P.K. Paranya's delightful, quirky detective, Alexander McBee is a cross between Inspector Clouseau and Adrian Monk. An admitted loner, happy with his own company, and getting his training from watching re-runs of old detective shows on TV, McBee's life changes one afternoon when he rescues a half-drowned mop of a mutt and takes him home. Herr Schnoodle, as he affectionately dubs the dog because of his Schnauzer-Poodle heritage, seems to have a nose for solving crime, and soon McBee's flagging PI career takes off.

One day in Central Park, Herr Schnoodle and McBee meet a mysterious and feisty bag lady, named Apple Sally. The Schnoodle adores her immediately, but it takes McBee a while to overcome his germ phobias and see the frightened girl beneath the rags. As their friendship grows he resolves to discover the past she can't remember, but it's not until a rash of bag ladies are murdered (all looking uncannily like Apple Sally) that his curiosity turns to action.

With help (and sometimes hindrance) from a beautiful and sexy gossip reporter who attaches herself to McBee in hopes of scooping a big story, the terrible truth emerges. Can McBee and the Schnoodle save Apple Sally before it's too late?

Paranya's charming cozy mystery is funny, sweet, suspenseful and satisfying. Her comic scenes and imaginative similes will tickle your funny bone, and her eccentric, defective detective and his ugly-mutt partner will keep you entertained to the very end.