While usually protective, Melanie feels comfortable sending her sons to the Graceland School’s summer camp for two reasons: The institution is well-regarded and proprietor Emily Grace is a trusted friend. But Emily has been acting strange since three rambunctious Dalmatian puppies suddenly appeared on her doorstep. The unusual arrival marks the first of several mysterious happenings at camp, each more intense than the last. Emily’s rough streak takes a frightening turn with a discovery in the nearby woods—the body of her estranged ex-husband.

As suspicions rush in, proving that Emily didn’t murder her biggest mistake will be about as easy as raising prize-winning show dogs. Realizing she’s the only one who can prove her friend’s innocence and keep the Graceland School from shutting down, Melanie dives into an investigation on the victim’s whereabouts leading up to his demise. With a few spotty clues and Aunt Peg’s growing curiosity about the Dalmatian pups’ origins, Melanie must name the culprit before good intentions come back to bite! ( )

Readers who are familiar with other books in the series by Laurien Berenson will probably enjoy this newest addition. The plot revolves around Emily, the leader of a local and highly-respected private school. Mysterious accidents keep occurring in and around the school, and Emily enlists the help of Melanie Travis to try to figure things out. When Emily's ex-husband is found dead in the woods behind the school, Emily becomes a prime suspect. Melanie continues to work on the case, along with her contacts in local law enforcement, and of course the formidable Aunt Peg. As usual, adorable dogs are a key part of the plot!

Although part of a series, this book can be read as a stand alone novel. Readers who enjoy detailed cozy mystery novels will find this a fun read and an education about dogs and dog shows. While the plot seemed well-developed and the characters realistic, the novel seemed to drag in places and I just wanted to get on with the solving the mystery. Having read others in the series, this was not my favorite one.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. ( )

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! ( )

Pup Fiction by Laurien Berenson is a 2021 Kensington publication.

Talk about getting a late start on a series! I picked up Berenson’s twenty-sixth installment in the Melanie Travis series while looking for a Halloween themed cozy mystery last year. It was surprisingly easy to drop into the series, even at such a late date. I liked the book so much, I decided to read the next installment to see if my luck would continue. (There is no way I could read through twenty-five installments to catch up with the series- especially with all the other series I have committed myself to 😁😁)

I love the standard poodles, and the dog shows- plus, this story also features three adorable Dalmatian puppies, adding even more charm to the book.

But, alas, this is not just a story about dogs. It would seem that Melanie’s old friend, Emily, who runs the summer camp her boys are attending, is in a spot of trouble.

First, there are several odd occurrences at the camp, then the body of Emily’s ex-husband is found dead very close to the camp, making her a person of interest in the case. Emily asks Melanie to help her out by doing a little sleuthing on the side. Because she knew Emily for such a long time, and because her son’s safety could be at stake, she agrees, although Emily may not be telling Melanie everything she needs to know.

The mystery is really good- I thought I had it figured out- but I was wrong! LOL! With a good whodunit and all those wonderful furry friends, it looks like I will be continuing on with this series!

4 stars ( )