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Hush Puppy |
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H ush Puppy byLaurien Berenson Kensington Books 303 pages, September 2000 ISBN 1575666006 Reviewed by Susan McBride Read our review of Unleashed Read our author interview There are readers who adore dog and cat mysteries, who love seeing feline or puppy sink their claws into a killer that had been evading the police. Personally, I tend to avoid tales featuring tails (and I'm a cat owner, so it's not because I don't love animals). However, I must admit I've dabbled and discovered a few authors whose works I enjoy, despite a cast of characters that includes furry critters. Laurien Berenson is now among them. In Hush Puppy, protagonist Melanie Travis, who shows Standard Poodles for fun and tutors at an elite Greenwich, Connecticut private school to pay her bills, gets entangled in the investigation of the murder of Howard Academy's long-time caretaker, Eugene Krebs. Packaged marijuana is found in a shed out back used by Krebs to store his tools. The local police lean toward labeling the killing as drug-related. But Melanie isn't so certain. An enigmatic girl named Jane was the last to see Krebs alive, and she's disappeared. In addition, Melanie had recently been digging into boxes of material from the school's basement as she researched the family history of the founding mother, Honoria Howard. In the process, Melanie had unearthed a diary that could bear clues as to the killer's identity. Melanie's a very likeable woman, a single parent with a son named Davey, and a hunky boyfriend who also shows Standards. The dog angle actually plays a very small part in Hush Puppy. Thankfully, Melanie's poodle Faith stays out of the investigation almost entirely. Berenson creates an interesting web of intrigue surrounding Krebs' death and the mysterious Howard family, writing with a kind of quiet understatement that will please fans of amateur sleuth-type cozies. Dog lovers will enjoy the added bonus of occasional insights into the world of dog shows, grooming and breeding. Two paws up. |
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