Dale Kinsall, DVM, and his young Beagle Sully are brand new to the high desert of the American Southwest. Determined to escape reminders of the catastrophic fire that scarred his memory and damaged his lungs, Dale arrives to a clinic populated by an eccentric staff, even odder clients-and a community all abuzz about a recent murder. The wagging tongues grow even louder when Dale himself stumbles across a second victim on his very first day at the clinic-a man drowned in his own drought-dusty backyard-and that's just the beginning. Dale's new boss is less than pleased that scandal and chaos seem to trot along at Dale's heels. Before much longer it becomes evident that Dale, Sully, and the clinic are all at risk, even as Dale's fledgling relationship with a local colleague turns serious in more ways than one. Trouble seems to be closing in on all of them. But how can Dale solve the mystery when he's not even sure what the mystery is? And how can he protect everyone and everything he cares about? There's only one thing for certain: just like Sully, Dale has a Nose for Trouble.