Customer Reviews

Chow Down (Melanie Travis Mysteries)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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

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!

Ms. Berensen has found a way to bring a new twist to the mystery genre. Melanie is a normal person who finds herself in extraordinary situations, all made probable through her activities showing poodles. Unlike Jessica Fletcher, a woman whose acquaintances were likely to die, Melanie has a broader range of contact. I have enjoyed, and expect to enjoy for many years, all of her books.

Each of the Melanie Travis books takes you to her delightful life in Greenwich. The author quickly gets the reader involved in the world of dog shows and sleuthing.

Unfortunately, the books are such quick reads that you are left out in the cold again, and craving the next in her series.

Hurry up and write more, Ms. Berenson.

I have been trying to read this series in order. I think this was one of most fun to read yet!! Enjoy it and I found the end a surprise - hope you do to. Pat F.

I am a big fan of the Melanie Travis Mysteries. Chow Down did not disappoint. Once again Melainie finds herself in the middle of a murder and along with her wonderful Standard Poodle Faith they manage to have fun, adventures, and plenty of excitement as they attempt to figure out "who done it". It is almost impossible to put down. A must read for dog lovers and fans of mysteries.

The Melanie Travis series has been fun to follow and enlightening with regard to the details of the "show dog" world - from a "real" person's perspective (Melanie)with the bonus of fun mysteries. This book was fine for what it offered, but was not one of the more challenging mysteries in the series. It did update the reader on the lives of the main character and her family - and added a twist to info. on the dog world - creating and advertising a "new" dog food (not obviously an interesting pursuit, but essential to this plot). I think the author had a good time writing this book and offered an easy read - for dog and mystery lovers.

The true appeal here was dog-related. All the dog information was fascinating and her descriptions of her herd of Poodles (particularly Faith) were priceless.

Unfortunately I question the mode of murder. At the risk of spoiling the plot, I wonder why someone would push Larry down the stairs while he was holding the (hopefully) winning dog - and risk injuring said winning dog (particularly considering who the murderer is finally revealed to be and why she considered Yoda the winner). And if he wasn't holding the dog when pushed, then why didn't the murderer pick up Yoda after doing the pushing? I just couldn't make it work in my mind. (As an aside, I noticed the gender of the dog kept changing throughout the book - first referred to as she, then he, then she again.)

And the constant references to pregnancy were just grating on my nerves. How Melanie could put up w/ the constant intrusions into her privacy (and her uterus is about as private as it gets!!) is just unbelievable. Good grief. If someone hounded a friend or sister like that I'd hope they'd reply with, "If you're so determined to have another child in this family, why don't YOU adopt one? I'll gladly supply you with a letter of reference." Hopefully once this kid gets born, all such intrusive references will be a part of the past.

This was my first exposure to her work. I'm looking forward to further novels full of dog stories.