The new release is finally almost here, and here is the cover:

On Scent is not an Estela Nogales mystery. A couple of years ago I told a pal I was getting tired of readers laughing at my work, and I wanted to write a serious mystery. This was mostly a joke. When you write what you hope is humor, if it’s any good, readers will tend to laugh.

Still, I did want to challenge myself and see if I could write something more serious, maybe even suspenseful. In On Scent, a canine search and rescue squad hunts through a canyon in the high Sierra, searching for the young victim of a parental abduction. As darkness falls, the toddler struggles to survive despite his father’s psychotic descent. Law enforcement pursues the abductor at one end of the canyon, while his abandoned campfire gathers strength in the other. When the fire blows up, everyone is trapped. 

On Scent took longer than anticipated to write as it required serious researching to get all the details correct. I even met with some real search and rescue dogs, and took nosework lessons with my dogs, learning how capable dogs really are at scenting out targets. Now, launch day for this book is finally imminent, and I wanted you to be the first to hear. 

On Scent is due to be available for sale through all the usual channels by January 1st. Subscribers to this news page may be able to order the paperback and pre-order the ebook before then, and you will be the first to know when On Scent goes on sale.

While you are waiting, please check out the new Home page on this website, and read a free excerpt from On Scent. Go to the menu above and click on Home.

For those of you patiently hoping for the next installment in the Arroyo Loco humorous whodunnit series, number six is being drafted now for the usual March delivery. It does not yet have a title, but all your favorite characters, including Shiner, will be back to help Estela solve the mystery.

Thank you as always for your support, and for sharing with your friends!