The Burglar — Jeff Ross

The Burglar originates in the Cincinnati suburb of Bridgetown, Ohio. The home of a local dentist, Dr. John Mattingly, is burglarized and the only witnesses are the family dog, Max, and the cat, Penny. Ironically, much of the story is told from the pets' point of view. While the home's security cameras catch a portion of the burglary, Max has the job of somehow identifying and bringing the crook to justice. Through a burglary and a kidnaping, the story displays two strange relationships-one between humans and their pets, and the other between a burglar and a police hostage named Mattie. As they flee from the authorities, the Burglar and Mattie discover they have common threads-and they are quite surprised at what they discover about themselves. The chase begins in northern Kentucky and leads authorities to the Smoky Mountains and through the swamps of Central Florida.