Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Audrey is a bloodhound. That means lots of slobber – everywhere. But it also means a good nose and it’s that nose that brought her to Alice, newly widowed and needing someone nearby to love. Audrey, obviously abused in her previous home, was Alice’s rescue dog, but Audrey also rescued her from her grief. It’s Audrey’s great nose that helps find a missing elderly man, one who’s troubled with mixed thoughts and confusion due to his dementia, and one who’s also troubled with past deeds and missing treasure, or so he claims when he’s lucid enough. Audrey not only finds the old man, more than once, but she finds buried bodies, which opens a case of murder and mayhem (and Audrey-style humor, love her ha-ha-ha looks and flying slobber) that sets the small town of Dingle Grove into a turmoil it’s never before experienced. The whodunit scenario has multiple twists and turns, just like a good bloodhound using her nose, meandering around until the mystery is solved.

Author Georgann Prochaska obviously loves dogs. The Case of the Hound Who Didn’t Stay is the second book in her Snoopypuss Mystery series. Rescuing a dog is both a noble gesture and a daring one, especially if the dog is a large bloodhound like Audrey. The author presents a setting of a loving home for Audrey and an adopted owner, Alice, who obviously knows dogs, knows how to care for them, and loves them. The character of Alice bonds well with Audrey and knows her dog’s unique and, to some people, annoying characteristics, like shaking slobber all over the walls, floor and furniture, which is why Audrey carries a towel with her at all times. Georgann’s story is one that will appeal to dog lovers and mystery hounds (no pun intended) alike. With a dash of humor sprinkled into the mix, this is an endearing dog-centred mystery with unexpected tangents that finally lead the reader, along with Alice, the amateur sleuth, and Audrey, the nose, to a surprising conclusion.