Underdog
2nd in the Melanie Travis Mystery Series
Hardcover ISBN: 0-8217-5224-3
Paperback ISBN: 1-57566-108-X
Melanie Travis is back. Now, the Connecticut teacher and single mother returns to elite canine circles, this time as the owner and handler of her own pedigreed poodle -- and uncovers a killer lurking among the dogged handlers and their prize-winning pets.
It's not easy being the underdog, but what Melanie and her five-month-old pup lack in experience, they make up in enthusiasm. Melanie signs up for a breed-handling class at Connecticut's classiest obedience school...only to have her education cut short by sudden death. Melanie -- with her unerring nose for detection -- smells murder.
With her rambunctious puppy, five-year-old son, and Sam Driver -- the man giving her both hot fantasies and cold feet -- in tow, Melanie hits the championship circuit. In this dog-eat-dog world where winning is everything, she discovers that more than one suspect had a bone to pick with the victim, including: an unctuous rival handler, an envious younger sister, and a kennel owner whose secret recipe for dog biscuits isn't the only thing she's guarding.
Between laps around the show ring, Melanie learns some tricks of her own. But will she learn fast enough to stay out of the reach of a killer?
Published by Kensington Books
| REVIEWS AND BLURBS for Underdog |
| "Berenson throws dog lovers a treat they will relish." |
| --Publishers Weekly |
| "Mystery lovers take note...UNDERDOG is a mystery you will want to read." |
| --The Advocate-Messenger (Danville, KY) |
| "Dog show afficionados will feel right at home, and newcomers will be considerably wiser about the world of dog shows by the time they finish the book. If we are lucky, Berenson will provide mysteries until young Davey reaches adulthood." |
| --The Cleveland Plain Dealer |
| "This well executed, dog lover's delight of a mystery is a joy to read." |
| --The Paperback Forum |
| "A light-hearted page turner, this book is ideal reading for the downtime between dog shows." |
| --AKC Gazette |
| "A fun romp...If you like dogs, you're going to love this book." |
| --Tower Books Mystery Newsletter |
| "Berenson writes intelligently of the dog show world, bringing the reader into the show ring with her... I heartily recommend UNDERDOG." |
| --The Snooper |
| "A canine mystery that's a treat for dog lovers." |
| --Pen & Dagger |
