Customer Reviews

Watchdog: A Melanie Travis Mystery

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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What a great book! This is one of the best dog mysteries out there. The characters are incredibly real (I think I saw Melanie and her son in Central Park the other day.... hm...) and the pacing was wonderful. It was a book you couldn't put down. And even though I'm not really into the Sam-Melanie thing, I was excited to see them become a little more committed! My only qualm would be to give Faith a little more of a pronounced personality to really make her come alive. Other than that, I can't stress the greatness of this series!!

The aunt of Melanie Travis is internationally renowned for her breeding of purebred poodles. When her aunt gives Melanie a poodle to train and show, Melanie's initial reaction was unfavorable. However, she now considers her prize-winning canine Faith to be an intimate part of her family. Melanie feels the rush of displaying her baby at the various competitions.

In the current show, Melanie becomes involved with a homicide investigation because the prime suspect is her immature brother. The crime appears to have its roots in real estate rather than with canine shows. Melanie ends up placing her budding relationship with a fellow dog show participant on the line when she begins sleuthing to prove her sibling's innocence. She quickly realizes that many people had motives to loathe the victim. Still, Melanie knows that she must ferret out the killer's identity or watch her brother take the fall.

WATCHDOG is a first class piece of entertainment that stars a believable and likable amateur sleuth. The weird situations that seem to engulf Melanie adds a touch of realism to the well drawn mystery. The many suspects will receive reader sympathy, leading to the conclusion that even a good person may be pushed over the edge. The glimpse into the dog competition world adds some flavoring to Laurien Berenson's latest animal mystery, which ranks in the top of the sub-genre.

Harriet Klausner

Combining great detail of the dog fancy with a mystery which keeps you turning the pages into the wee hours of the night, WATCHDOG again shows that Ms Berenson is the best in the class of dog-mystery writers.

What more can I say? If you are a fan of the series...this one keeps you guessing to the end. The new job...the relationship problems...the brother possibly going to jail...the scandals of the show dog world....Heck! It all takes place in my life! <VBG> Alas, a page turner indeed...the only problem...waiting for the next instalment! Kudos abound for this book!