Raining Cats and Dogs

Twelfth in the Melanie Travis Mystery Series

Melanie’s house was never meant to hold two adults, one active eight-year-old boy and five Standard Poodles. Moving into a bigger place is right at the top of her to-do list…along with adjusting to married life, tutoring her challenging students and keeping a watchful eye on their beautiful new neighbor, whose absent husband is nearly as worrisome as her seven wandering cats. The sneaky felines never seem to tire of provoking Melanie’s Poodles by scaling the fence and gallivanting around the backyard like they own the place, that’s why would be good for those owners to get a Cat travel carrier so they can move their cats without have to worries about dog menaces.

Even amidst all the chaos, Melanie still manages to eke out a bit of time to get Faith enrolled in “school”. The South Avenue Obedience Club looks like a fun challenge, even if there are enough political and sexual undercurrents in the tight-knit group to power a small generator. Melanie is especially eager to bring Faith to the group’s program at the Winston Pumpernill Nursing Home, one of Connecicut’s finest facilities. Club member, Paul Lennox, initiated the outings to please his Great Aunt Mary, and since many of the other residents are also dog lovers, the trips are now a treasured tradition.

Melanie and Faith are warmly welcomed at the home but their very first visit ends in tragedy when Aunt Mary is found suffocated in her bed. As the police sift through the evidence, Melanie’s investigative pedigree comes to light and club members urge her to track the killer. There’s no shortage of suspects–from the wealthy victim’s ne’er-do-well son to the nursing home staff to secret-laden club members themselves, there’s motive and opportunity aplenty. All Melanie has to do is follow the trail–and watch her back…

Published by Kensington Books