At the Howard Academy in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she teaches drama, sleuth Melanie Travis and her poodle, Faith, investigate the murder of the caretaker. Melanie catches the killer with the help of her aunt.
Finalists in a contest to become the "spokesdog" for a new dog food, Melanie Travis and her standard poodle Faith watch in horror as the competition turns deadly when the handler of a Yorkshire terrier is murdered.
Melanie Travis thought her sleuthing days were behind her. She has a new baby to take care of - not to mention five Standard Poodles - and Aunt Peg is getting Davey ready for his debut as a junior showman. These days, the closest Melanie gets to detective work is scoping out the scene at the local doggie day centre for her friend Alice Brickman. As Melanie learns, it's a dog's life at the Pine Ridge Canine Care Centre - and life is good. The dogs...
Despite Melanie's domestic demands - a toddler and a house full of Standard Poodles - helping Edward March pen his life story is an opportunity she can't pass up. Of course Edward turns out to be a growly old man who wants his book - "Puppy Love" - to consist mainly of his amorous encounters with women from the dog show community. It's juicy gossip, but not dangerous...until Andrew, Edward's son, pays Melanie an angry visit to stop her from working...
When her aunt's dog-whispering protégé is found dead, Melanie Travis must help sort through the growing list of suspects to find the killer, all while juggling motherhood, marriage, and her six beloved poodles.
Melanie Travis has her hands full with her two young sons, a part-time job, and a half dozen Poodles to her name. But even with the busy holiday season approaching, she still has time to sniff out a Christmastime killer...There's nothing lovelier than Christmas in Connecticut, but Melanie can scarcely find a moment to enjoy the festivities. With her youngest son approaching toddlerhood, she's decided to return to her old job at Howard Academy, a posh...
"As Melanie attempts to deck the halls in a house overrun by pampered Poodles, her event planner friend, Claire, is busy playing Santa--beard and belly not included--for the wealthiest clientele on Connecticut's Gold Coast. A personal shopper gig in the affluent town of New Canaan seems like business as usual. Except Claire's stylish stint comes at a higher price than she bargains for when she stumbles over her newest customer's dead body on the job....
Working as a judge at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden on a bitterly cold February day, Aunt Peg is targeted with suspicion when an ousted poodle club member is found murdered.
"As Greenwich, Connecticut, slows down during a bitterly cold February, Melanie and her spunky Aunt Peg head to the city that never sleeps for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. Aunt Peg can't wait to demonstrate...
When a tenured colleague is accused of poisoning her famous marshmallow puffs to murder an elderly neighbor, Melanie Travis finds her investigation challenged by the boisterous Halloween festivities at Howard Academy.
Greenwich, Connecticut. Just a few days left before Halloween, everyone at Howard Academy is anticipating gorging on Harriet Bloom's famous marshmallow puffs. The private school's annual costume party revolves around the headmaster's...
"While usually protective, Melanie feels comfortable sending her sons to the Graceland School's summer camp for two reasons: The institution is well-regarded and proprietor Emily Grace is a trusted friend. But Emily has been acting strange since three rambunctious Dalmatian puppies suddenly appeared on her doorstep. The unusual arrival marks the first of several mysterious happenings at camp, each more intense than the last. Emily's rough streak takes...
"Melanie Travis is gifted at raising prize-winning Standard Poodles, not standing in as the Easter Bunny. But when March in Connecticut brings daffodils and dead bodies, she'll need to hop into action - and fast . . . Aunt Rose already has a strike against her for not being too fond of dogs - or Aunt Peg. But Melanie still agrees to organize Easter festivities at Gallagher House, the new women's shelter opened by the stern former nun, even if it takes...
Melanie Travis is taking a much-needed break from the dog show circuit for a romantic Valentine's trip with her husband Sam, but when someone at their cozy Berkshires inn has an unexpected date with death, Melanie must slip into something sleuthier for the weekend... Melanie is delighted at the prospect of three uninterrupted days alone with Sam (and, of course, her prize-winning Standard Poodle, Faith). They're booked at the White Birch Inn, a picturesque...
"It's autumn in Connecticut and there's a chill in the air, the fall leaves are a riot of color, and pumpkin spice is the flavor of the season. Melanie Travis is perennially busy, of course-but when the owner of a local pet supply shop is found murdered, sleuthing tops her to-do list . . . The headmaster at Howard Academy, the school where Melanie works and where her young son attends kindergarten, has come up with an idea for a school fundraiser....
"After seeing a Great Dane at a dog show, Melanie's younger son Kevin has become obsessed with the giant breed. Some kids get into dinosaurs-for Kevin it's Great Danes. Aunt Peg introduces Melanie and her son to Audrey Kane, a charming older woman who breeds and shows the big dogs. Aware of Melanie's talent for sleuthing, Audrey asks for her help in finding a missing brooch. She suspects her stepsister Lara. Sam and Melanie are showing their Standard...
Schoolteacher Melanie Travis turns PI to find a prized poodle that went missing after its owner died of an apparent heart attack while working in the kennel. In the course of the probe she comes across romance, murder and a great deal of dog lore, including breeding, handling, showing and judging. A first novel.
A sleuth must find a killer amid a plethora of poodles in this "charming" cozy mystery by an Agatha Award finalist (Publishers Weekly).
There are dog shows. And then there's The Poodle Club of America National Specialty Dog Show. For poodle purists, it's the pinnacle of the season, drawing competitors and spectators from all over the world.
Once in Maryland, Melanie Travis is put to work selling raffle tickets...
Thanks to Aunt Peg and her enthusiastic pedigree dog show pals, Melanie's aptly named Bite Club reading group has book lovers all over town burying their noses in thrilling murder mysteries. But another pet project surfaces when Melanie reluctantly agrees to train a Bulldog puppy for elusive member Evan Major. Between the unusual bruise on his face and a bizarre run-in with an unknown dog show attendee, introverted Evan can't dodge trouble. It even...
Competition at an elite Connecticut kennel club has a sharp and deadly bite in this "masterful" mystery (The Plain Dealer). As if raising her son Davey, training her rambunctious Poodle for the show ring, and grooming fellow handler Sam Driver for romance aren't enough, Melanie Travis's entrée into the exclusive Belle Haven Kennel Club has been met with a grisly murder. Unfortunately, the only witnesses to the crime were...
Did pawing at too many women get a dog handler shot dead? A twist-filled mystery that "will charm dog fanciers and cozy fans."—Publishers Weekly
The dog days of summer have just begun, and Melanie Travis is looking forward to savoring them. And where better to enjoy herself than at her Aunt Peg's Fourth of July barbecue? It sounds ideal, until an uninvited guest proves that even the laziest dog day of the year can...
While a mysterious stalker terrorizes her life, Melanie Travis also deals with the amorous advances of both her ex-husband and ex-fiance, and sets out to find a missing Dachshund puppy, the victim of a divorced couple's tug-of-war.
