GAME OF DOG BONES by Laurien Berenson

"Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is the setting for a murder"

Game of Dog Bones

Genres: Mystery Pet Lovers | Mystery Cozy

Posted: July 16, 2020

Greenwich, Connecticut, is the setting for much of the twenty-fifth Melanie Travis canine mystery, but we also travel to a highly exclusive dog show. Madison Square Garden is the location of the springtime Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, and Melanie’s Aunt Peg has achieved the coveted status of judge. You know, however, that these huge, prestigious events bring together all the people, the good, the bad, and the awkward. GAME OF DOG BONES is a pretty fine title for power struggles behind the scenes.

Victor Durbin, a breeder who was kicked out of the Paugussett Poodle Club for producing cheap crossbreds, set up his own Empire Poodle Club. But he was more concerned about profiting from puppy sales at a cafe he owned. After arguing with some people in his own dog club, Victor is found dead in Manhattan. Melanie is just a special needs teacher, but Aunt Peg Turnbull--admittedly, now in her golden years so not a likely suspect--is a breeder and judge, and she was on the spot with grudges against the man. To the police, Peg is on the list of folks who need alibis.

Melanie agrees to help Peg look into the case again and uncovers more men and women with grudges than a Poodle has curls. The big black Standard Poodles enliven the story by playing in the snow, and Melanie and Sam’s younger son has adopted a small mongrel, which fits happily and mischievously into the household. The people all feel absolutely genuine--I don’t even think of them as characters. They’re people.

One great feature of a long-running series is catching up with friends. Terry and Crawford, pro-dog handlers for the show ring, are getting married, and Melanie is delighted for the two sociable gentlemen. Also, while dog shows are a feature in many books of this series, the WKC show sounds highly impressive and we learn about televising this event. The story feels up to date and we can only speculate on how dog shows will be organised in the future. I had a great time reading Laurien Berenson’s latest mystery--I’ve read them from the start but missed a few, and you really don’t need to have read the previous books to enjoy GAME OF DOG BONES. You do need to like dogs though!

Book Summary

Standard Poodle owner Melanie Travis is an excellent judge of dogs—and people. But what happens when an unnamed killer emerges at one of the fiercest all-breed competitions ever?

As Greenwich, Connecticut, slows down during a bitterly cold February, Melanie and her spunky Aunt Peg head to the city that never sleeps for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. Aunt Peg can’t wait to demonstrate her judging chops on national TV, even after being hounded by frustrating mishaps—all seemingly orchestrated by Victor Durbin, an ousted Paugussett Poodle Club member with a bone to pick. But the bright lights of the show ring grow dim when Victor is found murdered, and she’s the one topping the suspect list . . .

Driven to solve the crime on her aunt’s behalf, Melanie fetches hair-raising clues about the victim. Victor didn’t score many friends with his unethical breeding practices, sketchy puppy café, and penchant for mercilessly scamming others to get ahead. He burned so many bridges that his own business partner admits to being delighted by news of his death. It appears Victor finally toyed with the wrong person, and as Melanie digs up more chilling evidence, she realizes that exonerating Aunt Peg means confronting a murderer who’s in it to win it . . .