An eco-bomber is terrorising the city. Margaret O'Halloran and Kelty are called in to assist only to discover that the bomber could be Margaret's idealistic younger cousin.
Margaret O'Halloran can think like a dog. This is a rare gift; something many aspire to but few achieve. It has earned her the title of Dogwoman. With the dog as her only clue, Margaret is drawn into a world of mystery, intrigue and sometimes even murder, which lies beneath the surface of the happy, dog-owning family. A world in which everyone has a secret and the dog is the only one telling the truth.
Somewhere in this city, a mad bomber is causing havoc. An animal research laboratory explodes and the security guard is trapped in the rubble. Margaret O'Halloran, the legendary Dog Woman and Kelty, her famous tracker dog, are called in to the rescue. Kelty not only sniffs out the injured security guard, he notices another distinctive scent. The scent of the bomber.
But this time there's more at stake for Margaret than solving a crime. At the police debriefing, canvassing the range of possible suspects, one photograph stops Margaret in her tracks. Her young cousin, Varna O'Halloran.
Varna is a young woman on an environmental mission. She has a heart the size of a whale, and a body shape to match. To discover whether her cousin is connected to the bombings, Margaret plunges herself into Varna's unfamiliar world of political correctness, polymorphous sexuality and ambiguous odors.
She meets Varna's girlfriend, the ethereal beautiful Maya, the bumbling but well meaning Matt Hayduke, and the hard line ideologue, Jim Morgan. Each of these three are suspicious in their own way. Margaret tries to get Kelty to track that mysterious scent again but his response is baffling. For a moment, it looks like Matt might be the bomber, then Maya, but then the scent mysteriously vanishes.
Margaret's investigation is taking its toll on her relationship with Brian. He's trying to set up a meeting between Margaret and his parents visiting from Sri Lanka. But each assignation is thwarted by Margaret's preoccupation with Varna. If Brian turns away from Margaret, who will he turn to? Her sister, Pauline?
The closer Margaret gets to the truth, the worse things look for the foolhardy Varna. Another bomb explodes. This time, someone is killed. It's no longer a game. It's murder. And all indicators point to Varna, who is arrested for murder. Another bomb is ticking, and it's going to go off. This time, Kelty's life is endangered, and this time, not even Dog Woman can come to the rescue!
