Scents and Sensibility : Volume 8

This "creative and whimsical" (New York Journal of Books) entry in the Chet and Bernie Mystery follows Chet and his human PI companion, Bernie Little, as they investigate a mysterious case of illegal cactus smuggling.

When Private Investigator Bernie Little and his canine companion Chet return home, they encounter some alarming developments. First off, Bernie's wall safe-normally hidden behind the waterfall picture in the office-is gone. And next door, old Mr. Parsons is under investigation for being in possession of a saguaro cactus illegally transplanted from the desert. Bernie and Chet go deep into the desert to investigate. Is it possible that such a sweet old man has a terrible secret in his past?

Chet and Bernie discover bad things going on in the wilderness, far worse that cactus smuggling, and all connected to a strange but innocent-seeming desert festival called Cactus Man. They unearth leads that take them back to a long-ago kidnapping that may not have been a kidnapping and threaten a ruthless and charismatic criminal with a cult following, a criminal who sees at once what Chet and Bernie mean to each other and knows how to exploit it.

"Charmingly offbeat" (Publishers Weekly), Scents and Sensibility is a drool-worthy mystery that will have readers everywhere begging for more.