Unleashed

Seventh in the Melanie Travis Mystery Series
Hardcover ISBN: 1-57566-596-4
Paperback ISBN: 1-57566-680-4

Summer means two things to Melanie Travis: a break from her teaching duties at Connecticut's elite Howard Academy and a chance to plane the perfect wedding to her fiancé, Sam. She certainly doesn't need the unwelcome arrival of a dinner invitation "peace offering" from Sam's ex-wife, Sheila Vaughn. And dinner proves to be only the beginning of her problems. Sheila's new man turns out to be Brian Endicott, an old buddy-turned-enemy of Sam's. To make matters worse, Sheila announces her temporary stay in town is not permanent: she's accepted a job as co-publisher of Woof!, a new gossip rag for the dog show world. But before the first issue is even out, a hotter story breaks when Sheila is found dead, strangled with a leather dog leash.

As far as Melanie's concerned, the woman should have been on a leash long ago. And it seems she isn't alone in her dislike of Sheila. Some of Woof!'s salacious stories threatened to expose the dirty paws of quite a few important exhibitors, and someone on Sheila's staff may have found her high-handed attitude worth silencing. Then there's the question of the life insurance policy Brian took out only days before Sheila's death.

Even more troubling to Melanie is her faltering relationship with Sam, who's hiding secrets -- secrets that put him more deeply under Sheila's spell in death than in life. Now, it will take the instincts of a bloodhound to sniff out a killer who's bent on putting an end to Melanie's amateur sleuthings...

Published by Kensington Books

REVIEWS AND BLURBS for Unleashed

"Readers learn a lot of nuances about the dog show world, yet Berenson deftly weaves in enough other facets to entertain a much wider audience...Her descriptive powers are formidable and her unique characters breathe and bleed."

--The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"A winning cozy...There are some tender moments and the ending is a surprise on more than one front."

--Publishers Weekly

"...the best book yet in the Melanie Travis series, high praise for an always-reliable, always-enjoyable series...UNLEASHED contains more than an intriguing mystery, it also tells a great story."

--Bookbrowser

"...a fascinating tale of dogs and murder. This is a strong entry in a popular series and the surprising ending will leave fans on tenterhooks."

--Romantic Times