In this series major things can happen between books that the reader is not privy to! Between #11 and #12 Melanie got married to Sam Driver and he and his three standard poodles move into Melanie's now overcrowded cozy little house with her eight-year-old son Davey and her two standard poodles. It was a spur of the moment elopement to Vermont over spring break, but still... This is a lighthearted cozy mystery about Melanie Travis and her foray into the dog show competition circuit with her standard poodle Faith. The series provides information on dog training and showing plus more. This particular book wasn't much on the mystery side, but it was, none-the-less, an entertaining story.
Faith has retired as a show ring competition champion and Melanie would now like to try obedience trials which is more disciplined and exacting. Amid the chaos of her new life, Melanie decides to enroll Faith in an advanced obedience training class, and Faith will be working toward a degree. The school is called the South Avenue Obedience Club and meets at the New Canaan YMCA where Melanie meets a lot of interesting people, their gossip, and their dogs. At her first class, Melanie learns the club also visits the Winston Pumpernill Nursing Home as an outing each Sunday. They use their dogs as therapy dogs to get in to visit the elderly. It's an informal arrangement and not an official therapy dog program. A member of the club, Paul Lennox, initiated the outings to please his wealthy Great Aunt, Mary Livingston, as well as other residents who love dogs.
The next Sunday, Melanie and the group go to the home, and she is welcomed by the residents and Paul's charming aunt. But as everyone is getting ready to leave, tragedy strikes as Paul discovers his Aunt Mary is dead. Later, it is determined that she was suffocated in her bed. Some of the members of the club have heard that Melanie has been successful at solving other murders and urge her to find Mary's murderer. The only police presence in the book is Detective Edward O'Malley who visits Melanie's home and asks her some simplistic questions about what she observed at the nursing home. Then he leaves never to appear again in the story. Melanie feels obligated to do some sleuthing as the police seem so lame about it. Dear nosy Aunt Peg helps her 0ut in her investigations.
There is, of course, a plethora of suspects including:
- Julie Hyland (Doberman Pincher) - is harboring a couple of secrets.
- Kelly Marx (Akita) - she has a lack of control over her dog named Boss and Mary made out a complaint about the residents' safety around him. That's why Kelly is in the obedience class.
- Stacey Rhoades (Papillon) - isn't serious about learning obedience and talks baby talk to her dog. She also is not who she seems to be.
- Michael Livingston is Mary's son and the black sheep of the family who has just returned home. The family hasn't welcomed him back because they think he's after Mary's money. Is he a villain or a victim?
- Minnie Lloyd (Schnauzer) who was arrested previously for manslaughter for killing her husband. She figures a criminal record will make her seem guilty. Is she?
- Mark Terry (Cairn Terrier) who wants to help Melanie and does some investigating of his own - why?
- Steve Barton is the teacher of the obedience class and had been dating Minnie.
- Paul Lennox (Corgi) - where was he when his aunt was murdered? He was also a member of her family that was protecting Mary and keeping Michael away from her.
- What about Jay - an attendant at the nursing home who procures what residents ask him to?
Subplots include:
- Melanie and Sam are house hunting for the perfect bigger house whenever they have a chance. The solution to this problem is right under their nose and a perfect way to solve the dilemma. It will involve her ex-husband, Bob.
- Melanie is a special needs tutor at Howard Academy in Greenwich. One of her students, an over endowed 12-year-old named Brittany Baxter, says she's been getting extra help from another teacher named Ed Weinstein. Melanie gets suspicious and must clear up what could be a compromising situation before school policy and law dictate that she turns him in.
- A large orange cat frequently sits in Melanie's kitchen window and has her dogs barking ferociously. It turns out that a sexy new neighbor named Amber Fine has moved in next door with her seven cats. Melanie first spots her outside in a negligee and peignoir looking for her cats. Her husband who she claims is in the import/export business has never been seen around. Is there really one?
- Jewelry and other items have been found missing around the nursing home - is it a kleptomaniac or someone who likes to steal things? Is Mary's death a crime of opportunity?
I would advise the reader to read this series in order for character development and story advancement. I wanted to hear more about Bertie and Frank and the new baby. They only got a couple of pages. P.S. I am actually a cat person and wish Melanie could be more tolerant toward that species. A recommended series.