The Bark Before Christmas

August 31, 2015
In Berenson’s enjoyable 18th Melanie Travis canine mystery (after 2014’s Death of a Dog Whisperer), the headmaster of Howard Academy in Greenwich, Conn., presses Melanie, who has recently resumed her old job as a special-needs tutor at Howard, into serving as the chair of the school’s annual Christmas bazaar fund-raiser. One of the event’s biggest attractions is pet photos with Santa. Unfortunately, Kiltie, the West Highland White Terrier belonging to wealthy, troublesome Hanover parent Sondra McEvoy, goes missing from the crowded show, as does the show’s Santa Claus, a last-minute replacement about whom the headmaster knows little. When Sondra threatens to sue the school for the loss of Kiltie (valued at $100,000), Melanie, aided by her redoubtable aunt Peg Turnbull, must squeeze detection into her busy holiday schedule. The Travis family’s six Standard Poodles, as well as various other breeds, all play major roles in a whodunit sure to please dog-loving cozy readers. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency.

October 15, 2015

Melanie Travis makes her 18th appearance in this popular canine-themed mystery series (Death of a Dog Whisperer). In addition to wrangling two young sons and a pack of poodles, Melanie returns to work at Howard Academy, a Greenwich, CT, private school. It's almost Christmas, and the school is gearing up for its annual fundraiser, the Christmas Bazaar. When the bazaar chair elopes to Mexico, the principal asks Melanie to take over. The event is going well until Santa turns up dead and a valuable show dog disappears. Feeling responsible, Melanie tries to track down the dog and the murderer so everyone can have a merry Christmas. VERDICT Cozy mystery fans and dog lovers will lap this one up.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2015
Melanie Travis is put in charge of the upcoming Christmas school event a week before it happens. In between taking her poodles on the dog-show circuit, caring for her husband and two boys, and teaching part-time, she seems on the verge of pulling off a successful holiday event. Then the last-minute Santa replacement disappears during a break and is later discovered murdered. A very valuable show dog belonging to a school parent also disappears, and the police realize, with Melanie's help, that the dog was kidnapped and that the homicide victim had been hired to take the Westie. The irascible owner is not straight with Melanie while expecting her to find the popular dog. Melanie's Aunt Peg, a key player in this series, lends a hand in her smart but opinionated style, helping to find answers before Christmas arrives. This long-running series continues to appeal with its combination of an always sprightly pace, a realistically harried but quick-thinking heroine, and a wealth of fascinating details about the dog-show world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)