Jingle Bell Bark

A sleuth rescues two orphaned Golden Retrieversand tries to solve their master's murderin this ';delightful' mystery from the Agatha Award finalist (Publishers Weekly). This year, all Melanie wants for Christmas is a dull moment. Between her teaching job, and showing her Standard Poodle puppy, there just aren't enough hours in the day. But when her son Davey's usual bus driver, Henry Pruitt, disappears and is replaced by a surly, pierced twentysomething, Melanie is concerned. The elderly, amiable Henry was a friend to all in the neighborhood, so she decides to check on himonly to find that he died two days earlier, under suspicious circumstances. As if that weren't bad enough, Henry's two Golden Retrievers are now bereft of both master and home. Melanie can't just abandon them, so she brings them to her Aunt Peg, the most stubborn woman on the planet, who's now determined to find out the truth about Henrys death, no matter what it takes. Soon, the indomitable Aunt Peg has Melanie making a list of suspects and checking it twice. And unless she sniffs out this Scrooge of a killer fast, a lump of coal in her stocking may not be the worst thing Melanie gets this Christmas ';As ever, the author provides a captivating behind-the-scenes look at the world of show dogs.'Publishers Weekly Melanie Travis is a terrific character.--Romantic Times