Live and Let Growl

Live and Let Growl
Author: Laurien Berenson
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
Total Pages: 301
Release: 2016-08-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1496703391

A road trip to a Kentucky dog show leads to a race to find a killer, in this mystery by an Agatha Award finalist: “A likable heroine.”—Publishers Weekly For a dog lover like Melanie Travis, the opportunity to attend the Kentuckiana Dog Show Cluster is not to be missed. Fortunately, the timing coincides with her spring break from teaching, so she heads for central Kentucky with her sister-in-law and Aunt Peg, who’s accepted a weeklong judging assignment. Once there, Aunt Peg reconnects with an old friend, Ellie Gates Wanamaker, a former Standard Poodle exhibitor and a member of a well-heeled Kentucky family. Miss Ellie has been out of the dog show world for more than a decade, but when Melanie invites her to spectate at the Louisville Kennel Club dog show, she's eager to accompany her. Miss Ellie’s presence at the expo center, however, provokes mixed reactions from exhibitors she hasn’t seen in years, including some outright animosity. The following day Melanie learns that Miss Ellie has suffered a fatal accident while exercising her dogs. Aunt Peg, however, suspects foul play. Wishing to avoid any scandal, Miss Ellie’s pedigreed family prefers to let sleeping dogs lie, but as Melanie begins to sniff around, she discovers Miss Ellie had many secrets, both in the dog show world and amongst her Kentucky kin… “If you like dogs, you’ll love Laurien Berenson’s Melanie Travis mysteries!” —Joanne Fluke, New York Times bestselling author “Fans of Miranda James’ Cat in the Stacks series may also enjoy Berenson.”—Booklist

Watchdog

Watchdog
Author: Laurien Berenson
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2021-01-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1496719298

Melanie Travis and her pedigree poodles are back on the case in Watchdog, the fifth installment in award-winning author Laurien Berenson's delightfully dog-friendly cozy mystery series! 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 money making 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. 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...

Hush Puppy

Hush Puppy
Author: Laurien Berenson
Publisher: Kensington Books
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2000
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781575666006

When the caretaker at Howard Academy turns up dead after being spotted arguing with a girl young enough to be his daughter, teacher Melanie Travis is on the case, but her romantic rival complicates matters as she tries to solve the mystery.

Pup Fiction

Pup Fiction
Author: Laurien Berenson
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2021-06-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1496718445

Agatha and Macavity nominee Laurien Berenson’s latest escapade in her long-running Melanie Travis Canine Mystery series finds a killer showing up in summer camp. With a new litter of Standard Poodles on the way, it’s shaping up to be a vibrant July in Greenwich, Connecticut, for Melanie Travis. Too bad there’s a killer in town who would love to drain the life out of her summer . . . 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. It’s a rough streak that takes a frightening turn with a discovery in the nearby woods—the body of Emily’s estranged ex-husband. Proving that Emily didn’t murder her biggest mistake will be about as easy as raising prize-winning show dogs. But Melanie dives into an investigation on the victim’s whereabouts leading up to his demise. With a few spotty clues and Aunt Peg’s growing curiosity about the Dalmatian pups’ origins, Melanie must name the culprit before good intentions come back to bite!

Hush Puppy

Hush Puppy
Author: Laurien Berenson
Publisher: Kensington Books
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2013-02-13
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0758295294

There’s a corpse on campus in this mystery from an Agatha Award finalist who’s “a rare breed of writer” (The Plain Dealer). Melanie Travis loves her teaching job at Connecticut’s elite Howard Academy, where plans are underway for a Spring Pageant to honor the school’s fiftieth anniversary. Immersed in the preparations, Melanie is hurrying to retrieve a painting of one of the illustrious co-founders when she comes upon a disturbing scene: Eugene Krebbs, the Academy’s elderly caretaker, is arguing loudly with a girl half his size. Before Melanie can learn more than the girl’s first name—Jane—she disappears. It’s clear that Jane isn’t a student at Howard Academy, so what is she doing there? Melanie doesn’t have a chance to answer that question before more problems arise. Two days later, Krebbs is discovered stabbed to death right on the school grounds. Now Melanie is embroiled in a full-fledged homicide investigation as she tries to find out who’s added murder to the school's curriculum. “Fans of Miranda James’ Cat in the Stacks series may also enjoy Berenson.”—Booklist “If you like dogs, you’ll love Laurien Berenson’s Melanie Travis mysteries!”—Joanne Fluke, New York Times-bestselling author of the Hannah Swensen series

Time to Roar

Time to Roar
Author: Olivia A. Cole
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2020-09-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1547603704

This powerful picture book shows the importance of raising your own strong voice to defend what you love. Sasha the bear loves the meadow in her forest more than anything. But when great yellow beasts threaten to cut and burn the forest, Sasha and the other animals must find a way to stop them. "Don't go roaring," squirrel tells Sasha. The bird tries singing sweetly. The rabbit tries thumping to distract them. The deer tries running to lead them away. But none of these things stop the machines. Must they all run and hide? Sasha the bear knows they need something louder, something bigger, something more powerful. And Sasha knows her voice--her roar--is the most powerful tool she has. Olivia A. Cole's deceptively simple text and Jessica Gibson's vibrant art celebrate the power of learning to raise your own strong voice to defend what you love. Because sometimes you must be a bear. Sometimes you must roar.

Girls that Growl

Girls that Growl
Author: Mari Mancusi
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2007
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 9780425217160

Rayne McDonald, a goth vampire and vampire slayer, must go undercover as a cheerleader at her high school to find out what happened to the captain of the football team, who has disappeared, and to see if the peppy cheerleaders are really werewolves.

Killer Cupid

Killer Cupid
Author: Laurien Berenson
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
Total Pages: 173
Release: 2022-12-27
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1496741056

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 New England resort nestled at the foot of a snow-covered mountain. The inn has a full slate of couples activities planned for the busy Valentine's weekend, but the first night of festivities feature an event that isn’t on the program: murder. As a person of interest in the case, Melanie tries to sneak a little detective work into her romantic getaway. But with the resort nearly sold out for the holiday weekend, there's no shortage of suspects, and Melanie’s secret sleuthing is already attracting the wrong kind of attention. Her Valentine’s trip is heating up faster than the chocolate fondue . . . just not in the way Melanie hoped. But if she doesn’t catch the cold-hearted killer soon, another innocent victim will get the kiss of death . . .

A Christmas Howl

A Christmas Howl
Author: Laurien Berenson
Publisher: Kensington Books
Total Pages: 70
Release: 2015-11-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1496703502

A special novella that looks back on Christmas past, as a young Melanie Travis teams up with her aunt to solve a family mystery… Ever wonder what Melanie and Aunt Peg were up to before solving murders? Let’s step back in time, when college-aged Melanie and her indomitable Aunt Peg were little more than strangers… It’s Christmas in Connecticut, and Peg Turnbull can’t wait to spend her favorite holiday cozying up to husband Max and their clan of pedigree Poodles in Greenwich. But Peg’s spirits drop when the family of Max’s estranged brother Michael invites the pair over for Christmas dinner. Could her in-laws want to settle the long-standing feud over Nana’s will? Peg isn’t expecting any miracles, but it’s been ages since Peg last saw her niece and nephew. Little Melanie must be out of pigtails by now… When they arrive at the Turnbulls’, Peg is not just surprised by how much Melanie has grown up. The family has spared no expense in preparing for the festivities—unusual, considering Michael blew his inheritance after years of financial troubles. Peg suspects there’s an awful secret tucked beneath her brother-in-law’s ostentatious good cheer, and she’s determined to get to the bottom of it. Once she does, someone’s ending up in the doghouse… “If you like dogs, you'll love Laurien Berenson's Melanie Travis mysteries!”—Joanne Fluke, New York Times bestselling author

Here Comes Santa Paws

Here Comes Santa Paws
Author: Laurien Berenson
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2020-09-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1496718461

It’s the most wonderful time of the year in Connecticut, but Melanie Travis finds surviving this December may take a real Christmas miracle when a yuletide murderer comes to town . . . As Melanie attempts to deck the halls in a house overrun by pampered Poodles, her event planner friend, Claire, is busy playing Santa 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. Named a prime suspect for murder, she begs for Melanie’s help, then vanishes like cookies and milk on Christmas Eve . . . Determined to track down Claire, Melanie and her nosy Aunt Peg dash into a dizzying investigation. But with a grinchy New Canaan detective on their case and disturbing clues piling up like presents beneath the tree, the crime-solving duo must hurry to rein in a sinister Kris Kringle before they’re the next ones on someone’s deadly wish list . . .