While Melanie is busy showing her Standard Poodle puppy at the Poodle Club of America's National Speciality Dog show, Betty Jean is found dead at the host hotel. Melanie instinctively starts to investigate, and comes up with a compelling cast of suspects....

If Melanie Travis was planning on a quiet family summer with her Standard Poodle Faith, son Davey, and new husband Sam, her plans are about to turn upside down. An unexpected competition, a trip to New York, and - oh yes, a murder - later, Melanie finds herself in a choke collar of deceit and corruption. When she receives the letter from the Champions Dog Food Company informing her that Faith has been selected as a finalist in the "All Dogs Are Champions" contest, Melanie is mystified - until she discovers it was Davey who entered Faith in the contest.At the reception where they meet the other finalists, Melanie immediately picks up the scent that this pack is a bone's throw away from a major dog fight. And when Larry Kim, one of the finalists, dies in a suspicious fall, something smells rotten to Melanie. With the final decision for a winner drawing near and the competition getting downright ferocious, Melanie and Faith will have to watch their backs - because Melanie's digging may well unearth a barking-mad killer who'll do anything to win....

Melanie Travis thought her sleuthing days were behind her. She has a new baby to take care of - not to mention five Standard Poodles - and Aunt Peg is getting Davey ready for his debut as a junior showman. These days, the closest Melanie gets to detective work is scoping out the scene at the local doggie day centre for her friend Alice Brickman.As Melanie learns, it's a dog's life at the Pine Ridge Canine Care Centre - and life is good.The dogs are living large with a team of groomers and handlers at their bark and call.Everyone seems blissfully happy. Everyone canine, that is. For Melanie soon discovers there are some simmering resentments among the Pine Ridge staff and when Steve Pine, the centre's charming, good-looking co-owner, is found shot to death on the floor of his office, there's no shortage of suspects. His sister Candy stands to inherit their lucrative doggie day care operation. His neighbour, Adam Busch, still blames Steve for paving the way for the other businesses that now exist in the once quiet, all-residential town. And then there's Lila Bennington, the disgruntled client who wanted to sue Steve following an embarrassing 'incident' involving a Shih Tzu and a Beagle mix. And lastly, the string of female customers Steve bedded and jilted. But which of these, suspects was desperate enough to commit murder?...

In an effort to escape her ex-husband and boyfriend, Melanie Travis opts to track down the elusive owner of an adorable dachshund puppy that's about to be put on the block at a charity auction. But the more Melanie discovers about the puppy's background, the messier the case becomes....

As the dog days of summer turn to the playful nip of autumn's chill, Melanie Travis is ready for a little relaxation. Her Aunt Peg has the perfect solution--a five-day symposium for dog show judges in Pennsylvania's idyllic Pocono Mountains. While Peg and Melanie's sister-in-law Bertie welcome the opportunity to socialize with the dog world's elite, the very pregnant Melanie embraces the chance to simply unwind.

But when renowned judge Charles Evans delivers a keynote address that irritates many of the attendees, the symposium's agenda takes a deadly turn. For later that evening, Charles is found floating face-down in the outdoor hot tub.

With few clues to go on, the police are baffled. But Melanie decides to take matters into her own hands, suspecting that a cold-blooded murderer may lurk among her fellow dog-lovers...

"This canine cozy is absorbing enough to delight even cat lovers." --Publishers Weekly

"The mystery keeps the book rolling along, but it's the entertaining relationships Melanie has with her family that keep the reader involved." --Romantic Times...

Melanie Travis thought her sleuthing days were behind her. She has a new baby to take care of - not to mention five Standard Poodles. These days, the closest Melanie gets to detective work is scoping out the scene at the local doggie day centre for her friend Alice Brickman. As Melanie learns, it's a dog's life at the Pine Ridge Canine Care Centre - and life is good. Everyone seems blissfully happy. Everyone canine, that is, as Melanie soon discovers there are some simmering resentments among the pine Ridge staff. And when Steve Pine, the centre's charming, good looking co-owner, is found shot to death on the floor of his office, there's no shortage of suspects. With the police at a loss for leads, it's now up to Melanie to go undercover and sniff out a killer whose secrets lie buried in a dog's paradise that's proving to be anything but....