Melanie Travis has enough on her plate as a poodle exhibitor, single mother, and special needs tutor at the prestigious Howard Academy without adding amateur sleuthing to the mix. When school care-taker Mr. Krebbs is discovered stabbed to death with a pitchfork in his tool shed, Melanie is drawn into another mystery. As part of the school pageant committee, Melanie is tasked with searching the academies basement for useful material to recreate the school’s founding for the 50th Anniversary celebration. She discovers Ruth Howard’s diary, which contains information that places Melanie directly in the crosshairs of Mr. Krebb’s killer. Meanwhile, Melanie is stunned when Sam’s ex-wife Sheila moves into town, and Sam’s life. She wants him back and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Sam says he’s over her, but why didn’t he ever mention her before? Will her fiancé stay faithful? I always enjoy reading about Melanie and her many adventures in and out of the show ring. This light, cosy mystery is set mainly at Howard Academy in Greenwich Connecticut and gives readers an in-depth look at the inner workings of the school and Melanie’s co-workers. I especially enjoyed reading about the truant Jane and how Melanie, Sally the lunch lady, and Aunt Peg took her under their wing. On the whole, I like Sam, but he keeps sending Melanie mixed messages throughout the book. I can understand her insecurities since he kept his ex-wife a secret and probably wouldn’t have mentioned her at all if she hadn’t shown up. When she first arrives, Sam abruptly leaves in mid-conversation with Melanie to talk to Sheila. Then refuses to discuss her. Later he compares Melanie to Sheila after making love, a favorable comparison but still not a great time to talk about the ex-wife. Sam has a caring nature; he doesn’t mean to be hurtful and probably isn’t even conscious of it. It’s obvious he has mixed emotions regarding Sheila, but he’s an honorable man and doesn’t act on them.Hush Puppy is a fun read with lovable characters and a great plot.
I have a thing for the Melanie Travis series. Nothing amuses me more than mysteries with an animal theme. If you knew how many Dick Francis novels graced my bookshelves (and how many I long to have there!). This was refreshing though since the mystery revolved around Melanie's real job as a teacher (instead of the usual dog-related crime). I figured out the baddy pretty quick, but I still enjoyed finding out the motive. Berenson has enough plot twists to keep you reading and Melanie's a quirky and entertaining character. Honestly, I don't know why these books aren't right up there with Sue Grafton & Janet Evanovich! (Just saying)
Do You like book Hush Puppy (2000)?
Such a cute and easy book to read. I really like this series. The thing that bothered me with this story is how Sam had an ex-wife and never told Melanie! Melanie deserves an award for forgiving Sam as quickly as she did.
—Stephanie
