This is an amazing series and I stayed engaged during every scene. It’s very graphic, so if you have PTSD due to fire, flood, or earthquake, maybe skip it. Although each of the first four books could be read as a stand-alone, the fifth book ties them all together in a very unique way. What I loved most was that if your favorite character dies in one book, they will be back in the next. There’s not any real gun-play to speak of. And best of all…no harm comes to the dog in any of the stories!