Once Bitten: A Melanie Travis Mystery

From Publishers Weekly In her eighth doggedly endearing adventure in sleuthing, Melanie Travis is anticipating her brother Frank's impending nuptials to beautiful dog-handler Bertie Kennedy while reflecting over the defection of her fiancx82, Sam, who (in last year's Unleashed) suddenly announced he wasn't ready for marriage and went off to find himself. Bertie has hired an old friend, Sara Bentley, to plan her wedding, despite Sara's dubious reputation as a poor little rich girl who flits from one job to another. When Sara disappears soon after taking on the job, Bertie insists that Melanie help find her. As if Melanie doesn't have enough headaches, her ex-husband, Bob Travis, has suddenly reappeared, without his young wife, and is acting like he wants Melanie back. As Melanie delves into Sara's background, she realizes that most of Sara's friends and family aren't that concerned about her. Then a dead body turns up in a fire in the guest cottage where Sara lived on her mother's estate. Is it Sara? If not, then who is it, and where is Sara? The plot takes some surprising twists as Melanie digs deeper into Sara's life, trying to unearth the truth. Balancing an entertaining mystery puzzle with Melanie's attempt to resolve her feelings for her ex-husband and her decamped fiancx82, Berenson rounds out the story with the lore of the dog-show world her readers expect. (Sept. 4)bolder jacket design for the series that can only help sales. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Series sleuth Melanie Travis (Unleashed), a teacher and dog handler, goes in search of the sometime wedding consultant she recommended to her brother and his fianc?e. The consultant apparently vanishes in the midst of preparations, but when her cottage burns down, a woman's body is found. For all collections. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Berenson's latest Melanie Travis mystery provides a fascinating look into the inner world of dog shows. Much of the story concerns part-time teacher Melanie and her seven-year-old son, Davey, traveling around Connecticut to show their standard poodle, Faith, at various competitions. Meanwhile, Melanie's fiance, Sam, has taken off for reasons (and parts) unknown; her brother, Frank, is about to be married to the lovely Bertie; and her Aunt Peg is, as usual, bossing everyone around. When Sara, Bertie's wedding planner, disappears, amateur sleuth Melanie is on the case. Things look grim when Sara's cottage is burned down and the remains of a young woman are found inside. In an annoying subplot, Melanie's ex-husband Bob returns after divorcing his 20-year-old bimbo wife. When he makes a play for Melanie, readers will wonder how she could fall for such a loser again, even if it's just to set up the return of Sam. Luckily, Berenson's main focus remains mainly on the dogs, who are generally much more entertaining than the humans. Jenny McLarin Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Read more