Customer Reviews

Doggie Day Care Murder (Melanie Travis Mysteries)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

By chance, I came across this series of light-reading mysteries. I started with the first book and have read them all including this last one and I must say that I have enjoyed each one of them. I love the characters and have learned so much about poodles and dog shows. It has opened up an entirely new world for me. While I own two dachshunds and absolutely love that breed, I find after reading this series of books that I am really interested in poodles too!

If you're looking for a DaVinci Code type mystery, then this series probably isn't for you. But, if you are looking for some fun, light reading and love dogs, then this series is for you. Along with the mystery, you also get to learn so much about dog shows and poodles.

My only disappointment is that I learned this is the last of this series. Maybe Laurien Berenson will re-consider her decision and perhaps write a few more in this series. I really want to know what happens with Melanie, Sam, and all the characters and, or course, her poodles!

The 15th in the Melanie Travis series, this outing finds new mom Melanie blissfully happy in her role as a stay-at-home Mom to new baby Kevin and son Davey, with the help of her husband Sam, who runs his software business out of their home.

Her friend Alice however, is going back to work as her children are both in school, and she needs to find a place to keep Berkley, her large, rambunctious dog, happy while she is gone during the day. She talks Melanie into checking out the Pine Ridge Canine Care Center, run by Steve and Candy Pine.

Melanie is impressed, the staff seems to really care about the dogs, the owners seem friendly and competent, and the setting is idyllic for a dog. When she goes back for a second visit, to check on details like on-call vets and food, she hears Candy scream from a back hallway, and they find Steve shot dead in his office.

Alice implores her to investigate, and Melanie does, simply because she feels sorry for Candy. Steve had been in charge of the books and business; Candy was in charge of the dogs. Melanie's cover is that she is hanging around asking questions because she is going to re-do the web site. She finds out about an angry neighbor who blames the Center for his neighborhood going commercial, some angry ex-girlfriends, a disgruntled former employee, and then she finds out about the silent partner, who seems on the surface to be happy with the set up.

Melanie's big question is: Why is handsome Cole Demarkian continually delivering supplies from Byram Pet Supply, if the memberships are down, and the storage closets are full? Melanie decides to search Steve's files after closing one night, but while she is alone in the office....

You will enjoy Melanie and her family and friends, and also the dogs. Melanie and Sam have five standard poodles. And you will enjoy the mystery-there are lot of suspects, an inventive setting, and a convincing bad guy. What more could you ask for?

Armchair Interviews says: Another fun cozy in the Melanie Travis series.

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 next 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.

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 next entry.

There seems to be a pattern emerging among cozy writers these days that after mentioning the murder in the first page or two, it's another 200 pages before it really seems to come up again. It was very frustrating that Melanie spent nearly 220 pages before finally realizing the motivation behind the murder in this book.
And it was one of the first scenarios that would be investigated in a real murder mystery. Also, there was too much "happy baby" in this book and nothing personal but the baby's name, Kevin, just didn't seem to flow very well. Every time I read it I sort of cringed. Sam's become a doormat who did nothing but babysit and grill steaks in this outing and Aunt Peg has become a caricature of herself. Since I really like this series I'll go back and re-read the books I enjoyed but as for this entry, it barely deserved the two stars I gave it.

Things are going well for Melanie Travis. She has finally consented to marry Sam, consequently a new baby has joined the family which now consists of her husband, Sam; Sons Davey and Kevin; and five poodles. To handle all of this, she has taken a leave of absence from her teaching position and since Sam works out of the house, she actually has time to do things like gardening. Problem is that she does not like to garden. So, when her dear friend Alice Brickman asked Melanie to check out a doggie day care operation close by, she immediately ditches her trowel and gloves and is off to investigate. Is it any surprise to readers of this series that a murder takes place in the day care and that Melanie manages to get herself involved in solving it?

As usual in reading these mystery "cozies" there are two primary things that I look for: First, does the mystery and the way it was solved make sense? Or, is there some overly convoluted and complicated plotting necessary to hide the truth from the reader? When solved, does the resolution make sense based on the information that was provided to the reader through the eyes of the `detective' etc.? Secondly, there are main characters and minor characters in each of these series. Does the story progress their lives in a way that makes sense and do we even care?

Along both dimensions, this book is a winner. The mystery itself appears confounding, but as Melanie gets involved and starts asking questions and following leads, the information she is provided makes sense and what she picks up on as unspoken clues also makes sense. I was very satisfied with myself when I picked up on a few clues that appeared to be almost meaningless story elements and thought to myself that they need to be investigated and found out later that they were the main clues to solving the crime. I even managed to solve the crime myself just before Melanie did. And when the solution was fully laid out in front of us, the readers, I noted that there were no hidden tricks; specialized knowledge; or things that were not discussed in the book. Very much appreciated.

The main and minor characters all make appearances here and the soap opera quality of the book in following this collection of characters makes sense. There are dog shows that the family attends to. Aunt Peg is there in her inimitable style and she definitely has her opinions and ideas that MUST be followed. Melanie's brother and his wife and daughter are there; Melanie's ex-husband is there; as are other minor characters. As usual, the dog show world is depicted as really a very small community where everyone knows everyone else and their business and that provides some number of clues to the murder mystery solution. But that was OK and not unexpected.

The writing is very breezy and light. This is the perfect kind of book to take on vacation when you do not want to overly think too much. Even with the text being spread out over 300 pages, it does not take too long and can be put aside at any point to attend to other matters. There is humor in many situations and a real-life quality to what is being described that you believe the situation. Overall, a very nice read and therefore recommended with four stars.

This author has many fine books using dogs as their theme. They are always entertaining and I look forward to many more in the series.

I enjoyed the book. I like the series and look forward to the continuing story.

please put her "dog mystery" books on the kindle. I already own them all, but am trying to replace some of my collections by download to kindle. needless to say, i enjoy this author