Del Norte Public Library

While attending a five-day symposium for dog show judges in the Pocono Mountains with her Aunt Peg, a very pregnant Melanie Travis is fast on the scent of a killer when the dead body of an offensive guest speaker is found floating in the outdoor hot tub.

One morning Melanie's uncle, Max, is found dead of a heart attack on the kennel floor; after the funeral, her aunt, Peg asks Melanie to find Beau, the kennel's star stud dog that has been missing since the night Max died.

Pine Ridge Canine Care Center is a place where pampered pooches go to kick back, get primped, and watch a little TV in luxurious individual accommodations. To Melanie Travis, it all seems a bit much-and a most unlikely setting for a murder. But when the day care center's co-owner turns up dead in his office, that's just what she finds.

It's summer in Connecticut, and Melanie's life has become an endless string of dog shows, soccer camp, and the antics of her energetic toddler. She hardly has time to pay much attention to her Aunt Peg's new protégé, Nick Walden, a self-proclaimed "dog whisperer" with an uncanny gift for decoding dog-speak. The well-heeled dog owners of Fairfield County are lapping up his alleged talents, anxious to discover exactly what their pampered pets are...

A canine competition in New York turns criminal: "Enjoyable...plenty of twists and turns... a tight suspenseful package."—Publishers Weekly

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. When she receives a letter from the Champions Dog Food Company informing her that Faith has been selected as a...

"With her former fiancé off finding himself and their wedding plans kaput, Melanie Travis figures the only ring she'll be seeing in the near future is one where she's showing her prized poodles. But at least somebody still believes in happily ever after: her brother Frank is about to tie the knot with his true love, Bertie Kennedy. With scant knowledge of tulle, favors, or cocktail hors d'oeuvres, Melanie is content to leave the nuptial arrangements...

Summer means two things to Melanie Travis: a break from her teaching duties at Connecticut's elite Howard Academy, and a chance to plan the perfect wedding to her fiancé, Sam. What she doesn't need is an unwelcome arrival of a dinner invitation from Sam's ex-wife Sheila. To make matters worse, Sheila has announced that her temporary stay in town is now permanent -- she's accepted a job as co-publisher of Woof!, a new gossip rag for the dog show world....

In an effort to escape tail-chasing males—namely her ex-husband Bob and boyfriend Sam—Melanie Travis opts to track down the elusive owner of Dox, an adorable Dachshund who's about to be put on the block at a charity auction. But the more Melanie discovers about the pup's background, the messier the case gets. It seems Dox is part of a divorced couple's emotional tug-o-war. As if tiptoeing through the minefield of a broken marriage isn't nerve-wracking...

"Thanks to Aunt Peg and her enthusiastic pedigree dog show pals, Melanie's aptly named Bite Club reading group has book lovers all over town burying their noses in thrilling murder mysteries. But another pet project surfaces when Melanie reluctantly agrees to train a Bulldog puppy for elusive member Evan Major. Between the unusual bruise on his face and a bizarre run-in with an unknown dog show attendee, introverted Evan can't dodge trouble. It even...