The novel's narrator, Dyanna Falconer, a successful film writer, and her romance with movie heart-throb Kevin Stone are the focus of much of the story. A passionate woman with erotic tastes, the heroine divides her time between her Big Sur home and Los Angeles.

Early on, Dyanna is warned by a local Indian mystic of the existence of the legendary Jasmine Dogs. Working for the Angel of Death, they roam the coastal hills and, purportedly, warn a person "when the time has come for death to take his catch."

As both Dyanna and the reader will discover, the Indian's warning should not be taken lightly. The events leading up to the novel's ending, which is alluded to in the prologue, confirm there are other forces at work around us that mustn't be ignored.

Quote: "And then there was the matter of the Jasmine Dogs. Indian legend told stories about a pack of wild dogs never seen by human eyes, but heard at night by the Esalen Indians during their hunting season. The Dogs were feared by the Indians because they lived in the wild Jasmine that grows profusely on the coast, sheltered by the sweet scent and thick foliage which made them virtually impossible to track."

Audience: Those who enjoy a novel with mystical underpinnings and a local setting will find this an enjoyable read.

Robert Walch of Monterey writes about Central Coast Authors for the Arts & Books page Friday in The Salinas Californian. Contact him in care of Central Coast Authors, The Salinas Californian, P.O. Box 81091, Salinas 93912; fax to 754-4293; or e-mail to news room@thecalifornian.com.
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To purchase "Jasmine Dogs" for $19.95, use the link below go to to the ebay store, or attend one of Winslow's upcoming book-launch events.