Pumpkin spice puppy

Melanie Travis, along with Howard Academy headmaster's assistant Harriet Bloom, organized the school's Thanksgiving fundraiser, so when merchant Gregory Willet has a complaint, Melanie is tasked with fixing the issue. Unable to reach him by phone, she goes to his pet store--and finds him stabbed to death in his office. Harriet makes it clear that Melanie, who has solved murders in the past, must quickly solve this one to protect the reputation of the school. It turns out that Willet had problems with the adjacent business owner and his neighbors at home as well as a contentious relationship with his ex-wife. Dog lovers will relish this mystery due to its realistic frame of raising and showing show dogs, especially standard poodles. The well-delineated, familiar characters, both human and canine, the depiction of warm family life, and the descriptive setting add up to a satisfying entry in the long-running cozy series (after Killer Cupid, 2022).

A fall fundraiser in Greenwich, Connecticut, takes a nasty turn when a pet store owner is murdered in his shop. In many ways, Howard Academy's Thanksgiving fundraiser is a big hit. Donations are pouring in, fueled by a treasure hunt in which local merchants offer prizes in exchange for tokens--shaped like pumpkin spice muffins, of course--that students can find scattered around their shops. The hit takes an abrupt nosedive when the headmaster's assistant, Harriet Bloom, sends special education tutor Melanie Travis over to Willet's Pet Supplies to investigate a complaint from the owner. Melanie, whose household includes four champion standard poodles and Bud, a rambunctious mixed breed, seems like the ideal person to talk to Mr. Willet. But she's too late for the conversation. Her claim to fame as a dog mama is eclipsed by her alternate persona of corpse magnet when she finds the genial shopkeeper slumped over his desk with a knife in his back. The only witness to the crime is Cider, Willet's Chow Chow, and Cider didn't get to witness much, since the killer locked the frantic pup in the storeroom before dispatching his owner. Once the local police arrive, they're unsurprised to see Melanie at the scene of yet another suspicious death. And of course Melanie, who has a fundraiser to save, can't wait idly for them to plow their methodical way through the evidence. Fortunately, her concern for Cider's fate gives her an excellent excuse to nose around until she discovers more than enough evidence to prevent the law enforcement professionals from barking up the wrong tree. Another lively outing for Berenson's dogged crime solver. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.