The Texas K9 series about police dog handlers continues with Narcotics Detective Parker Adams and his beagle Sherlock in Sagebrush, Texas. They come to support Detective Melody Zachary when the youth centre where she volunteers has a break-in. Melody works cold cases so she isn't well acquainted with the dog handler. The centre also has a strict no-drugs policy. Eyeing the damage, Parker says that he's going to let Sherlock sniff around...

Sagebrush is under siege from escalating crime in the linked series by different authors, and in SCENT OF DANGER we see how the whole community suffers, when not just drug dealers but young people are dying. Both the detectives have lost family members. Finding common ground helps them to work together, but a cocaine stash in the well-equipped centre is bringing their accord to a halt. Melody is not a dog person, but she appreciates the cleverness and training of the little beagle. Parker however believes that work and romance don't mix. And if he's shutting down the centre, Melody will lose sources of information about her cold cases. Then Melody herself comes under threat, and Parker appoints himself her guard....

Terri Reid has given us a fine addition to the series, including enough detail about the working dog to please dog lovers without losing sight of the fact that SCENT OF DANGER is a crime novel. The overtones are serious and we understand that fighting the spread of drugs is an ongoing battle. However a town social event brings out the elegance of the female police officers and spurs on romance. There is a good sense of place with the Texas town coming to life. Some of the other series characters such as Detective Salgado reappear, and there are references to other cases, but Reid's SCENT OF DANGER can be read as a standalone. If you do though, you'll be rushing out to get the rest of the Texas K9 books. They're a great read.