Customer Reviews

Hounded To Death (Melanie Travis Mysteries)

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Hounded to Death is the fourteenth in the Melanie Travis series by poodle owner Berenson.

Melanie, her Aunt Peg (a dog show judge), and her sister-in-law Bertie all travel to a five-day-long symposium in the mountains of Pennsylvania that is about everything to do with judging dogs. Peg drops a bomb while they are on the road: she is going to meet a man she met on the Internet, another dog show judge, for the first time.

The reception holds a few surprises: Richard, the Internet interest, has come with his mother, also a judge; he travels with her everywhere. His mother, Florence, has decided opinions on her son's welfare, and Peg is not judged to be good enough for him. While taking a walk, Melanie meets a scared and thin German shepherd, and after telling her Aunt Peg and Bertie, they decide to go out that night and try to find him. Instead they discover keynote speaker Charles Evans dead, face down and naked in the hot tub!

Charles had stunned the audience a few hours before with his speech about the "future" of dog shows. He was beginning to see the point of view of the animal rights activists who feel that purebred show dogs are genetically manipulated by breeders into parodies of their original uses. Originally dog shows were tests of the dog's function and usefulness. Now they had become, according to Evans, little more than "puppets for human entertainment!" The crowd was astounded that one of their own, a respected handler and judge, had turned his beliefs around so much. Caroline Evans, his wife, also a dog show judge, slipped out of the talk and disappeared.

Alanna Bennet, a beautiful blonde flirt who lives on the fringes of the dog show world and a friend of Bertie's, is not as shocked by the speech as everyone else. Why was Charles naked? Was he meeting someone? There had been talk of a judge asking for bribes. Was this scandal related to his death? And who bops the obnoxious Florence on the head?

Armchair Interviews says: Anyone who loves dogs--and interesting settings and characters--will enjoy this series.

This series is terrific. The books are so well-written, you will enjoy them even if you are not a dog lover. If you are a dog lover, you will love the author's hilarious insights into dog ownership and dog shows. The characters are hysterical and likeable, the mysteries are well developed, and there is enough "real life" issues to keep the books from being cheesy. You won't be disappointed.

I purchased this book as a gift. The recipient is a big fan of mystery books. She loved this one.

Berenson's latest novel, a type of "closed-room" mystery set in a mountain resort, serves up the usual dog world shenanigans. But what I appreciate most about the series is the basic decency of the main characters (what I wouldn't do for an "Aunt Peg" in my family!). The small-town atmosphere of Melanie and Sam's world is frankly refreshing;

it's a place where Melanie's first husband co-exists nicely with her second, and her formerly aimless brother finds true love with the gorgeous handler, Bertie and even establishes a thriving business for himself. And then there's Aunt Peg...with her critical eye yet unconditional love. I'm looking forward to the next installment as the Travis/Driver family grows!

Her husband Sam and her Aunt Peg persuade four months pregnant Melanie Travis to take a break from all her activities. She agrees and goes with Peg and her sister-in-law Bertie to a symposium for dog show judges and those who want to be one in the Pocono's. Melanie is shocked to learn that Peg is going to meet Richard Donner, whom she corresponds with on the internet; he brought his mother, who is very possessive of her son and her she also brought her Chihuahua with her.

When Melanie goes for a walk she finds an abandoned German Shepard who is terrified of people. That night they try to find him buit instead come across well known dog judge Charlie Evans floating dead in the Jacuzzi. The police discover it's a homicide and everyone at the symposium expects Melanie to find out who the killer is. Many people think the controversial keynote speech he gave led to his murder; but Melanie thinks otherwise. Although she tries to stay out of the investigation, she keeps getting pulled into it until she finally surrenders and aggressively investigates wondering whose bite was louder than their bark amidst the many canine loving suspects.

Fans of dog lovers and amateur sleuth mysteries will thoroughly enjoy HOUNDED TO DEATH, a doggedly good who-done it. There is lots of humor in this book as the author plays up the pitfalls of the heroine's pregnancy (an amusing salute to Fargo) to the enjoyment of the audience. The abandoned German Shepard and the adorable Chihuahua also are played for laughs although dogs play an important role in protecting humans. Laurien Berenson keeps her series fresh by having her key characters change.

Harriet Klausner

If you're a mystery lover AND a dog nut, like me, you'll really enjoy Laurien Berenson's mystery series. Throughout her books, the characters remain vibrant, true to their characters, endearing, and always engaging. You can't help but root for Melanie, whether it's solving the inevitable murder, raising her son, dealing with a spicy Aunt, or simply surviving a poodle grooming session. These books are entertaining and also provide terrific dog tips. But beware, once you've read one, you'll be hook on reading them all! Dawn A. Marcus, MD www.FitAsFido.com

I've read all of Laurien Berenson's mystery books with Melanie Travis as the main character and thoroughly enjoy reading each one of them. Being involved in the dog show world myself, I find her very accurate in describing dog show goings-on. I hope she keeps up the series for many more years!

It seems that the author is losing focus--the new husband, the expected baby...not particularly interesting, nor does all this contribute to the story. I liked the earlier books much better, with their focus on the poodles, Aunt Peg, dogshows, and the characters related to the crime. I hope the author can get back on track.

Once again, Larien Berenson gives us another good mystery. Her characters are true-to-life and so are the animals. It's always enjoyable to read a book by this author.

Pretty cute version of the series, just not quite a good as some of her others. I still look forward to the next one. I think I missed her showing the dogs and being in her own element. The suspects did not seem to be as flushed out and three dimensional as usual.