Chow Down (Melanie Travis Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Laurien Berenson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Melanie Travis Mysteries | Publication Date: September 1, 2006

If Melanie Travis was planning on a quiet family summer with her Standard Poodle Faith, son Davey, and new husband Sam, her plans are about to turn upside down. An unexpected competition, a trip to New York, and - oh yes, a murder - later, Melanie finds herself in a choke collar of deceit and corruption. When she receives the letter from the Champions Dog Food Company informing her that Faith has been selected as a finalist in the "All Dogs Are Champions" contest, Melanie is mystified - until she discovers it was Davey who entered Faith in the contest. Since he also signed the entry form that legally prohibits contestants from withdrawing, Melanie and Faith swallow their pride, tweak their top knots, and enter the ring. The winner will be the spokesdog for Chow Down, a new - and decidedly not poodlicious - dog food the company is launching, and receive a hundred-thousand-dollar modelling contract. Too bad Melanie and Faith are less than interested in winning this contest. At the reception where they meet the other finalists - Ginger, a Brittany owned by perky couple Bill and Allison Redding; MacDuff, a Scottish Terrier belonging to Dorothy Foyle, an older woman; Brando the Boxer, owned by Ben O'Donnell, an out-of-work actor; and Yoda, a Yorkshire Terrier who belongs to aloof couple Suzanne and Larry Kim - Melanie immediately picks up the scent that this pack is a bone's throw away from a major dog fight. Leaving the reception with Faith, who doesn't care for elevators, Melanie heads for the fire stairs. Above them a door opens and voices waft down followed by a blood-curdling scream as Larry Kim comes tumbling to his death. The police label the fall an accident, but something smells rotten to Melanie, starting with the fact that no one comes forth as the person Larry talked to before he fell. Odder still, Suzanne chooses to keep Yoda in the contest despite Larry's tragic demise. With the final decision drawing near and the competition getting downright ferocious, Melanie and Faith will have to watch their backs - because Melanie's digging may well unearth a barking-mad killer who'll do anything to win.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Berenson's enjoyable 13th dog-themed cozy (after 2005's Raining Cats and Dogs), Melanie Travis's standard poodle, Faith, is a finalist in a contest sponsored by Champions Dog Food company, which is in search of the next "spokesdog" for a new dog food. Though Melanie and her new husband, Sam, have no modeling ambitions for Faith—her nine-year-old son, Davey, entered the pooch without her knowing—the other finalists' competitive owners are lured by the promise of a $100,000 contract. What begins as a matter of grooming and carriage becomes the stuff of life and death when Larry Kim, the handler of a Yorkshire terrier, plunges to his death down a stairwell. Once again, Melanie, a Greenwich, Conn., teacher, sets about carefully piecing together the clues to solve the crime. Berenson creatively combines a multitude of red herrings with plenty of twists and turns for a tight suspenseful package. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"A devilishly good mystery, a tangled romance, and fascinating dog facts. This series gets stronger with every book." - Romantic Times "Doggedly endearing." - Publishers Weekly"

Product Details

• Hardcover: 295 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758208154
• ISBN-13: 978-0758208156
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 3.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,757,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming characters make this mystery really enjoyable, November 8, 2006

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Chow Down (Melanie Travis Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Melanie Travers can't quite bear to disappoint her son when he enters her poodle in a pet food competition and she becomes a finalist, but she doesn't really want to win. Which makes her completely unlike the other finalists. Every one of them seems intent on winning at any cost. When one of the contestants (the owner, not the pet) falls to his death on the stairs of the pet food company, Melanie finds herself in the familiar position of having to investigate what might be an accident but certainly looks like--murder.

Investigating crime is far from Melanie's major job, however. Although school may be out for the summer, she's still getting adjusted to her recent marriage, putting up with relatives urging her to start producing more children, showing her standard poodle at dog shows, and jumping through the many hoops that the contest judges have set up.

Author Laurien Berenson continues her Melanie Travis series with another look into the world of dog shows, and the unusual and colorful people who make these shows their life. These characters, especially Melanie, her aunt Peg, and gay groomer Terry bring the story to life and keep the reader interested as Melanie puts herself in dangerous situations to discover exactly what happened to the unpleasant Larry--and whether she just might be the next to fall victim.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars charming who-done-it, September 2, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chow Down (Melanie Travis Mysteries) (Hardcover)

It is summer vacation and Melanie Travis has the season off since she works at a school in Connecticut. She intends to relax and spend time with her husband of four months Sam in their new home that used to belong to her ex-husband. They're trying for a baby which has become news to family and friends and makes Melanie feel pressured. The real pressure comes in the form of a letter stating that her poodle Faith is one of five contestants in the Chow Down contests sponsored by Champions Food Dog Company.

She finds out that her son Davy entered Faith in the contest and by the terms of the contest Melanie can't withdraw Faith. During the first meeting of the contestants, one of them falls down the stairs, his dog, Yoda, a Yorkshire terrier falling into Melanie's arms. She hears yelling on the staircase but nobody is there and the police believe the death was an accident. Melanie is sure it is murder and between events dealing with the competition, she questions the contestants and the company people, hoping to find a clue that will point to the killer.

A Laurien Berenson mystery is always fun to read because the characters add something special to the storyline. This mystery is difficult to solve because nobody has a clear cut motive and Melanie has no idea who was on the steps with the victim. CHOW DOWN is a charming who-done-it and the glimpse into the heroine's personal life is just icing on the cake.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book!, October 5, 2006

By 

Nancy Hubbard (Hackensack, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chow Down (Melanie Travis Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Everybody needs to laugh and everybody needs to think and this book makes you pee your pants laughing while trying to solve a mystery.
My hats off to Ms Berenson for making me turn the pages of this book faster than the last 4 books that I've recently read.
I highly recommend any of the entertaining Melanie Travis Mysteries.
My sincere hope is that the author is working on the next installment as I type this!