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.

Doranna responded to all early injunctions to "put down that book/notebook and go outside and play" by climbing trees to read & write. 
Such quirkiness of spirit has created a wandering path through the publishing world, spanning genres and form to include nearly 40 novels and counting--mystery, SF/F, action-romance, and franchise, including the Compton Crook-winning Dun Lady's Jess--and a slew of essays and short stories. She also co-manages the Backlist eBooks collective of traditional authors presenting their backlist.
But after all that, mostly she still prefers to hang around outside with the animals. She doesn't believe so much in mastering the beast within, but in channeling its power. For good or bad has yet to be decided.

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