When Beatrice Gallagher, the well-respected benefactor of a new women's shelter, is murdered, Melanie Travis discovers that Beatrice wasn't the warm and generous philanthropist she appeared to be and must expose her true nature to identify a vengeful killer.

In the Berkshires to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her husband, Melanie Travis finds her romantic getaway interrupted by the murder of a fellow guest, and when her secret sleuthing attracts unwanted attention, her trip heats up, but not in the way she’d hoped.

As the dog days of summer turn to the playful nip of autumn's chill, Melanie Travis is ready for a little relaxation. Her Aunt Peg has the perfect solution--a five-day symposium for dog show judges in Pennsylvania's idyllic Pocono Mountains. While Peg and Melanie's sister-in-law Bertie welcome the opportunity to socialize with the dog world's elite, the very pregnant Melanie embraces the chance to simply unwind.

But when renowned judge Charles...

A dog handler disappears in this "entertaining mystery" by the Agatha and Macavity Award finalist (Publishers Weekly).
With her former fiancé off finding himself, Melanie Travis figures the only ring she'll be seeing in the near future is one where she's showing her prized poodles. But love is still in the air for her brother Frank, who is about to tie the knot with his sweetheart, Bertie Kennedy. With scant knowledge...

Someone's dishing the dirt on the dog-show world, until she's muzzled for good: "[A] winning cozy...the ending is a surprise."—Publishers Weekly
Summer means two things to Melanie Travis: a break from her teaching duties at Connecticut's elite Howard Academy and a chance to plan the perfect wedding to her fiancé, Sam. She certainly doesn't need the unwelcome arrival of a dinner invitation "peace offering" from Sam's...

A "wonderful" murder mystery that's "even better if you read it with a dog on your lap" (Suspense Magazine).
Despite a toddler and a house full of Standard Poodles, Melanie Travis can't pass up an opportunity to help legendary dog breeder Edward March pen his life story. But her enthusiasm flags when the breeder's angry son, Andrew, demands she stop working on the book. The question of why becomes imperative once Andrew...

A mystery from the Agatha Award finalist: "Melanie's poodles are as lovable and real as the story's human characters."—Publishers Weekly

In an effort to escape tail-chasing males—namely her ex-husband and her current boyfriend—Melanie Travis opts to track down the elusive owner of Dox, an adorable Dachshund who's about to be put on the block at a charity auction. But the more Melanie discovers about...

A road trip to a Kentucky dog show leads to a race to find a killer, in this mystery by an Agatha Award finalist: "A likable heroine."—Publishers Weekly
For a dog lover like Melanie Travis, the opportunity to attend the Kentuckiana Dog Show Cluster is not to be missed. Fortunately, the timing coincides with her spring break from teaching, so she heads for central Kentucky with her sister-in-law and Aunt Peg, who's accepted...

"A pleasant mystery and a loving tribute to poodles. Fetching in every way."—Booklist
Melanie Travis thought her sleuthing days were behind her. She has a new baby to take care of—not to mention five Standard Poodles. These days, the closest Melanie gets to detective work is scoping out the scene at the local doggie day care center for her friend Alice Brickman.

As Melanie learns, it's a dog's life at the...

There's a corpse on campus in this mystery from an Agatha Award finalist who's "a rare breed of writer" (The Plain Dealer).

Melanie Travis loves her teaching job at Connecticut's elite Howard Academy, where plans are underway for a Spring Pageant to honor the school's fiftieth anniversary. Immersed in the preparations, Melanie is hurrying to retrieve a painting of one of the illustrious co-founders when she comes upon a...