A Nose For Justice

Brown, Rita Mae. A Nose For Justice
Ballantine see Random 2010 267p 25.00
978-0-345-51181-2 jr./sr Mystery/Detective VG-BN
Mags Rogers escapes the debacle of Wall Street and heads west with her wire-haired dachshund, Baxter. Her arrival coincides with mysterious explosions and the discovery of a 100 year old skeleton. Mystery and intrigue run rampant in this novel.
Mags’ job as a Wall Street broker came to a quick end with the crash of the economy. After tying up loose ends she heads West with Baxter to her aunt’s ranch (Wings Ranch) to regroup and find another career.
Life on Jeep’s ranch is very orderly and calm until someone discovers a 100 year old skeleton in the floor of a barn being renovated. Almost simultaneously a pipe bomb explodes a local water pumping station. Local Deputy Pete Meadows and his partner are left to deal with both situations. Since the explosion took immediate precedent, Mags and her aunt try to delve into the historical details surrounding the skeleton, who turned out to be an elite Russian military officer. The water pumping station also involved Mags and Jeep because of of Jeep’s strict beliefs about the water ecology of the area and the preservation of the water supply in a mostly arid area (Nevada) who is having the water supply impacted by larger urban areas.
The novel is a great read for animal lovers, ecology advocates, and mystery lovers. There is also a touch of romance to liven up the story line as Mags starts to date the deputy.
All in all, this is a great read for anyone who wants to sit down and escape to the rural landscape of Nevada to be entertained by the antics of Baxter and King (Jeep’s dog), the historical intricacies of researching what happened on the ranch 100 years ago, and the developing romance of Mags and Pete. This is a very well written book that will relate well to many young readers. It is recommended as a basic book for any upper middle/high school library. It would make an excellent selection for a basic books list for school libraries. McNeil(3), Linda Country life