Stray Dogs: Dog Days by Tony Fleeces is a standalone story, but it would help to read the first book. This is the story of the dogs from the first graphic novel and how their side of things plays (or really does not play) out. These are the fill-ins of possible questions you might have had. Spoiler: these are the beloved pets of the woman that were killed in the first graphic novel, but it is also a psychological thriller. These short stories are how the companions of several lovely women end up in a killer’s home. And the surprises never end. Little things popup (probably the doggie was not supposed to dig up that arm skeleton) and treats take on a new meaning, and dogs might be man’s best friends, but one man is not theirs.
Overall the protentional for the series is why this is a four, plus the artwork is pretty far out in a cool and spooky manner (and spooky because things are so calm, ordinary, until they are not. Until you realize what is around the corner or who is standing there). The publisher description says that it is Hitchcock level, and it is that and then some. This is every day, nothing is bad after all, he is just a dog lover in the dog park, right? Nothing strange about a photograph of your dog, unless it is taken from outside the window. And when a large rescue dog sounds like you need to remind him of #MeToo, that is not a red flag now is it?
Told from the point of view of the pups, the illustrations of Trish Forstner seem sweet, but like the man who is attached to the legs and feet we see, there is something sinister deeper down inside. The afterwards with different cover art is a riot. They are spoofs, love letters and fun nods to famous movies, novels, posters, etc. in the thriller/horror realm.
This is not for a sensitive reader, and if you are a dog lover, know that the doggies are okay, but then again, how okay can they really be with they are in this house of a monster?