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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780758216045
ISBN number: 0758216041
Label: Kensington
Manufacturer: Kensington
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 256
Printing Date: September 01, 2008
Publishing house: Kensington
Sale Popularity Level: 26091
Studio: Kensington
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Product Description:
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 are living large with a team of groomers and handlers at their bark and call.Everyone seems blissfully happy. Everyone canine, that is. For Melanie soon discovers there are some simmering resentments among the Pine Ridge staff and when Steve Pine, the centre's charming, good-looking co-owner, is found shot to death on the floor of his office, there's no shortage of suspects. His sister Candy stands to inherit their lucrative doggie day care operation. His neighbour, Adam Busch, still blames Steve for paving the way for the other businesses that now exist in the once quiet, all-residential town. And then there's Lila Bennington, the disgruntled client who wanted to sue Steve following an embarrassing 'incident' involving a Shih Tzu and a Beagle mix. And lastly, the string of female customers Steve bedded and jilted. But which of these, suspects was desperate enough to commit murder?
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers -
Laurien Berenson books are always fun to read. Although this is one in a series, each book can stand alone and is different enough to keep the reader interested and waiting for the subsequent book! This book opens with Melanie, who shows dogs, checking out the 'Doggy Day Care' center for a friend who is going back to work and needs a place to leave her dog in the daytime. She wouldn't know what to look out for. Melanie meets the enthusiastic brother and sister who own and run the center, sees a bunch of very happy dogs playing together, resting in their rooms, and being very well taken care of. Of course, there's a murder and Melanie gets involved with the case. You meet a lot of different suspicious people, and follow along as she solves the mystery. You'll enjoy this book.
Rated by buyers 
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I was disappointed in this latest offering. I look forward to the latest addition to this series each year, but this one was disappointing. There was too much "cute baby" and not enough dog interaction. I hope she gets back to her previous format, if she continues this series, although the ending might indicate there will not be an addition. Not enough Poodle input!!
Rated by buyers -
Even though she moved out of her neighborhood after she married Sam, Melanie Travis remains in touch with her good friend Alice Brickman, who is returning to work after being a stay at home mom for years. Worried about her Golden Retriever being alone in an empty nest, Alice asks Melanie to investigate the Pine Ridge Canine Care Center to see if it would be a good place for her to leave her beloved dog Berkley while she works.
When Melanie goes to inspect the doggie day care center, she is taken aback to see the canines enjoying a luxurious lifestyle watching TV while sitting on couches and chairs and playing with toys. When she and Alice go to sign up Berkley, they find the co-owner of the facility Steve Pine shot to death. Melanie learns that Steve's partner his sister Candy inherits the doggie day care center. She also learns an irate neighbor Adam Busch loathes the Pine siblings blaming them for ruining their neighborhood. Finally the victim was a womanizer who hit on his female clients and Lila Bennington who is suing the facility. Suspects are everywhere.
Although Melanie's plate is full with her Aunt Peg and her newborn Kevin, and with a dog show coming up she cannot resist investigating the homicide; why she does so beyond the Nancy Drew obsession syndrome is an unanswered question. The number of suspects is enormous, which in turn makes this a great entry in the caper canine series. Fans will enjoy this fine cozy while wishing their lives went to the dogs, at least those pampered at Pine Ridge.
Harriet Klausner
Rated by buyers -
Laurien Berenson's latest entry in her Melanie Travis series shows the problems that arise in a series -- too many characters, too much back story to keep moving, not enough attention to the mystery. I've been an eager follower of this series from the start [A Pedigree to Die For]. The series is strongest when it focuses on Melanie, her aunt Peg, her son Davey, and their assorted, gorgeous, and well-trained poodles. It also needs a strong mystery, serious contenders for the "guilty" title, and a whiff of danger.
Her previous entry, Hounded to Death, was a tighter book, with suspects coming in and out of focus and a strong sideline with Aunt Peg and her rescue dog. That book benefited from taking Melanie, Aunt Peg, and Bertie out of their homes and into the confined area of a resort -- so there weren't so many extraneous characters and plot lines to keep moving. [Her ex-neighbors unseen husband? Really!] Here, the strongest suspense comes with Davey's venture into Junior dog handling. And while Melanie figures out the victim's fatal flaw that got him murdered, the killer announces him/herself rather than being tracked down by her.
Stronger entries show that the author can do much better. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the subsequent entry.
Rated by buyers 
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The newest, eagerly awaited, Melanie Travis mystery is as engrossing and enjoyable as expected. This book shows that a lot has changed in the Melanie's life lately....new house, new baby, new job status and a still-in-the-honeymoon-phase new husband. As I have said in a previous review, one of the best aspects of this series is that the characters are continually growing and developing. The changes in Melanie's life are realistic and interesting and the characters so likeable, that you will find yourself cheering them on. The setting of the doggie day care center is perfect for providing a diverse and often hilarious cast of characters/suspects. Melanie's interaction with the bratty receptionist is priceless. The mystery was unexpected with such a wide cast of suspects and I enjoyed the involvement of Alice Brickman, Melanie's best friend and the mother of Davey's best friend. It reminded me of Faith/Pix friendship in the Katherine Hall Page books and was a nice development in the series.
In general, this series avoids a number of pitfalls that drive me crazy in other series in this genre.....the angry, overprotective husband/boyfriend who doesn't want the heroine to investigate, the unrealistic, cheesy love life (usually a love triangle and/or the unlucky in love), the non-passage of time, etc. The tone and progression of this series is pitch perfect. The only thing I am kind of missing is the dog show backdrop, there is just so much atmosphere to enjoy at a dog show that the books that primarily take place at dog shows are my favorites. I do, however, understand that it would be pretty silly if someone dropped dead everytime Melanie went to a show. Also, I am ready for Aunt Peg to have another boyfriend :) All in all, another pick of the litter.
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