Melanie Travis Books in Order
Part ofLaurien Berenson Books in OrderSee the Melanie Travis books by Laurien Berenson in order, with short summaries, reading order, series background, and a simple place to start.
Last updated: July 3, 2026
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Publication Order
33 books
A Pedigree To Die For
by Laurien Berenson
1995
After her uncle dies and a prized poodle disappears, teacher and single mother Melanie Travis is drawn into the dog show world for the first time. Posing as a breeder, she follows the trail through Connecticut's elite canine circles and toward murder.
Dog Eat Dog
by Laurien Berenson
1996
Melanie's invitation into an exclusive kennel club comes with a corpse, a missing prize fund, and members who are hiding plenty. As she juggles dog training, romance, and an unwelcome ex-husband, sleuthing becomes the only distraction that makes sense.
Underdog
by Laurien Berenson
1996
Melanie Travis heads to an obedience school and the championship dog circuit with her puppy, her young son, and plenty of doubts. When sudden death strikes, she finds herself hunting a killer hiding among handlers, breeders, and show-ring rivalries.
Hair of the Dog
by Laurien Berenson
1997
A Fourth of July gathering turns grim when a notorious poodle handler is found shot dead. Melanie digs through grudges, affairs, and show-ring politics, and learns just how vicious competition can get.
Watchdog
by Laurien Berenson
1998
When Melanie's brother Frank becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a wealthy backer, family loyalty pulls her back into sleuthing. To clear his name, she has to sniff out secrets buried in business deals, bad blood, and Connecticut society.
Hush Puppy
by Laurien Berenson
1999
While helping with festivities at Howard Academy, Melanie witnesses a strange confrontation that makes little sense at the time. Days later, the school's elderly caretaker is murdered, and Melanie has to find the missing girl who may hold the key.
Unleashed
by Laurien Berenson
2000
Summer should be about wedding plans, not dinner with Sam's ex-wife. But when the ex returns to town, starts a dog-show gossip paper, and winds up strangled, Melanie is forced to sort through old grudges and very current motives.
Once Bitten
by Laurien Berenson
2001
Melanie wants no part of wedding planning, until the coordinator for her brother's big day vanishes. Searching Sara's past leads to arson, a body in the ruins, and a long list of people with reason to hate her.
Hot Dog
by Laurien Berenson
2002
Trying to help a dachshund puppy find its rightful owner pulls Melanie into a messy fight between a divorced couple. Then the case turns darker, and unwanted attention makes it clear someone does not want her asking questions.
Best in Show
by Laurien Berenson
2003
At the Poodle Club of America National Specialty Dog Show in Maryland, Melanie expects stiff competition, not murder. When a pair of mysterious sisters and a buzzworthy toy puppy become part of the story, the show ring turns deadly.
Jingle Bell Bark
by Laurien Berenson
2004
Christmas gets crowded fast when Melanie starts worrying about her son's missing bus driver and winds up finding a suspicious death. Between holiday chaos and two displaced golden retrievers, she and Aunt Peg have another killer to chase.
Raining Cats and Dogs
by Laurien Berenson
2005
House hunting, obedience classes, and married life already have Melanie stretched thin. Then a visit with Faith to a nursing home program ends in murder, and the people around the club prove far more complicated than they first seem.
Chow Down
by Laurien Berenson
2006
When Faith becomes a finalist in a dog food company's contest, Melanie heads to New York expecting little more than a strange adventure. Instead she finds fierce competition, corporate games, and a suspicious death no one can ignore.
Hounded To Death
by Laurien Berenson
2007
A judges' symposium in the Pocono Mountains sounds like a welcome escape for Melanie and Aunt Peg. The mood shifts fast when a controversial keynote speaker turns up dead, leaving Melanie to sort through offended dog-world insiders.
Doggie Day Care Murder
by Laurien Berenson
2008
With a new baby at home, Melanie assumes her detective days are over, until a visit to a doggie day care puts her near a killing. The cheerful center hides simmering staff tensions, and the list of suspects grows by the minute.
Gone with the Woof
by Laurien Berenson
2013
Helping a famous breeder tell his life story seems harmless, if a little gossipy, until family tempers flare. When the assignment turns deadly, Melanie discovers the old man's past holds more than colorful anecdotes.
Death of a Dog Whisperer
by Laurien Berenson
2014
Aunt Peg's new favorite expert claims he can interpret dogs with uncanny precision, and Fairfield County's pet owners are captivated. Melanie is skeptical from the start, then murder proves the man's growing influence may have exposed dangerous secrets.
A Christmas Howl
by Laurien Berenson
2015
This novella steps back to a younger Melanie and a much earlier Christmas with Aunt Peg. A family holiday visit and an old feud over a will lead the two reluctant partners into a mystery from the past.
The Bark Before Christmas
by Laurien Berenson
2015
Returning to work at Howard Academy and chairing the school's Christmas Bazaar leave Melanie short on time and patience. Then a prize show dog vanishes, Santa turns up dead, and the holiday season becomes a full-fledged investigation.
Live and Let Growl
by Laurien Berenson
2016
A Kentucky dog-show road trip sounds ideal until Aunt Peg reconnects with an old friend from a wealthy local family. When that friend dies under suspicious circumstances, Melanie finds secrets on both the dog circuit and the family estate.
Murder at the Puppy Fest
by Laurien Berenson
2017
Melanie volunteers at a charity event for a dog rescue and ends up managing both rambunctious puppies and a fractious millionaire's family. When the wealthy host dies, Puppy Fest becomes the scene of a very human mess.
Wagging Through the Snow
by Laurien Berenson
2017
Just before Christmas, an impulsive bid on a run-down tree farm drags Melanie's family into a risky new venture. Then a body turns up, and the holiday cleanup turns into a hunt for a killer.
Ruff Justice
by Laurien Berenson
2018
Spring dog shows get a deadly jolt when a talented artist who makes custom dog leashes is found murdered. As Aunt Peg's longtime sitter disappears, Melanie starts seeing links between the killing, the show circuit, and someone else's carefully hidden life.
Bite Club
by Laurien Berenson
2019
Melanie's mystery book club is supposed to be a pleasant distraction, until one of its members dies and leaves her looking guilty. To clear herself, she has to dig into scandal, secrets, and a bulldog-related trail of trouble.
Here Comes Santa Paws
by Laurien Berenson
2019
When her friend Claire finds a wealthy client dead while working a holiday shopping job, Melanie is drawn into another Christmas mystery. Claire then vanishes, and the search becomes urgent before the season claims another victim.
Game of Dog Bones
by Laurien Berenson
2020
Melanie and Aunt Peg head to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, where nerves and rivalry are already running high. When a notorious breeder is murdered and Aunt Peg looks like a suspect, Melanie has to untangle a web of unethical schemes.
Howloween Murder
by Laurien Berenson
2020
At Howard Academy's Halloween season, everyone is focused on marshmallow puffs and costume-party fun until an elderly neighbor dies with one of the treats in hand. Melanie knows the obvious suspect is wrong, which puts her on a dangerous trail.
Pup Fiction
by Laurien Berenson
2021
A litter of poodles, summer camp, and three surprise Dalmatian puppies should keep Melanie busy enough. Instead, a string of strange events leads to a body in the woods and a mystery tied to camp director Emily Grace's past.
Killer Cupid
by Laurien Berenson
2022
A romantic Valentine's escape to a Berkshires inn should give Melanie and Sam a quiet weekend together. Instead, the first night brings murder, and the cozy resort fills up fast with suspects.
Show Me the Bunny
by Laurien Berenson
2022
Melanie agrees to help with Easter festivities at a new women's shelter, despite the involvement of Aunt Rose and her uneasy truce with dogs. When the shelter's wealthy benefactor dies, spring break turns into another investigation.
A Furry Little Christmas
by Laurien Berenson
2023
This holiday volume collects two Melanie Travis Christmas mysteries, Wagging Through the Snow and Here Comes Santa Paws. It is a convenient way to get two seasonal cases, plenty of dogs, and a double dose of Aunt Peg.
Pumpkin Spice Puppy
by Laurien Berenson
2024
Autumn in Greenwich brings school fundraising, family chaos, and a murdered pet supply shop owner. With pumpkin spice everywhere and clues scattered across town, Melanie has another cozy but dangerous puzzle to solve.
Die Another Dane
by Laurien Berenson
2025
After Melanie's younger son falls hard for Great Danes, Aunt Peg introduces them to breeder Audrey Kane, who soon asks for help finding a missing brooch. When Audrey is killed, Melanie steps into a case crowded with dog-show rivals and family suspicion.
Series background & context
The Melanie Travis books are cozy mysteries with a very specific hook: dogs, especially Standard Poodles, are not window dressing here. They are part of the plot, the social world, and the daily rhythm of Melanie's life. If you start with A Pedigree To Die For, you meet Melanie as a Connecticut schoolteacher and single mother who gets pulled into a case through her Aunt Peg, her late uncle's kennel, and a missing champion poodle. From there, the series keeps one paw in family life and the other in murder.
Melanie is not a hard-boiled detective. That is part of the charm.
She is smart, skeptical, and often a little reluctant, but once something feels wrong she cannot quite leave it alone. Over the series she juggles work, children, relationships, and a growing collection of dogs, while still finding herself in the middle of suspicious deaths. Her voice keeps the books grounded. She can appreciate the absurdity of the dog show world even while she is deeply involved in it.
Aunt Peg is the spark plug. She is blunt, difficult, funny, and absolutely convinced that other people would get on better if they simply listened to her. Peg knows breeders, handlers, judges, and club politics inside out, so she gives the series much of its insider detail. Melanie's family and friends matter too, especially as the books go on and her life becomes fuller and more complicated. One of the pleasures of reading the series in order is watching that personal world grow.
Setting matters here. These mysteries are rooted in Connecticut, especially the wealthy corners of Greenwich and nearby communities, but Berenson also uses dog shows, training classes, private schools, rescue events, country inns, and holiday gatherings as stages for trouble. The show ring is a perfect cozy-mystery environment: full of competition, grudges, gossip, money, and people who remember every slight. Even when a book steps away from a formal competition, the dog world is usually close by.
The tone is warm, witty, and very readable. These are books for readers who like a real puzzle but also want recurring characters, domestic comedy, and a strong sense of place. Berenson knows the details of breeding, grooming, judging, and handling, yet the books do not read like manuals. The dog knowledge is folded into the story, which makes the series fun for longtime dog people and perfectly approachable for everyone else.
That balance is what keeps the Melanie Travis mysteries going.
Some entries lean a little more into family life, some into holiday atmosphere, and some into the sharp elbows of the dog show circuit, but the appeal stays steady. If you like cozy mysteries with an amateur sleuth who has plenty on her plate, a memorable supporting cast, and a setting that feels lived in, this series is easy to settle into and hard to leave.
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