These two exciting dog mysteries involve a sled dog in one and a poodle in the other. "The Scent of a Stranger" is the story of two brothers, both doctors. One man was handsome, charming, the love of his mother and half the town but a louse. The other brother was short, stout, decent, kind, but had never been loved by anyone, including his mother. He carried a secret in his heart that made him buy a one-way ticket to Alaska. There he finds his first true love and companion, a wounded sled dog. After a murder, the wrong man is accused but there was a witness to the murder. In the end, his faithful dog helps him. "Murder in the Garden" involves an Irish family and a young heroine who was molested as a child. She learns to breed poodles for dog shows, attempts to avenge her molestation, and gets caught up in the I.R.A. and world of terrorism. Dogs, love affairs, the old South, antiques, horse-racing and international intrigue figure strongly in this mystery. "This lady knows how to spin a tale," said Bob Cheney, author of "Interrupted Lives" and "Tragedy in Black and White."