A new cozy installment featuring Melanie Travis and her poodles! This book is a delightful addition to the series and the reader gets to sleuth along with Melanie to solve a murder mystery. I loved the autumnal setting and the vivid descriptions.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Yay…Melanie Travis is back in another canine mystery!

In addition to taking care of her family (including the Standard Poodles) and her job as special tutor at private school Howard Academy, Melanie is helping out with a town-wide treasure hunt fundraiser for the school.

Pumpkin spice muffin-shaped tokens are hidden in retailers’ stores all over the downtown and students compete to find the most tokens for prizes. It’s going very well with increased foot traffic to participating stores. But when the local pet supply store owner complains, Melanie is sent to smooth things over. When she arrives at his store, she finds him dead and his Chow Chow named Cider locked in the storeroom.

It isn’t long before Melanie is drawn into the investigation, compiling a list of suspects that just keeps growing. But the killer is not about to stand by and let her solve the crime, so Melanie is soon targeted by the killer.

Laurien Berenson has created a community of characters that it’s always fun to visit. And the mystery has enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. Of course, there’s plenty of canine participation and that’s part of the fun of this series.

I jumped into this series with this book and while it worked out fine I feel like I missed a lot by not reading the first books. I will be going back and slowly reading all the books in this series. I want to see how we got to where we are in this current book. I also want to see what happens in the next installment!

#PumpkinSpicePuppy
#NetGalley

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

Finally, having read Pumpkin Spice Puppy I have begun reading the Melanie Travis Canine Mystery series by Laurien Berenson. Beginning at book 30 has not been a problem, other than to say to myself – why did I wait so long to read one of Ms. Berenson’s books???

What attracted me first was the cover of the book! The Chow Chow puppy is SO cute. Got me going down a rabbit hole looking at pictures of this breed of dog. That was fun. And then I began reading the story…

Melanie Travis is first and foremost a mom to a kindergartener who attends Howard Academy (and another son as well). The school has come up with the following fundraiser -> the students will partake in a town-wide treasure hunt where they will pick up tokens. Everything is going very well, until one town merchant lodges a complaint. And then before Melanie is able to have a talk with him to smooth things over, she discovers him dead! During Melanie’s inquiries, we learn of many potential suspects for the murder!

Seems there are many potential suspects…unhappy neighbours, an ex-wife who is NOT happy with him, and his adult daughter to name a few. And Melanie must sift through the list of people to determine whodunit! There are a number of twists and turns but in the end – we are lead to the killer (whom I had an inkling of who it might be 🙂 ) through the sleuthing skills of Melanie.

In my younger years, I too was involved in dog shows, though with an American cocker spaniel and not Standard Poodles. So when the story started with Davey entered to handle a Standard Poodle owned by Aug Peg in a dog show – I was intrigued and pulled into the storytelling. It brought back some very fond memories.

It was an enjoyable read and a pleasure to get to know Melanie, Kevin (five-year-old son), Davey (15-year-old son), Sam (Melanie’s husband), their five dogs (4 black Standard Poodles and the 5th – Bud – a small spotted dog of unknown origin) and of course Aunt Peg! What a family.

I found this book a good example of show casing Ms. Berenson’s ability to write a good, engaging cozy mystery. This is the first book I have read in the Melanie Travis series. I am completely smitten with this series now. So much so that the entire series is on my TBR pile 🙂 !

I have read a few of the books in the Melanie Travis series and have enjoyed them a lot. So I was excited at the opportunity to read the next book in the series. The dogs are just the highlight of the books and Melanie is a wonderful primary character. I don’t particularly care for Melanie’s aunt, Aunt Peg. But you always have to have a character that draws sucks the life out everything. I love the relationship Melanie and her husband, Sam, have as well as their two sons. In listening to the audiobook version, I love hearing the boys and their sweet voices. The murder mystery is handled well and you are given lots of twists and turns as you travel with Melanie through the pages and figure out who is guilty of murder. This is a delightful series in which to get involved and I encourage you to put it on your to-be-read list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Cozies for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Animals
Cozy Mystery
Dogs
Mystery
Mystery Thriller

This was the perfect fall mystery. Anytime that Melanie has to participate in a school event, you know that something will cause her to go into her mystery solving mode and it will include a dog or two. This one had a few more twists than I was expecting but I really liked them as I tried to solve the mystery.

It was well-written and an easy read. The characters are very 'real' and they do feel like friends.

Melanie and Faith once again stumble upon a dead body. This time it is in a pet store and the owner’s Chow is frantic behind the locked supply room door. She happened to be there on school business and she is convinced to investigate so there is nothing to tarnish the school’s reputation. Other than being a good businessman and a devoted Chow rescuer, the deceased was not a stand up guy. His neighbours both at home and at work had run ins with him. And his ex wife does not have anything good to say about him either. But as Melanie eliminates one suspect after another, she is left with a shocking revelation.

Melanie never blunders into dangerous situations blindly. After all the murders she has solved it is a good thing but I do appreciate that she is a heroine who uses her brain. And when she is in trouble, she knows who to call. It all came together in an interesting story with lots of good doggie bits. Four purrs and two paws up.

Dollycas's Thoughts

It's pumpkin spice season and Melanie Travis has her hands full. In addition to taking care of her family including their Standard Poodles and Bud, and her work as a special needs tutor at Howard Academy she and the headmaster's assistant, Harriet Bloom are in charge of the Thanks for Giving fundraiser. With tokens shaped like pumpkin spice muffins hidden in the stores downtown, each grade will compete against each other as the students take part in a treasure hunt to find and collect them. The tokens can then be turned in for prizes.

The event appears to be going well until one shop owner has a complaint. Harriet decides Melanie must meet with the pet shop owner, Mr. Willet in person to address his concerns. When she arrives at the shop she finds Mr. Willet dead, stabbed in the back and his faithful Chow Chow Cider locked in a storeroom causing quite a ruckus.

So now in addition to everything else on her plate, she finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation. Can she carve out the killer or will she be too late?

_____

Isn't that cover adorable? Chow Chows are so cute and so loyal to their families.

It was great to catch up with Melanie and her family. Melanie and Sam have such a comfortable relationship while raising two awesome sons. Much of their lives revolve around their Standard Poodles or Melanie's Aunt Peg's poodles. Sam just seems to take everything in stride including Melanie getting involved in all these murder investigations. I enjoy how the author shows a strong family unit despite all of the craziness in their lives.

Ms. Berenson plotted out an intriguing mystery with several suspects. The victim clearly cared about Chows but not about most of the people in his life. Melanie knew any connection between the academy and a murder could hurt its reputation so it was important to get to the truth as quickly as possible. She followed where each clue led and she asked the hard questions and wasn't afraid to go back again to ask more. She gets people to tell her things they don't tell detectives. I had the guilty party on the top of my list almost from the start so I was happy to see Melanie and Detective Young concur. What was unexpected was the way the showdown occurred, however, I was delighted by the way it played out.

While autumn is just starting to drop the temperatures and change the color of the leaves here in Wisconsin it was nice to read the author's detailed descriptions of the season. I am more of a summer girl, but I enjoy autumn until it gets too darn chilly. As for pumpkin spice that seems to become the go-to flavor earlier and earlier every year.

I can't believe Pumpkin Spice Puppy is the 30th Melanie Travis Canine Mystery. I continue to look forward to each new installment to see what Melanie, Sam, Davey, Kevin, Aunt Peg, and all their pooches are up to. I know their antics and adventures will keep me entertained from the first page to the last. If you are new to this series, each story can be read totally on its own and these characters are too good to pass by.

This is book 30 in the Melanie Travis Canine series and it's a great read. I have read many but not all the books in this series and if you're a dog lover, especially poodles, you will love them too. It’s autumn in Connecticut and there’s a chill in the air, the fall leaves are a riot of color, and pumpkin spice is the flavor of the season. Melanie Travis is perennially busy, of course—but when the owner of a local pet supply shop is found murdered, sleuthing tops her To Do list . . .
Between taking care of her family and assorted Standard Poodles, Melanie is also working as a special needs tutor for Howard Academy, a private school in Greenwich, where her younger son attends kindergarten. This year, the headmaster has come up with an idea for a school fundraiser. All students will participate in a town-wide treasure hunt, with grades competing against each other. When the local pet store owner is murdered the police aren't sure if it's connected to the school or not.

Pumpkin Spice Puppy is the 30th book in the Melanie Travis cozy mystery series by Laurien Berenson.
I have a bit of a crush on cozy mysteries and they're always a great pallet cleanser in between heavier or more serious books. This is a super fun series, generally quick to read, and it's great fun watching the family and the kids grow and grow up. Of course this book had a murder and of course Melanie helped to solve it. The fall setting and theme was super fun! This book full of tricks was indeed a treat.

Connecticut is the perfect place for Fall. They seem to go all out for it, especially this small town, festively dressed up with falling leaves and grinning pumpkins. One of the shops participating in the fundraiser, the pet shop has the owner filing a complaint and when Melanie goes to talk to him things couldn't get any worse than finding him deceased and his Chow, Cider locked up. One character you don't want to get on the wrong side of is, Aunt Peg. This woman is involved in dog shows but she's no fluff ball. Howard Academy, a private school in Greenwich which is holding the fund raiser is against Melanie, a special needs teacher at the school investigating er should I say doing some snooping in this case to find the suspect. This isn't her first rodeo and she and her standard poodles are on the case once again. A fast-paced fall themed dog filled cozy mystery that was an enjoyable read.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Pumpkin Spice Puppy
A Melanie Travis Canine Mystery
Laurien Berenson
5 Stars

Synopsis:

It’s autumn in Connecticut and there’s a chill in the air, the fall leaves are a riot of color, and pumpkin spice is the flavor of the season. Melanie Travis is perennially busy, of course—but when the owner of a local pet supply shop is found murdered, sleuthing tops her To Do list . . .

Between taking care of her family and assorted Standard Poodles, Melanie is also working as a special needs tutor for Howard Academy, a private school in Greenwich, where her younger son attends kindergarten. This year, the headmaster has come up with an idea for a school fundraiser. All students will participate in a town-wide treasure hunt, with grades competing against each other.

Tokens shaped like pumpkin spice muffins have been hidden in downtown stores. Students will scramble to collect as many as they can in exchange for prizes. At first all goes smoothly, aMnd the uptick in foot traffic to the stores is a win-win. . . . . Until the pet supply shop owner lodges a complaint. When Melanie stops by to smooth things over, she instead finds the man dead, a knife in his back, and his loyal, ever-vigilant Chow Chow locked in the storeroom.

Over the headmaster's objections, Melanie is once again drawn into an investigation. It doesn't take her long to gather a list of suspects, from neighbors balking about the number of rescue Chows the man was fostering in his home, to the landlord who’d filed an eviction notice against him, to the bitter ex-wife who is happy he's gone. With the fundraiser soon drawing to a close and celebrations imminent, Melanie will have to follow every clue—before the biggest prize is staying alive . . .(Amazon)


Review:

The characters are well developed and well rounded. Melanie has a lot on her plate, with her teaching, her family and her dogs. But with all that going on, that does not prevent her from finding another dead body. Now she has to figure out who the culprit is and the why of the murder so she can get back to her other responsibilities.

The writing flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in hare descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The mystery is well plotted and there were enough clues to gather and suspects to consider.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. And if you like dogs that is a plus.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Laurien Berenson delivers another delightful installment of her Melanie Travis mystery series. Autumn is in the air and Melanie discovers a dead body. Of course, she must investigate. It was a quick read that was totally enjoyable. This is my favorite cozy mystery series and I look forward to many more to come!

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Laurien Berenson does it again in Pumpkin Spice Puppy. When Howard Academy has a Fall Fundraiser and one of the stores complains, Melanie Travis and her faithful Poodle companion, Faith, go to investigate; but ultimately find the owner of the pet store dead. Now it's up to her to figure out what happened and why

This book made me hungry. First for pumpkin spice muffins, then later when they started talking about Thanksgiving, it made me hungry for turkey. Good thing there’s a cookie recipe at the end.

I enjoy this series. I like the characters and that we get glimpses into dog show life. The mystery kept me guessing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. I love the pacing, It flows nicely. it only took a few hours to finish it. I love the dogs. I love the kids.
#PumpkinSpicePuppy #NetGalley

I love visiting with Melanie and her family; it’s nice that time actually moves in this series, with the kids getting older. The best part of this series is the immersion into her life and her world. Over the years, we’ve also learned so much about dog shows and the people in her community; so much so that when they’re not present or don’t have a prominent part in the book, we miss them. Since this one was so short, there wasn’t much of the dog shows, not much Terry and Crawford, and even Peg wasn’t even really in it (though the scene at the end was fun). The mystery was complete with investigation and several possible suspects but it was so short that there wasn’t much development and I almost feel cheated out of my time in Melanie’s world. It was fun but I want more.

“Pumpkin Spice Puppy”, the thirtieth book in Laurien Berenson’s Melanie Travis Canine Mystery series is a short but enjoyable read. In this book Melanie finds herself involved in yet another murder when she goes to visit a pet supply shop owner who has a complaint about the fundraiser at the school she works at and finds his dead body. This is a nice mystery with many of the familiar elements that make this story so enjoyable - Melanie, her husband Sam, their two children, lots of dogs, a dog show, and of course Aunt Peg who makes brief but memorable appearances in this book. The mystery was well done with just the right amount of suspects – I hoped the killer wasn’t who I thought it was but alas it was. All in all well done by Berenson.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Book #30 in the Melanie Travis series which features the cutest canine covers guaranteed to tempt readers to choose these cozy mysteries out of the multitude of choices. It certainly works on me. It's a good thing Travis follows the pups with some of the best cozies available today.

PUMPKIN SPICE PUPPY is a quick read that features a dog show running concurrent to a fund raiser. When Melanie finds one of the more difficult pet owners dead, she quickly starts investigating. The clues lead her on a path that will surprise the readers.