Hush Puppy (Center Point Premier Mystery

Melanie Travis #6

by Laurien Berenson

Melanie Travis loves her teaching job at Howard Academy, where plans are underway for a Spring Pageant to honor the school's 50th anniversary. Immersed in the preparations, Melanie is hurrying to retrieve a painting of one of the illustrious co-founders when she comes upon a disturbing Eugene Krebbs, the Academy's elderly caretaker, is arguing with a girl whose name Melanie learns is Jane. It's clear that Jane isn't a student at Howard, and Melanie wonders what she's doing at the school. Two days later, Krebbs is discovered on school grounds -- stabbed to death. As Melanie recalls the loud argument, she realizes that she's right in the middle of a full-fledged homicide investigation. And the closer to the truth she gets, the closer she comes to being the next victim.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Dogs, Animals, Audiobook

359 pages, Library Binding

First published October 1, 1999

About the author

Laurien Berenson is the award-winning author of the long running Melanie Travis canine mystery series and the new Senior Sleuths series starring Peg Turnbull and Rose Donovan as a pair of seventyish sisters-in-law who are learning to put aside old grudges as they work together to solve mysteries. DIE ANOTHER DANE (#31 in the Melanie Travis series) is out now.

Laurien's work has appeared numerous magazines and the New York Times. She and her husband live on a farm in Kentucky, surrounded by horses and dogs.

Reviews

[caty · Rating 3 out of 5]

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)

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I liked how we were able to see more of Melanie's life as a teacher in this book as in the last one. I find the academy to be a really interesting place. I love that the mystery took place in the academy as it allowed me to get to know Melanie as a teacher better rather than just as a dog person.
The relationship she has with Sam are goals! I love reading about them together and find them absolutely adorable. Though there was a wrench thrown in, I found it interesting to learn more about Sam.
I have absolutely loved seeing Davie grow, but definitely would have wanted more.
Overall, I really liked this book and think the books get better as time goes on!

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might have read one of Berenson's books in the past, but I don't recall the characters, so perhaps not. This is one is in the middle of a series featuring Melanie Travis, a teacher and poodle owner who tends to stumble upon trouble. In this book, Travis has accepted a new job as a prestigious private school and is put on the team to help plan the school's first annual spring pageant. In order to do so, the drama teacher who leads the team puts her in charge of researching the history of the school in hopes of finding a useable topic. When the school's longtime caretaker is found stabbed in his cabin on school grounds, Travis can't help but be curious, especially when other events occur that convince her that someone doesn't want the history of the school brought up. The police aren't as sure, having found drugs in the cabin and suspecting that the caretaker's killing was related to the drugs. The last person to see the caretaker alive was a truant girl named Jane, and Travis befriends her in hopes of getting to the bottom of the mystery.
Meanwhile, Travis's fiance Sam, who is also a poodle owner and handler, reunites with his ex-wife, a pug owner and handler at a dog show, which causes a lot of friction in their relationship. Travis' aunt Peg, a long time poodle breeder is fascinated by Sheila, the ex, and goes to great effort to show Melanie that the woman was brought to the area simply because of the frequency of dog shows at which to exhibit her pugs.
I found the book to be mostly fluff and was particularly disappointed that the pugs on the front cover were representative of nothing more than Sheila being a pug owner, as pugs played no role in the book otherwise. A good beach read, but if you're looking for deep thought or a suspenseful mystery, look elsewhere.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed all the books in the series. Good characters and good mysteries. Set in the dog show world.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

An engaged guy just happens to have never told his fiancee that he was married before, then he tries to act like she's crazy for being bothered by that? Bad fiance. No biscuit!

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable entry in this series. This time Melanie gets involved with a murder at the school she teaches at. Also she is trying to help a girl that keeps turning up at the school but she is not a student. The book was an easy read.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of her best, I did not suspect this person at all. Great book

[Chris Leuchtenburg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, embarassingly amusing. Faith goes to school.

[Leni Moore Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

My four year old picked this book to give me for my birthday! Of course because of the picture on the front! It was a decent read! I was pleasantly surprised!!

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy the characters in these cozy mysteries. This has become one of my favorite series.

[Dyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book moves away from dog show competitions and all that involves to concentrate on Melanie's work place. Melanie Travis is a single mom of one little rambunctious six year old boy named Davey and is a special needs tutor at a prestigious private school named Howard Academy. Russell Hanover, the headmaster, wants to put on a lavish drama production to commemorate the lives of the founding family and the school's 50th anniversary. Melanie and the new drama coach, Michael Durant, are on an ad hoc committee to brainstorm and come up with a theme for the pageant. Melanie is sent down to the prop room to retrieve an oil painting of Honoria Howard and her poodle Poupee. Honoria is the sister of Joshua Howard, cofounder of the school.

She encounters Eugene Krebbs, the school's elderly caretaker who has been a fixture around the place for decades. He is arguing with and brandishing a broom at a 10 year old girl named Jane who has been hanging around the school for awhile. She is not enrolled as a student, and he wants her gone. What is she really doing there?

Since the painting didn't inspire a suitable program, Hanover asks Melanie to look through some of the archives in the basement for inspiration. She finds a diary written by Ruth Howard who was Honoria's niece. In reading the diary, Melanie discovers a scandal which puts Krebbs murder in a whole new light. While in the basement, she encounters Jane again and tries to befriend the girl but manages to scare her away. Later Krebbs is found in an old wooden shed stabbed to death with a pitchfork. Jane is the one who finds him and alerts the school. Detective Thomas Shertz is put on the case, and for once, Melanie doesn't want to play detective herself - just ask a few questions of her own! When the shed is searched, drugs are found which leads the detective to suspect that might be the cause of Krebb's death. Melanie finally befriends Jane and then discovers that someone is stalking her.

A subplot involves Melanie's fiancé, Sam Driver. At a dog show he discovers his ex-wife Sheila has moved to town temporarily. She is showing her pugs (which is why they grace the cover of the book). He forgot to mention to Melanie that he had an ex-wife and seems indifferent about the whole thing - no big deal. Melanie, of course, is quite upset. Aunt Peg stirs the flames when she invites Sheila and Melanie to lunch where it is discovered that Sheila made a mistake in divorcing Sam and wants him back. Clueless Sam almost makes a fatal mistake when he compares Melanie to Sheila after making love to her!!!

Melanie begins taking Faith, her standard poodle, to school with her each day to prepare her for being in the pageant. At one point disaster strikes and Melanie and Faith barely escape being killed themselves. Is she unknowingly getting too close to the truth of who killed Krebbs?

A nice cozy mystery and a break from the usual plot of a dog show handler being killed. Aunt Peg is always a delight, and I hope Jane shows up in later books. A good light read.

[Marigold · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been having a little bit of a hard time and just need to stay positive and fill my mind and heart with things that are fun, funny, upbeat, or at least not awful! LOL, no reality, no non-fiction for now. I went to visit a friend & she had a box full of cozy mysteries to give away, so I took this one. It met my needs for a cute dog-related mystery that, bonus, also took place on a school campus! I love campus books. I haven't read any of the others in this series as it's usually not my thing, but it was great to read right now. I liked Melanie, the main character. I liked the dogs & was relieved that they were definitely there in the story, but they don't speak or solve the crime, and they're not even particularly "there at the right time!" The mystery element is serviceable. I like big old stone school buildings, wide hallways where teachers wander doing mysterious things, and basements full of old documents.
Because things like this take up space in my head, I feel compelled to wonder why the dogs in this book are poodles but the cover art features pugs???!!! Why?!

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun entry in this series, but it addresses some serious issues too. I'm beginning to see more and more of that in cozy mysteries and I, for one, appreciate it. As much as we might like it to be, our world isn't all blue skies and sunshine, and it's interesting to see how favorite book characters handle some real-life problems.

We don't get to know much about the murder victim before the body was found, except that he's worked at the school 'forever,' and he can be rather cranky. As such, there aren't many suspects, and Melanie doesn't like that the police have focused on one particular person. I had my suspicions about one character, but I wasn't sure I had the right culprit until just before the confrontation scene. Even then, I couldn't figure out the motive, but once it was explained, it made sense.

I have the next book from this series in my Audible library, which I hope to read before the end of the year so I can find out what happens next for Melanie in both her personal and professional lives.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not realize Hush Puppy was part of a series when I grabbed it out of the local free library.

Melanie is happy with her job working as a tutor at the local private academy. Enjoying her students and the ability to be home when her son is out of school works out well. All that is about to be put at risk though when the school's old caretaker Kreeb's is found dead with a pitchfork in his chest. Caught in the middle of the mystery of who killed Kreeb Melanie is determined to bring peace back to the academy.

I am getting really burnt out on books that just do not hold my attention. With the library backed up with hundreds of people on waiting lists for books I am interested in and finances not enough to buy books I am just sort of stuck picking through free libraries and I feel like it shows with the books I am able to get. I hope the next book I find is far more entertaining.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Melanie Travis series is a wonderful series that combines a love for dogs, specifically poodles and mystery. In this book Melanie's relationship becomes complicated when an ex-wife shows up at a dog competition. Melanie gets wrapped up in yet another murder when someone at the school she works at does. Between juggling the life of working mom, trying to figure out what is happening at the school she works at, dog competitions, she must also figure out what is going on with her boyfriend Sam and his ex-wife. This book is full of mysteries and of course poodles. A perfect combination for dog and mystery lovers.

[Phyllis Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here we are back with Melanie, Peg, and the dogs again!! Actually, this story doesn't really include much about the dogs or dog shows, this deals more with Melanie and personal issues.
For one thing, she discovers that Sam, her fiancé has an ex-wife that he didn't think to mention, and Sam can't understand why Melanie thinks it's such a big deal.
Then there's the small matter of the custodian at the school she works is found murdered plus a child who Melanie fears is a runaway keeps turning up at the school.
Different from the other Melanie Travis books but very entertaining. I read it all in one day. If you like cozy mysteries (and dogs) you will like this one.

[dorothy lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A recipe to lose a nights sleep

I love good book. The recipe is upbeat, usually a mystery with a cup of laughs, a dollop of danger, a sprinkle of romance for sweetness, and a handful of hidden clues, with a happy ending. Good character development is a must as the book progresses to complete Laurien Berenson's deliver all of the above with the added addition of a good portion of dog mixed throughout.

[Rudolfssan Hammarberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of the books in this series! They are great fun with lots of humerous situations. I specially like the detailes of everything dog-breeding and dog-show related! Laurien Berenson really knows how it is to live this life with dogs, children (yes in that order) ;) and all people that are involved to make the wheeles spin around. I rate her book with 5 stars just because of her ability to give us an interesting and funny story with the dog-world knowledge.

[Amy Ingalls · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice change that the mystery in this book didn't occur at a dog show or involve dog people. We got to see more of Melanie as a teacher. Also, she had every right to be mad at Sam. He definitely was wrong in this one. Not telling her about this part of his past is rude and I don't blame her for feeling hurt and having doubts.

[Lauretta Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of Berenson’s work. The main story got a bit of a short shrift due to the unnecessary introduction of a former love interest. The side story could have been further developed into a stand alone novel; perhaps it was, and I just haven’t gotten to it. I would skip this one.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book didn't have a lot about the poodles and the dog shows. Instead we learned about Melanie's teaching job at a private school. Of course someone gets murder and Melanie takes it upon herself to investigate.

[Emma E Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute book in the series. Thanks for not letting Melanie change character to accommodate the plot advancement. I hope we get to see more of Jane too! I think she could be a great addition to the family.

[L.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series! This might be my favorite so far.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solving crimes alongside a reluctant Melani Travis the ever loyal Faith is always fun. If you like cozy mysteries with an animal companion, this book is for you.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mystery in this volume kept me guessing, but I would have liked more story about the dogs and dog shows.

[Shawnee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Aunt Peg. And Jane.

[andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the last couple. Quick paced. Decent enough summer read...but not much more.

[Carol Stanley-Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the poodle books!! Actually, mystery, but poodles are in the book!!!

I want an Aunt Peg!!

[Mary Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story. More involvement of main character. Side characters still present but not as involved.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun read! Melanie starts a new job that causes problems!