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The Iris Code: A Tracker Novel
A local reporter and photographer’s canine search and rescue training at an abandoned farm outside of Fredericksburg, Texas, takes a bizarre twist. Riley Phillips’ dog, Milo, alerts on the real deal—a corpse with a bullet hole in his head.
Riley’s nose for news is already twitching over the gruesome discovery. When the body turns up missing, her spider senses kick into overdrive. Who doesn’t want the man identified, and why? Are her crime scene photographs the only clue?
What Riley’s camera captured puts the FBI Tracker Unit on high alert, and Riley in a killer’s crosshairs. Learning the identity of the mystery man takes on an ominous urgency.
Can FBI Tracker Cody Lightfoot and Riley find the answer in time to stop a deadly attack? Or will they be the next victims?
Riley’s nose for news is already twitching over the gruesome discovery. When the body turns up missing, her spider senses kick into overdrive. Who doesn’t want the man identified, and why? Are her crime scene photographs the only clue?
What Riley’s camera captured puts the FBI Tracker Unit on high alert, and Riley in a killer’s crosshairs. Learning the identity of the mystery man takes on an ominous urgency.
Can FBI Tracker Cody Lightfoot and Riley find the answer in time to stop a deadly attack? Or will they be the next victims?
318 pages, Paperback
Published June 20, 2024
2 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Anita Dickason
13 books245 followersI write about what I know, cops and crime. After twenty-two years with the Dallas Police Department, I have an unending source of inspiration for my plots. Many incidents and characters are based on my experiences. My characters are what is truly fun about writing. I never know where they will take me. There is always something out of the ordinary in my stories.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 10, 2024
The Iris Code is not my first Tracker Novel and I hope it won’t be my last. The men and women that make up the Trackers are highly specialized FBI agents. Anita Dickason supplies them with good looks and great personalities, adding in some thrills and a little romance to spice it up, all the things I look for in suspense and thriller reading.
Riley Phillips is a reporter and photographer for the Fredericksburg Register. She’s using an abandoned farm house as a search and rescue sight for her dog, Milo. At first Riley thinks something has gone wrong and Milo will fail at her SARs training. When she clears the debris, she finds a dead man. I love the connection Milo has with Riley.
The body disappears. All the Ws apply…Who? What? When? Where? Why?
The police force leaves a lot to be desired and Riley is on the wrong side of the law when it comes to needing their support. They are not solution for her, but part of the problem. That changes when Cody, a Tracker, enters the picture.
Ania Dickason creates some intriguing characters with intriguing traits, like Cody with his Native American, Apache, heritage and a photographic memory, and Nicki, a free spirited technological whiz that reminded me of Penelope on Criminal Minds, and, of course, Milo and Riley.
The title, The Iris Code, applies to the technology used as a layer of security for a new drug. The Iris is as unique as a fingerprint and the software creates an algorithm for future comparison.
As the investigation into the dead man grows, danger arises. The body count grows and someone has Riley in their sights. Can Cody protect her? You’ll have to read The Iris Code by Anita Dickason to find out for yourself. I highly recommend any of her work.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Iris Code by Anita Dickason.
See more at http://www.fundimental.com
Riley Phillips is a reporter and photographer for the Fredericksburg Register. She’s using an abandoned farm house as a search and rescue sight for her dog, Milo. At first Riley thinks something has gone wrong and Milo will fail at her SARs training. When she clears the debris, she finds a dead man. I love the connection Milo has with Riley.
The body disappears. All the Ws apply…Who? What? When? Where? Why?
The police force leaves a lot to be desired and Riley is on the wrong side of the law when it comes to needing their support. They are not solution for her, but part of the problem. That changes when Cody, a Tracker, enters the picture.
Ania Dickason creates some intriguing characters with intriguing traits, like Cody with his Native American, Apache, heritage and a photographic memory, and Nicki, a free spirited technological whiz that reminded me of Penelope on Criminal Minds, and, of course, Milo and Riley.
The title, The Iris Code, applies to the technology used as a layer of security for a new drug. The Iris is as unique as a fingerprint and the software creates an algorithm for future comparison.
As the investigation into the dead man grows, danger arises. The body count grows and someone has Riley in their sights. Can Cody protect her? You’ll have to read The Iris Code by Anita Dickason to find out for yourself. I highly recommend any of her work.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Iris Code by Anita Dickason.
See more at http://www.fundimental.com
June 23, 2024
Anita Dickason's thrillers are fast paced and action packed. The Iris Code delivers both again. This time, she has a civilian who starts the intrigue, and is a part of it all the way through. Along the way, the technology used to fight crime is featured and so are the depths the cartels will go to promote their drugs. As always, Dickason's writing uses each word to propel the story, and it flows fast over the rocks and the pools of deceit until the conclusion. Highly recommended.
June 28, 2025
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Riley Phillips is a local reporter and photographer who is training her dog, Milo, in Human Remains Detection. She is doing her training on an abandoned farm, but suddenly Milo is alerting away from where she had left a small cadaver scented decoy. When she goes to investigate his find, she is surprised. Milo has found the body of a dead man with a bullet hole in his head. She quickly takes pictures to document the scene and dials 911.
She noticed a key piece of evidence that should help to identify the man, but Sheriff Otto Rutherford fails to follow protocol for handling the corpse, and Riley learns the next morning that the body had been stolen. And the sheriff rapidly closes the case. This sends Riley’s news senses into overdrive.
After someone breaks into her house, she calls her brother Ted. He calls a woman he met on an earlier case. Nicki’s with a new FBI Unit, the Trackers. Using Riley’s photos, she starts to do her magic to try to identify the corpse. She is confused when her new software is unable to make the identification, but that gets her boss very interested in the case, which launches the Tracker Unit into high gear. That brings FBI Tracker Cody Lightfoot to Fredericksburg, where he and Nicki team up to try to uncover who the dead man is, what brought him to the area, why he was killed, and who did it.
Will Riley and Cody uncover what is happening in Fredericksburg? Will they live to see justice prevail?
Ms. Dickson has created very interesting characters for this story. Riley Phillips is a very smart woman with great instincts, ready to delve into this case to get to the truth. She trusts her boss, Susan, the owner/editor of the local paper, and a strong, smart woman in her own right. Soon, Tracker Cody Lightfoot, a Native American of Apache heritage with a photographic memory, comes to town. His original plan is to work undercover, but that changes as the investigation proceeds. Nicki is a computer genius working for the Trackers unit. She reminds me of Penelope Garcia from Criminal Minds. This story would make a fantastic episode for that series. Sheriff Rutherford is a good ole boy who gave me Bruford T. Justice vibes from Smokey and the Bandit, a lot of bluster with very little knowledge. Milo is a special animal. Smart and empathic, who doesn’t like to leave Riley’s side. He adds so much to this story beyond his detection work.
The mystery the author has penned is based on fascinating technology that I had heard of but didn’t know much about. I never thought about how it could be used in a criminal way. Ms. Dickason took the bit of technology and crafted a complex mystery that pulled me into the story deeper and deeper as the plot developed and clues were uncovered. She sets a quick pace, making the book almost impossible to put down. I was truly on the edge of my seat as plans were devised and played out for a terrifying ending. I was completely taken aback by the identities of all of the players.
It is apparent that Ms. Dickason did her research. She was able to weave and explain everything in ways for her readers to easily comprehend, which is not an easy task. I always appreciate learning something new when diving into a story. She even includes a “The Story Behind the Fiction” at the end of the book, which goes into more depth. I also appreciate that romance is not the main focus of the book, but there was no denying the chemistry between Riley and Cody. The epilogue made me smile.
The Iris Code is a compelling read with a captivating cast. This may be my first Tracker mystery, but I hope it won’t be my last. With each book being a stand-alone, I will be adding the earlier books to my wish list and anxiously awaiting the next one.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC.
Riley Phillips is a local reporter and photographer who is training her dog, Milo, in Human Remains Detection. She is doing her training on an abandoned farm, but suddenly Milo is alerting away from where she had left a small cadaver scented decoy. When she goes to investigate his find, she is surprised. Milo has found the body of a dead man with a bullet hole in his head. She quickly takes pictures to document the scene and dials 911.
She noticed a key piece of evidence that should help to identify the man, but Sheriff Otto Rutherford fails to follow protocol for handling the corpse, and Riley learns the next morning that the body had been stolen. And the sheriff rapidly closes the case. This sends Riley’s news senses into overdrive.
After someone breaks into her house, she calls her brother Ted. He calls a woman he met on an earlier case. Nicki’s with a new FBI Unit, the Trackers. Using Riley’s photos, she starts to do her magic to try to identify the corpse. She is confused when her new software is unable to make the identification, but that gets her boss very interested in the case, which launches the Tracker Unit into high gear. That brings FBI Tracker Cody Lightfoot to Fredericksburg, where he and Nicki team up to try to uncover who the dead man is, what brought him to the area, why he was killed, and who did it.
Will Riley and Cody uncover what is happening in Fredericksburg? Will they live to see justice prevail?
Ms. Dickson has created very interesting characters for this story. Riley Phillips is a very smart woman with great instincts, ready to delve into this case to get to the truth. She trusts her boss, Susan, the owner/editor of the local paper, and a strong, smart woman in her own right. Soon, Tracker Cody Lightfoot, a Native American of Apache heritage with a photographic memory, comes to town. His original plan is to work undercover, but that changes as the investigation proceeds. Nicki is a computer genius working for the Trackers unit. She reminds me of Penelope Garcia from Criminal Minds. This story would make a fantastic episode for that series. Sheriff Rutherford is a good ole boy who gave me Bruford T. Justice vibes from Smokey and the Bandit, a lot of bluster with very little knowledge. Milo is a special animal. Smart and empathic, who doesn’t like to leave Riley’s side. He adds so much to this story beyond his detection work.
The mystery the author has penned is based on fascinating technology that I had heard of but didn’t know much about. I never thought about how it could be used in a criminal way. Ms. Dickason took the bit of technology and crafted a complex mystery that pulled me into the story deeper and deeper as the plot developed and clues were uncovered. She sets a quick pace, making the book almost impossible to put down. I was truly on the edge of my seat as plans were devised and played out for a terrifying ending. I was completely taken aback by the identities of all of the players.
It is apparent that Ms. Dickason did her research. She was able to weave and explain everything in ways for her readers to easily comprehend, which is not an easy task. I always appreciate learning something new when diving into a story. She even includes a “The Story Behind the Fiction” at the end of the book, which goes into more depth. I also appreciate that romance is not the main focus of the book, but there was no denying the chemistry between Riley and Cody. The epilogue made me smile.
The Iris Code is a compelling read with a captivating cast. This may be my first Tracker mystery, but I hope it won’t be my last. With each book being a stand-alone, I will be adding the earlier books to my wish list and anxiously awaiting the next one.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC.
June 29, 2024
Want more books
I enjoy this series. It always keep you on your toes. The stories are so entertaining. Hopefully a new one soon.
I enjoy this series. It always keep you on your toes. The stories are so entertaining. Hopefully a new one soon.
June 28, 2024
throughly enjoyed this read
Surprised by the who done it. Excellent word building and great timing. Never boring. If you like a clean read this is perfect.
Surprised by the who done it. Excellent word building and great timing. Never boring. If you like a clean read this is perfect.
January 1, 2025
Anita Dickason is one of my favorite suspense authors, and she could probably write a grocery list and make it a compelling read. So I was excited when The Iris Code, the latest in her Tracker series, came out!
Riley Phillips is exasperated with her trainee search and rescue dog, Milo. He’s alerted on something, but that isn’t where she left the decoy he was supposed to find. Imagine Riley’s surprise when she finds Milo has identified an actual dead body. Riley, also a reporter and photographer for the local newspaper, documents the scene before law enforcement arrives. When the body goes missing and local law enforcement seems disinclined to find out what happened, Riley realizes her photos may be the only evidence that could identify the man. The case is soon brought to the attention of the Tracker team, and Agent Cody Lightfoot is sent to investigate. Weird things are happening. Dangerous things. Somebody clearly doesn’t want the dead man’s identity known, and Riley and Cody have to figure out what’s going on before one or both of them end up dead, too.
Things start off with a bang. Right away, Dickason had me wondering what was up with local law enforcement. The sheriff clearly has history with Riley, and it isn’t good. And when the dead body goes missing, his glib dismissal of the case as closed is positively criminal. (I know there are some bad/useless cops in the world, but the sheriff here seems to take that to a whole new level.) The deputies “working” the case aren’t much better. Billy Thatcher seems pleasant enough, almost apologetic for his fellow officers, but Mickey Bennett sure feels like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Cody is a great addition to the Tracker team. He’s good at what he does, and I expect his unique abilities will prove incredibly useful. And while romance definitely isn’t the focal point of the story, the relationship growing between him and Riley has me hoping we see more of the two of them in future Tracker novels.
Dickason’s characters, as always, are well written, and the mystery is compelling. I didn’t see the big reveal coming until it smacked me upside the head. This is definitely a “keep you up past your bedtime” read, so I don’t recommend starting it on an evening where you have to be up early the next day!
The Iris Code is a fantastic read, and I’d suggest it for anyone who loves a good mystery, a story told by someone who really knows her stuff, and a book that will leave you thirsty for the next in the series.
Riley Phillips is exasperated with her trainee search and rescue dog, Milo. He’s alerted on something, but that isn’t where she left the decoy he was supposed to find. Imagine Riley’s surprise when she finds Milo has identified an actual dead body. Riley, also a reporter and photographer for the local newspaper, documents the scene before law enforcement arrives. When the body goes missing and local law enforcement seems disinclined to find out what happened, Riley realizes her photos may be the only evidence that could identify the man. The case is soon brought to the attention of the Tracker team, and Agent Cody Lightfoot is sent to investigate. Weird things are happening. Dangerous things. Somebody clearly doesn’t want the dead man’s identity known, and Riley and Cody have to figure out what’s going on before one or both of them end up dead, too.
Things start off with a bang. Right away, Dickason had me wondering what was up with local law enforcement. The sheriff clearly has history with Riley, and it isn’t good. And when the dead body goes missing, his glib dismissal of the case as closed is positively criminal. (I know there are some bad/useless cops in the world, but the sheriff here seems to take that to a whole new level.) The deputies “working” the case aren’t much better. Billy Thatcher seems pleasant enough, almost apologetic for his fellow officers, but Mickey Bennett sure feels like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Cody is a great addition to the Tracker team. He’s good at what he does, and I expect his unique abilities will prove incredibly useful. And while romance definitely isn’t the focal point of the story, the relationship growing between him and Riley has me hoping we see more of the two of them in future Tracker novels.
Dickason’s characters, as always, are well written, and the mystery is compelling. I didn’t see the big reveal coming until it smacked me upside the head. This is definitely a “keep you up past your bedtime” read, so I don’t recommend starting it on an evening where you have to be up early the next day!
The Iris Code is a fantastic read, and I’d suggest it for anyone who loves a good mystery, a story told by someone who really knows her stuff, and a book that will leave you thirsty for the next in the series.
June 20, 2024
I was super happy to see another Tracker novel by this author. Her books are always authentic and page-turners. In this one, Dickason explores the world of Iris scans and canine search and rescue. The main character, Riley, is a tenacious reporter working with her soon-to-be certified search and rescue dog, Milo. Milo is one special dog, but when he discovers a dead body, Riley’s incredible photographic ability leads the trackers on a chase to beat the clock.
Cody Lightfoot joins this book as a wonderful addition to the Tracker team. Also back are two of my favorites, head of the Trackers, Scott and the incredible tech savant, Nicki. Their dynamic and expertise add depth and excitement to the story.
Dickson knows her stuff. Her meticulous research and deep understanding of her subjects shine through on every page. The scientific details surrounding iris scans and the practicalities of canine search and rescue are presented with precision, making the story not only believable but utterly engrossing.
Throw in her usual well-developed, supporting characters, a few who are not always likable, and this one is a definite 5-star read.
Cody Lightfoot joins this book as a wonderful addition to the Tracker team. Also back are two of my favorites, head of the Trackers, Scott and the incredible tech savant, Nicki. Their dynamic and expertise add depth and excitement to the story.
Dickson knows her stuff. Her meticulous research and deep understanding of her subjects shine through on every page. The scientific details surrounding iris scans and the practicalities of canine search and rescue are presented with precision, making the story not only believable but utterly engrossing.
Throw in her usual well-developed, supporting characters, a few who are not always likable, and this one is a definite 5-star read.
March 21, 2025
I didn’t want this story to end
WOW, WOW, WOW. I haven’t been this enthralled by a book in a long time. The tension, action, and edge-of-your-seat suspense made me not want the book to end. Bravo, Anita Dickinson. This is my first Tracker novel but won’t be my last.
Read my full book review and why this was just the book I needed to read right now on Hall Ways Blog.
WOW, WOW, WOW. I haven’t been this enthralled by a book in a long time. The tension, action, and edge-of-your-seat suspense made me not want the book to end. Bravo, Anita Dickinson. This is my first Tracker novel but won’t be my last.
Read my full book review and why this was just the book I needed to read right now on Hall Ways Blog.
June 23, 2024
Excellent continuation of the Tracker series. Great characters. Interesting plot. Thrilling read.
June 29, 2024
Excellent read - thoroughly enjoyed!
July 10, 2025
This is a must read
I love reading about k 9 animals .I know the military , local and state department s use them. They are a great asset for them. I highly recommend this book.
I love reading about k 9 animals .I know the military , local and state department s use them. They are a great asset for them. I highly recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews