The Scent of Murder — Felicity Young

The third Dr Dody McCleland mystery ... Agatha Christie meets Phryne Fisher.

'If a black dog appears along the old corpse way, the route a funeral procession takes to the churchyard, it is thought to be escorting the dead soul to the afterlife. A black dog sighting without a funeral procession, however, is supposed to foreshadow death.'

For Doctor Dody McCleland, the unearthing of an ancient skeleton in a dry riverbed is a welcome break from the monotony of chaperoning her younger sister at a country house near the isolated hamlet of Piltdown. But when she begins her analysis of the bones, Britain's first female autopsy surgeon discovers they are much more recent - and they are the result of murder. With Chief Inspector Matthew Pike's help Dody begins to investigate.

Soon she finds herself pitted against ugly traditionalism, exploitation, spectral dogs, a ghostly hunt and a series of events that not only threaten her belief in scientific rationalism, but threaten her life itself.

'A classic, with fluid and atmospheric storytelling ... Young's skilful narration captivates and intrigues. Her medical knowledge provides a veracity that brings the action alive. there is romance, suspense, fleeting glimpses of the supernatural and exploration of the good and truly evil in human nature ... The Scent of Murder incorporates memorable characters, immersed in an interesting historical period, with love and tragedy intertwined. It has sentiment without sentimentality.' WEST AUSTRALIAN