I'm a complete dog mystery addict, although I'm fairly picky about what I'll read in the genre. One of my favorites is Laurien Berenson's series about the poodle, Faith, and her owner Melanie Travis. The fourtheenth book in the series, Hounded to Death, just came out, and I just finished it this afternoon.
One of my favorite things about the series is how every time single-mom Melanie has to go out sleuthing, she first has to find a baby sitter for her son Davey. In the midst of believing a special ed teacher at a suburban private school is also solving crimes and stumbling over dead bodies at least once a month, not to mention her entirely too-good-to-be-true love interest, Sam, we get her old, falling-apart car, deadbeat ex, and the babysitter thing. I love these books.
However my actual favorite thing about them is her Aunt Peg, a grande dame of the dog show world, and the epitome of a responsible poodle breeder. In the latest adventures of Melanie and the indomitable Aunt Peg, the two of them head off for a dog show judge's seminar along with Melanie's sister-in-law, who is a professional dog handler. Someone dies, and of course, Melanie solves the crime. I won't say any more about the plot, but Berenson has a light touch and gets the dog show world exactly right.
I interviewed the author a few months ago, and she assured me Aunt Peg was based on a real person and one of her dog show mentors. I'm glad to know the babysitter isn't the only dose of reality in the series.
So if you're looking for doggy fun and like your mysteries on the light and cozy side, Laurien Berenson's poodle mysteries are perfect escapist fare.
So I trotted over to my local bookstore to pick up Faith’s latest adventures and OH NO!!! it’s a hardback. Now I love books. I read all or part of 20-40 books a month. I will sometimes buy a hardback if it is a book I think I will use again and again like oh a dictionary or a cookbook for dogs. But a mystery? Even one with poodles? Ha. Not even one with schnauzers or corgis. Umm maybe one with both schnauzers and corgis. $7.99 is horrid for a paperback but $22 or more for a hardback? With my addiction that would be pushing $1000 a month. I might as well take up using cocaine! When I am buying people food for the dogs? Sorry Aunt Peg. Sorry Hope. Sorry Melanie. Sorry Davey, Sam and Tar. Not this time.
Now I know that it’s a really big deal to get published in hardcover but I’m always bummed when my favorites makes it big. Small of me I know.
Bummed I tell you. Bummed. Hum, wonder if the local public library is going to get Hounded…
Posted by: schnauzer | 15 September 2007 at 08:00 PM