Melanie Travis Series by Laurien Berenson

When her uncle, a kennel owner, dies of an apparent heart attack, Melanie Travis is talked into investigating and learns that the only clue is a missing pedigreed poodle, a situation that has Melanie hounding Connecticut's elite. Reprint. PW.

It's autumn in Connecticut. Melanie Travis has just started a new job, and with the added excitement of showing her standard poodle, Faith, in the fall shows, the last thing she wants is to become embroiled in yet another of her brother Frank's moneymaking schemes. His current brainstorm--remaking an old store in stylish suburban Fairfield County into a trendy coffee bar--already has the neighbors snarling... moreIt's autumn in Connecticut. Melanie Travis has just started a new job, and with the added excitement of showing her standard poodle, Faith, in the fall shows, the last thing she wants is to become embroiled in yet another of her brother Frank's moneymaking schemes. His current brainstorm--remaking an old store in stylish suburban Fairfield County into a trendy coffee bar--already has the neighbors snarling. Worse, wealthy Marcus Rattigan, who's bankrolling the project, is found murdered on the premises, and the police think Frank did it. Always the family watchdog, and faced with Frank's imminent arrest, Melanie has no choice but to take on the investigation. Drawing on her connections in the dog world, Melanie is soon successfully unmuzzling the dead man's nearest and dearest, including a bitter ex-wife, a spurned mistress, and an ambitious second in command. But Melanie is about to learn that being a watchdog can sometimes be dangerous--especially when every clue she uncovers leads her one step closer to a murderer who is desperate enough to kill again... less

Between teaching, mothering, and prepping her Poodle for the next show, Melanie Travis barely has time to pencil in some Christmas festivities. Especially since she finds herself making a list of suspects--and checking it twice--when murder comes home for the holidays...This year, all Melanie wants for Christmas is a dull moment--but she's not going to get it... moreBetween teaching, mothering, and prepping her Poodle for the next show, Melanie Travis barely has time to pencil in some Christmas festivities. Especially since she finds herself making a list of suspects--and checking it twice--when murder comes home for the holidays...This year, all Melanie wants for Christmas is a dull moment--but she's not going to get it. Between her eight-year-old son Davey, her teaching job, and showing her soon-to-be champion Standard Poodle puppy, Eve, there just aren't enough hours in the day. Davey's in the Christmas play and the holidays are in full swing, so she'd like to make merry...or at least get around to decorating the tree! It would also be nice to spend a little time with her fiance, Sam.But when Davey's usual bus driver, Henry Pruitt, disappears and is replaced by a surly, pierced, gum-chewing twentysomething, Melanie is concerned. The elderly, amiable Henry was a friend to all in the neighborhood, so she decides to check on him...only to find that he died two days earlier under suspicious circumstances.As if that weren't bad enough, Henry's two Golden Retrievers, Pepper and Remington, are now bereft of both master and home. Naturally, Melanie can't just abandon them. So she brings them to her Aunt Peg, the most stubborn woman on the planet, who's now determined to find out the truth about Henry's death, no matter what it takes.It turns out that Henry wasn't always a bus driver--before he retired he had another career as a high-powered executive at a brokerage firm. He was also quite the ladies' man. Could one of this lovers have turned lethal? Soon, the indomitable Aunt Peg has Melanie leashed to another murder investigation. And unless she sniffs out this Scrooge of a killer fast, a lump of coal in her stocking might not be the worst thing Melanie gets this Christmas... less

As owner of prize-winning Poodles, Melanie Travis knows how to handle fierce competition. But when a conformation show turns deadly, it’ll take every trick in the book to outsmart a murderer who refuses to lose . . .   With the excitement of the spring dog show season sweeping Connecticut, Melanie is determined to help her son finally lead his Standard Poodle toward a championship title... moreAs owner of prize-winning Poodles, Melanie Travis knows how to handle fierce competition. But when a conformation show turns deadly, it’ll take every trick in the book to outsmart a murderer who refuses to lose . . .   With the excitement of the spring dog show season sweeping Connecticut, Melanie is determined to help her son finally lead his Standard Poodle toward a championship title. Aunt Peg even skips the judging panel to exhibit a pup of her own, and she’s set on standing out from the pack with a handmade leash from Jasmine Crane, a talented canine portrait artist who also crafts stunning accessories for discriminating show-goers. Jasmine’s handiwork is to die for—but Aunt Peg didn’t expect to discover the woman murdered behind the concession booth, strangled by one of her dazzling custom creations . . .   Another shockwave ripples through the close-knit show community when Amanda, Aunt Peg’s longtime dog sitter and a renter on Jasmine’s property, ominously vanishes that same day. While nosing around for clues, Melanie suspects a dangerous connection between Amanda’s disappearance and the homicide case—a hunch that grows as her investigation reveals sketchy secrets about the late artist. Juggling a demanding teaching job, the pressures of the show ring, and a daunting suspect list, Melanie finds herself entangled in a mindboggling murder mystery . . . and hot on the trail of a desperate killer . . . less