Jingle Bell Bark

Melanie Travis #11

by Laurien Berenson

It's Christmas again, and Melanie Travis barely has time to pencil in some holiday festivities. Especially once she finds herself making a list of murder suspects--and checking it twice. . .

This year, all Melanie wants for Christmas is a dull moment. Between her son Davey, her teaching job, and showing her Standard Poodle puppy, Eve, there just aren't enough hours in the day. But when Davey's usual bus driver, Henry Pruitt, disappears and is replaced by a surly, pierced, twentysomething, Melanie is concerned. The elderly, amiable Henry was a friend to all in the neighborhood, so she decides to check on him. . .only to find that he died two days earlier, under suspicious circumstances.

As if that weren't bad enough, Henry's two Golden Retrievers are now bereft of both master and home. Melanie can't just abandon them, so she brings them to her Aunt Peg, the most stubborn woman on the planet, who's now determined to find out the truth about Henry's death, no matter what it takes. Soon, the indomitable Aunt Peg has Melanie leashed to another murder investigation. And unless she sniffs out this Scrooge of a killer fast, a lump of coal in her stocking may not be the worst thing Melanie gets this Christmas. . .

Genres: Mystery, Christmas, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Dogs, Holiday

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

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

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

PB/mystery: I needed something to get me in the holiday mood; why not murder? This is book 11 in the Melanie Travis series and my first read of the story. I did not have a problem understanding the who, what, where. I will start by telling you that I am not only a dog person, but a believer in animal shelter dogs. I think breeding dogs for pets is ridiculous.
That being said, I really liked the book. I like the heroine; she is a bit of a slacker mom who believes in spending time with her kid over cleaning the house. The whole mystery probably would have taken only 50 pages to tell, but the author mixes family and business in with the mystery. Two thumbs up.

[Thomas George Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another continuation of amateur sleuth, Melanie Travis canine mysteries. It is now the Christmas Season in Greenwich, Connecticut at the exclusive Howard Academy.

Melanie is a private tutor at said Academy; she and her husband Sam are also proud owners of six Standard poodles. Melanie is put in charge of the annual Christmas Bazaar at Howard's.

At the Bazaar will also be a Santa Claus and a Pets Photo Booth. Prize dogs are always on full display with a photo opt with Santa. During the Bazaar a white, West Highland Terrier comes up missing. Then the Santa Claus hired is also missing. Melanie is asked by the Terrier's owner, a rich benefactor of the Academy to assist the police in finding her prize winning dog. It is soon discovered that the hired Santa Claus turns up dead at a nearby cemetery; the police suspect foul play.

Melanie quickly rises to the occasion to investigate not only the missing dog, but also a possible link to the murder of the hired Santa Claus.

This story was fun to read, and Ms. Berenson includes some interesting and colorful characters.

[Jane Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book yet in the series!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I absolutely loved this book! It was cute, cozy, and just what I needed. Though I'm not a huge fan of winter, I love Christmas, the holiday spirit, and snow. This book had it all and more!
The vibe of the book was cheerful, and even the mystery managed to be less suspenseful than others in the series. I thought the book had a really nice pace for the season and was really able to enjoy the characters.
I loved seeing Davie and Bob's relationship grow, as well as Bob grow into a father. As always, Sam and Melanie are adorable! The fact that Sam and Davie are bonding as well, and that Sam and Bob aren't killing each other is a major bonus. I liked that Christmas traditions such as cutting down the tree and decorating it were included as I felt it strengthened Davie's relationships with his parents.
The mystery itself was quite interesting. As always, there are dogs involved, and while we did see the dog show world, the mystery was not directly tied to it. Nonetheless, the mystery was full of gossip, suspects, and dogs! I was somewhat surprised by the mystery, especially because the murder wasn't so obvious.
Last, Frank's baby was born! I'm so happy for the entire family and fully hope and expect to see more of them in the future!

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute story. I think I love just about any book with a dog in it. LOL I lost my first review so making this one short...

I loved that there were a lot of dogs, dog shows, and dog characters, but I wouldn't consider this a true mystery. I like a lot more mystery and suspense in my cozy mysteries. I have two dogs (and one that passed away but is still in our hearts), so the dogs in this book could be considered overdone if you're not a dog-lover...I am. :)

The MC of the book is a school teacher and I'm a retired high school teacher, so of course I was interested in her story line. Plus she was a single mother and I was too but I had (have) 5 children and she had one, David. David's school bus driver, Henry, goes missing one day and thus the murder mystery.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Christmas cozy involved more than murder. The story also involves a dog show and a Christmas pageant. I enjoyed the dog show and what goes into getting a dog ready for one. The who-done-it surprised me. I thought it was someone else.

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is the holiday season in this book. When a man who worked as a bus driver, Melanie rescues his two golden retrievers and delivers them to her aunt. Then begins the search for the killer and a good outcome for the dogs. Some suspects but everyone seemingly liked the murdered man. The book was an easy read.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mystery was alright, but I loved all of the backstory descriptions of Melanie’s poodles, who are show dogs. That really made the story for me.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only trouble with following both this author and Susan Conant is that the books tend to repeat one another. Both feature amateur sleuths showing large pedigree dogs and so they have to face the same issues of show rivalries, show nerves, grooming, puppy production at less than ideal standards, re-homing older pedigree dogs and more. These all occur in this book.

As Christmas approaches Melanie finds that her son's school bus driver has been replaced. He's died, sadly, and left two Labradors without an immediate owner. Then we learn that the poor man was poisoned.

I found the mystery simple enough but there's a good deal of fun as Melanie just wants to organise tree, nativity play, presents and other matters but her Aunt Peg insists she work on solving the crime. Of course they are looking after the two dogs as well. Meanwhile Melanie is also showing her pedigree poodle and as another character is expecting, Melanie and her boyfriend get broody.

This is not soppily Christmassy, it's just one of those dates that influences the story setting.

[Robert Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

i bought this just because I needed one more book for the sale. It was a Christmas themed mystery so maybe I'll like it. It is the first book in the series I have read. The mystery itself only takes up about a quarter of the book, if that, and you know what? I didn't mind at all. I liked the main characters and their lives. I wasn't sure at first what with the major ungracefull info dump in chapter 1. And I pretty much skipped the dog show chapter, way to much intricate detail about points and dog show etiquette, a subject I have no interest in. Conversely I was totally fascinated in all the discusions about dog breeding/breaders. All in all I will definitely put this author on my 'to look out for' reading list.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Christmasy, plus all the dog talk and the neighborhood setting made this a very cozy read. I also learned a bit about poodles, how dogs get pedigrees, and the dog show world. A great read!

[Wellington · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Good installment for this series. I really like how Melanie and other main characters are evolving.

[Dyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a light cozy read, and the writing is getting better and better. Once again, the information about poodles, dog breeders, handlers, judges, dog maintenance, owners, exhibitors, dog show prepping, etc. is all weaved seamlessly into the plot so as not to be overwhelming to someone not in the know. It's not too technical - I use these as learning moments. The author goes outside the dog world for the murder and mystery this time. Melanie's son Davey is now eight years old, and her relationship with Sam Driver is back on track. Her poodle Faith is now retired from dog show competition whereas Eve is just getting started. The time frame of the story takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is written in first person with Melanie as the voice with plenty of humorous thoughts sprinkled throughout.

One morning when Melanie walks Davey out to the school bus stop, she notices that there is a substitute driver. His regular bus driver, Henry Pruitt, is well liked by the neighborhood parents and children. The sub, Annie Gault, is young with a pierced eyebrow, a smart mouth and is sulky and rude. Since Henry lives nearby, Melanie and her best friend Alice decide to visit him and make sure he is OK. All they find are two golden retrievers barking in distress from inside the house. The next-door neighbor hails them thinking they are Henry's daughters. Her name is Betty Bowen, and she tells them Henry died. She found him collapsed in his yard, called an ambulance, and he died later. Melanie is concerned about the dogs, Pepper and Remington, because they have been cooped up in the house for two days. She volunteers to take them and find good homes for them. She takes them to Aunt Peg's house where she installs them in a nice warm kennel. In order to track down the dogs' breeders, Melanie and Aunt Peg must return to Henry's house and try and find their AKC papers. Breeders will usually take a dog back to rehome.

A newspaper article indicates that Henry's remains are being held by the medical examiner pending further investigation - reading between the lines, Aunt Peg declares it looks as though he was murdered. It turns out he was poisoned by antifreeze! Since Melanie is very busy these days, Aunt Peg decides to investigate herself. Henry's two daughters finally show up and demand their property back, thinks the dogs are valuable because one came from a breeder, and plan to sell them on E-Bay for cash. Shocked Aunt Peg decides the only way to get rid of the obnoxious daughters is to solve the murder, so she drags Melanie along for support and help.

Subplots include:
- With Thanksgiving behind her and Christmas fast approaching, Melanie has signed Davey up to be in a play at the Long Ridge Arts Center. Rebecca Morehouse is the director of the play and also runs a puppy mill selling golden retrievers and breeding them so they will be ready to sell at major holidays.
- Her friend Alice wants to buy a dog from Rebecca for her children for Christmas. This initiates quite a discussion about buying a puppy from a puppy mill or from a reputable breeder. As it turns out Henry bought Remington from Rebecca, but she won't take the dog back to rehome.
- Melanie is running behind with her Christmas decorating. Davey is spending his time helping his dad, Bob, and Sam decorate their trees. Melanie makes a decision after someone berates her for being behind in Christmas preparations and not spending time with her son.
- Bertie and Frank's baby is due any day now. Will it arrive before Christmas?
- It turns out that Henry Pruitt was a retired Vice President and COO of an exclusive brokerage firm in Greenwich. He was also quite a ladies' man. This lengthens the suspect list!

The murderer was a surprise for me. Definitely read this series in order for character development and story advancement. An enjoyable and entertaining read. Looking forward to hearing more about the new baby in the next installment.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, light, quick read. But to me there was one glaring thing that didn’t make sense to me, which affects the whole story line about Henry’s dogs: the POLICE—as in Animal Control—should’ve taken custody of the dogs. When someone dies, even under not-suspicious circumstances, their animals would be taken into custody until relatives can come get them. The idea that they’d just leave them in the house is absurd. And under suspicious circumstances, dogs could be or have evidence, or be witnesses; & could be in danger if they got hold of the same thing the person died of.

The info about what a RESPONSIBLE breeder does was good to educate people, but that story line about Rebecca’s backyard operation was just dropped, which felt unsatisfactory. The portrayal of a backyard breeder as someone who honestly doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with their way of doing things, who just totally doesn’t get what Melanie says to her, was interesting. Like she’s not someone who knows she should be doing these things but doesn’t care, she’s someone who thinks those ideas of “responsible breeding” are absurd! “Why would I do that??!” I’m disappointed no one went to Rebecca’s house to see her setup, her operation. And being involved in the rescue world, I’m disappointed & even annoyed that the possibility of ADOPTING a rescued dog wasn’t even MENTIONED. I’m not opposed to responsible breeding to continue purebred lines—as I think some rescue people seem to be, opposed to ALL breeding; but this story line that acts like getting a purebred from a good breeder is the ONLY way to go is like the flip side of that. One line of thinking thinks breeding shouldn’t be done, the other line of thought acts like rescues don’t exist or are unworthy.

And while some of the info about the dog show world was interesting, the details of the competition, with how points & ribbons were awarded….let’s just say I skimmed over that & really didn’t care whether I understood it. I’m not into that & don’t understand the whole concept of BEING into it. This is the only book of this series that I’ve read, & I don’t think I’ll be reading another one, because of the dog show stuff.

[Josephine Morningstar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mystery with lots of twists and turns

Davey's bus driver, Henry, dropped dead in the yard with his beloved Golden Retrievers. At first it was thought to be from a heart attack but on later testing, it was found that he'd been poisoned with antifreeze! That's the danger that dogs face from running loose in a garage. But how did it happen to wind up in Henry?

The two golden retrievers had been left to fend for themselves alone in the house and of course pooped everywhere! Melanie stepped in because she couldn't stand to see any animal neglected since they were also missing their owner and didn't understand why he wasn't coming home.

That sounds like it'd be a cut and dried case right? Not so! Bring in the aggravation of Henry's two daughters, who thought they could get premium dollars for registered golden retrievers that came from show lines, they were so determined that they put them up on eBay to auction them off. Thankfully Aunt peg got them stopped from doing just that.

What's to be noted, is that there was no clear motive for killing Henry, there were no clear suspects to have done the deed, and when the suspect did raise their head, it was after another attempted poisoning. Aunt peg was the victim, Melanie thankfully did not ingest the poison, but she was almost thrown over a banister. Trying to keep from hurting the person who was trying to kill her!

You will have to read the book, to find out who the players were, and how it was figured out. Hopefully you'll agree with Melanie and Aunt peg, that some people should not have access to the internet haha.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Jingle Bell Bark in the local free library and since I read another store in the series I figured I would give it a try.

Once again Melanie is caught up in a murder mystery. When her son's ever punctual bus driver is late Melanie is concerned and rightly so when she sees a new face driving the bus. Determined to find out what is wrong and getting no answers from the school Melanie with her friend visits the bus drivers house only to learn he had died of heart failure from a neighbor. Things get worse when a local detective calls Melanie demanding to know why she was in the house of the deceased, after explaining she took the two large golden retrievers so they would be cared for the detective informs her that the bus driver was murdered. Happy to let the police figure out the crime Melanie goes on with her life until the deceased's daughters enter her life, wanting as little to do with them as possible Melanie decides she must solve the case.

I would say the Melanie mysteries are a cozy mystery without the cooking. I do like the aspect of the dogs being in every book but some of the show stuff goes over my head. However they are fun stories, well written, and cute. A good book to pass some downtime when you just want to relax.

[JoAnn M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story of schoolteacher and part-time dog breeder/shower/groomer Melanie Travis getting mixed up in the mystery of her son's school bus driver's death. What I didn't like was the endless detail of grooming poodles (notice my spelling) and more details of dog shows. If that interests you, you'll probably love the book. And the capitalization of the words poodle, poodles was driving me crazy as I read! I understand capitalizing a breed like German Shepherd or Saint Bernard (named after a place or a person), but not plain old poodle (derived from the German for puddle)! A fast read, despite the annoyances. If you're into this dog stuff, you'll lap this up! I probably won't be reading more of this series.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read. Melanie Travis is a breeder of Standard Poodles, as well as working as a special education tutor at a local school. When the driver of the school bus her son rides every day is murdered, she and her Aunt Peg take it upon themselves to find homes for the deceased gentleman's two Golden Retrievers, but they are also curious as to who poisoned him with anti-freeze.

All of this is happening in the weeks before Christmas, so as if she doesn't have enough to do, Melanie tells Aunt Peg she'll help her try to figure out what happened.

Fun, with lots of interesting information about dogs, breeders, and the dog show circuit.

[Teresa mcgaha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cozy series where most of murder takes place off screen but does the mystery need to follow. This time a beloved bus driver is found dead from a heart attack and Melanie gets involved because of dogs. She places the driver's dogs at Aunt Peg's house while trying to balance work, an ex, an fiance, her son and the upcoming holidays.

The mystery takes a back seat to the story of the characters in this blended extended complicated family.

I do love this series and will read another one, but not in a hurry. as for the mystery the motive for the murder disappointed me.

[Judy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing in this book was so tedious that I stopped reading after the first chapter. It felt like an introductory nonfiction book about dog breeds and dog care. When the author wasn't being didactic, she was establishing the background by describing in excruciating detail an ordinary day in an ordinary family. Jill Churchill's Jane Jeffry mysteries, also using the backdrop of ordinary family life, are much more enjoyable because of the humor Churchill injects. Berenson could use some levity to lighten up the dry writing.

[Janet Hartman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've never read anything by this author. I thought it would be a light mystery for the Christmas season. I'm also a dog lover.
It was too light for me. I stopped reading at page 90 because the plot had gotten no further than what I read on the inside flap of the dust cover. There was too much background detail about the characters and dog breeds, dog training, buying a puppy, etc.
I know Berenson is an author with a following. I just prefer more meat in the books I read. If you're a dog lover (especially of golden retrievers and poodles) who wants a very easy read, you might like this book.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m a dog person and absolutely adore all breeds and makes of them. I just didn’t enjoy this book – it was too much about boarding kennels, dog shows, preparing for the dog shores and lectures on how to treat t your dog’s etc. wasn’t much of a mystery and felt more like the ugly looking pictures the Humane Societies are always sending me with my contributions! I don’t care for lectures in books – I would NEVER treat any dog that way!

[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.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful

Entirely accurate about AKC shows. I was impressed and held captive from beginning I loved the book. If you want a healthy a dog get one from a reputable AKC breeder. AKC breeding stands and registration are strict. If you get a family pet consult a breeder showing that breed.

[andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seemed promising til Chapter 17 where the requisite 50 pages describing a dog show and all its workings happened. Shocker their poodles win again!!!
Downhill after that.
Ending/solution was weak and obvious.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros: es muy original la idea de mezclar en el argumento la crianza de perros de concurso con la típica novela de misterio.
Contra: hay, bajo mi punto de vista, demasiados detalles sin importancia que alargan el libro más de lo necesario y que no son relevantes.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder mystery with dog lover Melanie Travis cadet at Christmas time. What happened to Henry her sin Davey’s beloved bus driver?
+ wonderful description her beloved poodles @ how she cate for them , her 8 year old enjoying Christmas, her neice’s birth

[Lyn Soulia-Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy cozy mysteries when the pets aren't the sleuth. I guess I have issues with talking pets. Melanie and Aunt Peg are always in something. They find themselves in trouble and have to get out of the mess.

[Kris Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My third Melanie Travis book. I am getting use to the first person POV and actually find it a fun way to read a book. Love her own personal insight on her thoughts, etc. Fun book and I did not figure it out - which is always a good thing!