As sheriff's-deputy-turned-pet-sitter Dixie Hemingway and an adorable dachshund named Mame are out for a morning walk, a car speeds by and Dixie waves to the driver. Later, after the dachshund discovers a dead body, Dixie realized that she has waved to a killer. And since the killer mistakenly believes that Dixie can identify him (or her), the chase is on.

"This time out, Dixie's got a furry partner-in-crime, an irascible Lhasa Apso named Charlie. They've just arrived at the home of one of Dixie's regular clients to check in on Franklin, a mackerel tabby with avocado-green eyes and a luxuriant coat the color of dried beach grass. Despite a couple of bumps in the road (Franklin seems to be hiding in one of his favorite cubby holes, and Charlie scratches up the parlor door trying to get to the other side),...