From Publishers Weekly
Amateur sleuth and single mother Melanie Travis (Watchdog, etc.) and her show poodle, Faith, return in a mundane canine cozy centered around the prestigious Howard Academy in Greenwich, Conn., where Melanie is a full-time tutor. School caretaker Eugene Krebbs, an unsavory school fixture, is found dead in his tool shed, stabbed with a pitchfork. Now, along with juggling Faith's dog shows and dealing with the unexpected arrival in town of her fianc?'s ex-wife, Melanie finds herself drawn into the investigation. As part of the school's pageant committee, she is charged with searching through the Howard family papers in the school basement, where she discovers a painting and a 60-year-old diary that may hold the clues to Krebbs's death. Berenson's tale, particularly the Howard family history, starts out with potential but degenerates into a muddle of predictable characters, such as hunky boyfriend Sam, adorable son Davey and a precocious waif called Jane who knows too much for her own good. A fiery close call for Melanie leads to a disappointingly tidy wrap-up in Aunt Peg's kitchen, as the police, having been beaten to the punch by Melanie, eat cookies. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
Hush Puppy ($20.00; Oct.; 304 pp.; 1-57566469-0) It's back to school for Melanie Travis and her Standard Poodle Faith, as Melanie (Watchdog, 1998, etc.) signs on as Howard Academy's new drama coach just in time to rub cantankerous caretaker Eugene Krebbs the wrong way before he's rubbed out for real. She then goes to the head of the classway ahead of a mysterious young Jane Doe and Melanie's unhappy sweetie Sam Driverwhen she and her Aunt Peg nail his killer. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Melanie Travis is reveling in her teaching job at Connecticut's elite Howard Academy, basking in her role as mother to six-year-old Davey, and thoroughly enjoying the company of her sexy fiancé Sam. But fate is about to hurl a few surprises her way.

At Howard Academy, plans are underway for a Spring Pageant to honor the school's founding a half century earlier, and Melanie is immersed in the preparations. Hurrying to retrieve a painting of one of the illustrious co-founders, she comes upon a disturbing scene: Eugene Krebbs, the Academy's elderly caretaker is arguing loudly with a girl half his size. Before Melanie can learn more than the girl's first name—Jane—she disappears.

It's clear that Jane isn't a student at Howard Academy, so what is she doing there? Melanie doesn't have a chance to answer that question before more problems arise. At a local dog show, an alluring brunette from Sam's past shows up with the intention of staking her claim on his future. If that isn't enough, two days later, Krebbs is discovered stabbed to death right on the school grounds.

Now Melanie is embroiled in a full-fledged homicide investigation as she tries to find out who's added murder to the school's curriculum. Although her first suspect is Jane, there's more than one Howard Academy staff member who is suddenly acting as if he has something to hide. And as Melanie's trail leads her dangerously closer to the truth, she must race against time to track down a cunning killer before she becomes the next victim to be hushed...forever.

With Hush Puppy, Laurien Berenson has crafted a complex and highly entertaining mystery full of plot twists that will keep readers guessing right until its satisfying end.

About the Author;
Laurien Berenson is the author of eighteen novels and a three time winner of the Maxwell Award for Fiction from the Dog Writers Association of America. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, her son, six Poodles, and a Welsh Pony.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Amateur sleuth and single mother Melanie Travis (Watchdog, etc.) and her show poodle, Faith, return in a mundane canine cozy centered around the prestigious Howard Academy in Greenwich, Conn., where Melanie is a full-time tutor. School caretaker Eugene Krebbs, an unsavory school fixture, is found dead in his tool shed, stabbed with a pitchfork. Now, along with juggling Faith's dog shows and dealing with the unexpected arrival in town of her fianc 's ex-wife, Melanie finds herself drawn into the investigation. As part of the school's pageant committee, she is charged with searching through the Howard family papers in the school basement, where she discovers a painting and a 60-year-old diary that may hold the clues to Krebbs's death. Berenson's tale, particularly the Howard family history, starts out with potential but degenerates into a muddle of predictable characters, such as hunky boyfriend Sam, adorable son Davey and a precocious waif called Jane who knows too much for her own good. A fiery close call for Melanie leads to a disappointingly tidy wrap-up in Aunt Peg's kitchen, as the police, having been beaten to the punch by Melanie, eat cookies. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Hush Puppy ( Oct.; 304 pp.; 1-57566469-0) It's back to school for Melanie Travis and her Standard Poodle Faith, as Melanie (Watchdog, 1998, etc.) signs on as Howard Academy's new drama coach just in time to rub cantankerous caretaker Eugene Krebbs the wrong way before he's rubbed out for real. She then goes to the head of the class—way ahead of a mysterious young Jane Doe and Melanie's unhappy sweetie Sam Driver—when she and her Aunt Peg nail his killer. (Author tour)