"Frolicking with dogs is Melanie Travis's idea of heaven. So when she's invited to be a "puppy wrangler" at a benefit for a local dog rescue, the last thing she expects is to be chasing after a tricky killer"--

"As Melanie attempts to deck the halls in a house overrun by pampered Poodles, her event planner friend, Claire, is busy playing Santa--beard and belly not included--for the wealthiest clientele on Connecticut's Gold Coast. A personal shopper gig in the affluent town of New Canaan seems like business as usual. Except Claire's stylish stint comes at a higher price than she bargains for when she stumbles over her newest customer's dead body on the job....

When her dog Faith is accepted into the prestigious program at Winston Pumpernill Nursing Home, Melanie Travis gets more than she bargains for when their first outing to this residence full of senior pet lovers results in murder.

Embarking on a road trip when Aunt Peg is appointed a judge at a Kentucky dog show, Melanie is horrified when a family friend, a former poodle exhibitor, suffers a fatal accident after old rivalries resurface at the expo center.

When her aunt's dog-whispering protégé is found dead, Melanie Travis must help sort through the growing list of suspects to find the killer, all while juggling motherhood, marriage, and her six beloved poodles.

While preparing for the spring dog show, Melanie must investigate a murder after a talented canine portrait artist turns up dead behind her concession booth and her Aunt Peg's longtime dog sitter also disappears on the same day.

The last thing Melanie wants is to become embroiled in yet another of her brother Frank's moneymaking schemes. His current brainstorm already has the neighbors snarling. When Marcus Rattigan is found murdered all hell breaks loose.

Trying to get her puppy ready for the show circuit, Melanie, a single mom who teaches learning-disabled students, befriends professional handlers Jenny and Rick Maguire, whose dogs consistently win trophies. When Jenny says her pet, Ziggy, was run over in a street accident, Melanie tries to console the woman over dinner. Then Jenny dies of arsenic poisoning and, later, Melanie finds Ziggy being boarded at a distant kennel. Clearly, something was rotten...

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...

Melanie Travis, a teacher, single parent, and owner of a Standard Poodle pup, has been invited to join the Connecticut Kennel Club. But the group is already disagreeing on this year's trophies when money turns up missing and a member turns up dead. When the truth about forged pedigrees and illegal show practices come to light, Melanie finds herself closer to a killer than she would like.