Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
Hush Puppy
Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Laurien Berenson
Class/Genre: Mystery Dogs Cozy Woman Main Character Amateur Sleuth
Series: Melanie Travis # 6
Kensington, Oct 1999, $20.00, 384 pp.
Melanie Travis feels everything is perfect. Her six-year old son Davey is a normal, precocious lad. Her pet poodle Faith is on the verge of winning a dog show championship. She loves her husband-to-be Sam Dreyer, who seems to cherish every moment with her. Melanie even enjoys her job as a tutor at the prestigious Howard Academy.
Life spins a bit downward when Sam’s ex-wife appears at the dog show. Melanie is a bit concerned and irritated because she never knew Sam was previously married and the former Ms. Dreyer wants him back. At the school, a child who is not a student seems to appear and disappear until finally the unknown child finds the murdered corpse of the custodian. Melanie vows not to become involved in this murder investigation, but fate decrees otherwise. Someone sets fire to a room where Melanie and Faith are looking at some papers in an attempt to kill her. Melanie feels a link between the murder and the arson exists and she plans to identify it and subsequently the killer before a second attempt on her life occurs.
Beneath the facade of an elite school resides a boiling pot filled with drug deals, blackmail, and murder that rivals anything the other less elite schools have to offer. That concept serves as the focus of HUSH PUPPY. Melanie’s relationships with her lover, her son, and her dog add a humanistic feel to the who-done-it. Laurien Berenson has written an amateur sleuth tale that is a delightful addition to a fine animal mystery series.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
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