, I also finished my 40th book of the year: Desperate Creed by Alex Kava, the fifth installment in her Ryder Creed series.
I became a fan of Kava’s writing back in June 2003 when I picked up her debut, A Perfect Evil. By September of that year, I’d read all the Maggie O’Dell novels available at the time. Since then, I’ve read all but one of the twelve books in the Maggie O’Dell series.
In 2015, Kava introduced Ryder Creed in Breaking Creed. Ryder is a former Marine who now trains and handles K9 search-and-rescue dogs. That book chronicled his first meeting with Maggie O’Dell, and Desperate Creed marks the fifth time the two have appeared together.
A Different Kind of Threat
In her Author’s Notes, Kava says:
“With every new book, I try to cover something different — human trafficking, the bird flu, contamination of our foods, or the everyday struggles of our veterans. For the Ryder series, I’m always looking for new ways to show off the numerous talents of scent detection dogs. For Desperate Creed, I wanted to concentrate on how amazing scent detection dogs are in finding victims after natural disasters when every moment counts.”
That’s exactly what makes Desperate Creed stand out — it’s not just about the human danger, but also the life-saving work these dogs perform in the aftermath of disaster.
About Desperate Creed
In this installment, Ryder and his dogs are in Alabama, assisting in the search for bodies after a deadly tornado.
Meanwhile, Frankie — a lifelong friend of Ryder’s partner Hannah — witnesses the murder of a coworker via a cell phone video. The coworker and a friend had hacked into the computers of a major U.S. cereal manufacturer and uncovered information that could threaten a major international deal.
As a favor to Hannah, Maggie agrees to meet Frankie at a restaurant in Alabama. But soon, both a tornado and a hitman are heading directly toward Maggie, Frankie, and Ryder. Which one will cause the most damage? And can they survive the wrath of both man and nature?
The Bottom Line
I read both the Ryder Creed and Maggie O’Dell series not only for the strong, suspense-driven plots but also for the way Kava has developed her characters over time. Both Ryder and Maggie have endured personal tragedies that have shaped them and made them stronger.
For Ryder, it’s the disappearance of his younger sister from a Florida rest stop — a loss that drove him to create his K9 search-and-rescue business. This thread runs throughout the series and adds depth to his character.
While Desperate Creed works as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the earlier books first to fully appreciate the relationships and backstories.
So check out Desperate Creed — and as for me, I’m on to book #6, Hidden Creed, to see what Ryder and Maggie face next.
Explore More About Alex Kava:
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