Albert Smith's Mystery Thrillers

What readers say

These books bring back retired detective Albert Smith and his former police dog Rex for faster, higher-stakes cases than the food-tour mysteries. Readers enjoy Albert as a sharp, stubborn older lead, the dogs' point of view and the twists that keep them guessing, with humor mixed into the danger. The main criticism is the talking-dog chapters, which some find distracting in what they expected to be a straight crime novel. Others mention clumsy prose, an underdeveloped backstory for Albert and awkward pauses in the audiobook narration.

Best for: Readers who want brisk, lighthearted crime stories with a canine sidekick and don't mind a talking dog.

Summary of public reader reviews, updated October 2026.