Nose for Trouble (a Dale Kinsall Mystery)

I really enjoyed this book. Yes, I am a beagle lover which is why the book was given to me. Dale and Sully are wonderful!! I can't wait to read more of their adventures (please, oh please!).

Doranna Durgin always creates well-developed characters--including the animals! In NOSE, readers get to meet Sully, a Beagle, who is a real dog, not a cutsie-poo device. Oh, and Dale is a winner, too, but Sully is the star!

... loving this book. Dale Kinsall and his Beagle, Sully, pulled me into their lives right away, right into the parking lot of the Foothills Veterinary Clinic. Every character in the book, major and minor, is as real as every other, right down to the noisy children in the background. The pacing is just right, no slack, no yanking. And when the end comes, the surprise is just right--but it's no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

I like mysteries. I like animals. What could be better than BOTH in one book? I've been a fan of Durgin's for a while (if you like dog-related stories, check out her contemporary fantasy, A Feral Darkness), but this is her first straight-up mystery. I love her fantasy and action-romance books, but some authors don't translate well to new genres. I'm happy to say, Durgin's gift for characterization and well-paced storytelling comes through in the mystery genre as well. The main characters are well realized, and the secondary characters aren't given short shrift. Their interactions ring true, but don't distract from the story. And, although clues abound, it still kept me guessing and interested right to the very end. She also *gets* how dogs think. At least, based on my dogs, she does. Dogs are not little people - they have different interests and instincts - and Durgin doesn't make the mistake of pretending they are. But the few passages that purport to be the thoughts of the beagle "Sully" ring true to this long-time dog owner. Overall this is just a fun book, a fast read, and an intriquing mystery. With Beagle.

I really liked Doranna Durgin's NOSE FOR TROUBLE. The story has just the right amount of humor, an adorable beagle, and characters just odd enough to remind you of some of your more eccentric friends. I was also really taken by the setting--the high deserts of northern Arizona, an area I've come to really love for its beauty and majestic views. In reading the story I can really see areas I know around Flagstaff. This mystery will keep you guessing and still offer a satisfying resolution. Buy two, and give one to a friend!