Pup Fiction

Pup Fiction by Laurien Berenson is the 27th A Melanie Travis Mystery. It can be read as a standalone if you are new to this engaging cozy mystery series. I could not wait to get my hands on Pup Fiction. I enjoy following the harried Melanie Travis on her adventures. Melanie Travis is a busy wife and mother with a summer free of work. Melanie is hoping for a relaxing summer, but it does not take long to discover that will not be happening. In addition to incidents happening at the school camp, Davey is busy trying to get the final points for Aunt Peg’s Standard Poodle, Coral whom he is handling. He needs two “majors” to finish off Coral’s competition days. I like the characters in this series which include Melanie’s kind husband Sam, Kevin, Davey, Faith (Melanie’s faithful companion), and the formidable Aunt Peg. I wish I had a fifth of Aunt Peg’s energy. The whodunit was crafty and thought out. It was clever how the Dalmatians were interlaced into the mystery. There are several suspects, subtle clues, and misdirection. I had fun solving this whodunit. I loved all the action which kept the story rapidly moving toward the conclusion. The family sections are some of my favorites. This is a character driven story with Melanie’s family at the heart of it. There are great family interactions that include their dogs. Faith is such a sweetheart while Bud is so mischievous. You never know what is going to happen next in their home. I enjoyed reading this entertaining cozy mystery and I cannot wait for the next tale. Pup Fiction is a boisterous cozy mystery with adorable Dalmatians, pushy Aunt Peg, a faithful friend, a close competition, a towering topknot, camp chaos, and one prying parent.

family, family-dynamics, friendship, dogs, dog-shows, puppies, murder, murder-investigation, sabotage, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, humor, situational-humor, verbal-humor***** If you love dog shows and breed specific cozies, you'll love this one! This is the latest in a long running series that I like very much. It's been fun to follow the ongoing characters as well as the new ones and the sleuthing is always well done. The publisher's blurb is a good hook and no need for recap or spoilers, so get something to hydrate and enjoy the read. I did! I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!