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Laurien Berenson
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A Pedigree To Die For (A Melanie Travis Mystery) Mass Market Paperback – August 1, 2004

by Laurien Berenson (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,150 ratings
See all formats and editions
Win, Place. . .Or Die.

The apparent heart attack that killed kennel owner Max Turnbull has left seven pups in mourning, and his wife Peg suspecting foul play. But the only evidence is their missing prize pooch--a pedigreed poodle named Beau.

Enter Melanie Travis. With her young son happily ensconced in day damp, the thirty-something teacher and single mother is talked into investigating her uncle's death--unofficially, of course. Posing as a poodle breeder in search of the perfect stud, Melanie hounds Connecticut's elite canine competitions, and finds an ally in fellow breeder Sam Driver. But her affection cools when she's put on the scent of Sam's questionable past. . .and hot on the trail of a poodle-hating neighbor and one elusive murderer who isn't ready to come to heel.

For, as Melanie soon discovers, in a championship dog-eat-dog world, the instinct for survival, and winning, can prove fatal.
Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 30
    Melanie Travis Mysteries
  2. Print length
    288 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Kensington
  5. Publication date
    August 1, 2004
  6. Dimensions
    4.36 x 0.78 x 6.92 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0758246331
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0758246332
  9. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Laurien Berenson is author of the delightful Melanie Travis canine cozy mystery series, including Jingle Bell Bark and Best in Show. She has a degree in psychology from Vassar College and has been married for almost twenty-five years. She lives in Georgia with her husband, her son, six dogs, and two Welsh ponies.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington (August 1, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0758246331
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0758246332
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.36 x 0.78 x 6.92 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,150 ratings

About the author

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Laurien Berenson

Laurien Berenson

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Laurien Berenson is the award-winning author of the long running Melanie Travis canine mystery series and the new Senior Sleuths series starring Peg Turnbull and Rose Donovan as a pair of seventyish sisters-in-law who are learning to put aside old grudges and myriad differences as they work together to solve mysteries. Fun Facts: Laurien has curtseyed to Princess Grace, eaten snake in Kowloon, and ridden a horse down a New York city street. A Connecticut native, she lives with her husband on a farm in Kentucky surrounded by dogs and horses.

Thank you for your reviews!

Connect with Laurien at her website: https://www.laurienberenson.com/

Or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurienBerenson/

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,150 global ratings
A Pedigree to Die For gives readers a dose of comedy along with murder and dog show information for the discerning reader.
5 Stars
A Pedigree to Die For gives readers a dose of comedy along with murder and dog show information for the discerning reader.
This is the first book in the Melanie Travis mystery series, and I've enjoyed all of them. I'm waiting patiently for the next book to appear. When I first heard of Ms. Berenson's books, I had to ask friends for advice. I'm a dog show person, and I've been burned by books purporting to have real events from dog shows accurately portrayed in them. But Ms. Berenson's books proved to be a bright light in the dog show world and hilarious with her novice introduction to the dog show scene along with breeding, stud dogs, and of course the inevitable Grande Dame of Dog Shows in her Aunt Peg. Mix in a possible murder along with a kidnapped Standard Poodle, and you'll have the time of your life. Granted, most people aren't that familiar with conformation dog shows, but again Ms. Berenson uses Melanie's inexperience to walk you through. I have Irish Setters which do not require the amount of grooming and upkeep involved with a Standard Poodle. My respect for Standard Poodle people has grown considerably since reading Ms. Berenson's books. The only thing that makes the Irish Setter and the Standard Poodle similar is that they are both bird dogs, and both are highly intelligent with a great sense of humor. After this first book, Ms. Berenson will introduce you to other breeds, but she keeps her beloved Standards as the backbone of her stories. Well done, Ms. Berenson!
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Top reviews from the United States

Sallie L Baldwin
5.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed this story
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2021
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed this book a lot . I am a poodle lover and have one now. I am also familiar with the dog show world. This story kept me reading and it also had lots of good information on dog showing and breeding. I learned a few things. It is light reading but well written. In the beginning I found some grammatical errors but as I , kept reading they went away. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes dogs.
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Rachel Gollub
4.0 out of 5 stars A fun cozy mystery… with dogs
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2023
Verified Purchase
This was a fun read, and a nice introduction to the world of dog shows. Having two mini poodles myself (rescues, not purebred), I related to the poodle craziness.
One person found this helpful
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Darci E
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for dog lovers
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2024
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I was given this book years ago but misplaced it. Was thrilled to find a hard cover copy on Amazon!
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Debb23
3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Read
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2024
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed this first in the series. The storyline was good and it was interesting reading about the breeding and shows. The mystery was good and kept me guessing. My only drawback is that all the family members seem to have problems with each other, a little lightness and happiness would have been nice. That is only my opinion, I will continue on with this series, I am curious where it is going to take me.
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Terri Borkgren
5.0 out of 5 stars A Pedigree to Die For Book 1 A Melanie Travis Mystery
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2024
Verified Purchase
A great introduction to this series. Melanie and her Aunt Peg, going search of Peg's black standard poodle Beau who disappeared the night her husband died. As Melanie learns about the fascinating work of life with the standard poodle circuit she encounters an assortment of quirky characters along the way. A great understanding is displayed through these pages
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J.C. Prins
4.0 out of 5 stars Starts Slow, Ends Interestingly
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2015
Verified Purchase
When I subscribed to eBub, I bought books based solely on the description without checking the reviews. I now have more books than I can read. In addition, some of the books are not great. So I have been reading the first four to five chapters and then deciding if I am going to continue, something that would have been heresy ten years ago.

I started this book and was not impressed by the first three chapters. However, the next few chapters hooked me into the story. There are a myriad of characters, which sometimes makes it hard to keep track of everyone. Nevertheless, the plot is intriguing. One cannot guess the ending at all. The ending is a teensy bit disappointing, but it wraps everything up satisfactorily. The main characters are well developed and one becomes invested in them. I really like Melanie. I am reserving judgment on Aunt Peg. I ended up liking the book and wouldn't mind reading the next book, especially since the preview really leaves me wanting to know what happened next. However, given my meager finances, I am not sure that I will spend the nearly $6 it costs. . . . but, then again, maybe I will.
3 people found this helpful
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LBJ
5.0 out of 5 stars A Pedigree to Die For gives readers a dose of comedy along with murder and dog show information for the discerning reader.
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2016
Verified Purchase
This is the first book in the Melanie Travis mystery series, and I've enjoyed all of them. I'm waiting patiently for the next book to appear. When I first heard of Ms. Berenson's books, I had to ask friends for advice. I'm a dog show person, and I've been burned by books purporting to have real events from dog shows accurately portrayed in them. But Ms. Berenson's books proved to be a bright light in the dog show world and hilarious with her novice introduction to the dog show scene along with breeding, stud dogs, and of course the inevitable Grande Dame of Dog Shows in her Aunt Peg. Mix in a possible murder along with a kidnapped Standard Poodle, and you'll have the time of your life. Granted, most people aren't that familiar with conformation dog shows, but again Ms. Berenson uses Melanie's inexperience to walk you through. I have Irish Setters which do not require the amount of grooming and upkeep involved with a Standard Poodle. My respect for Standard Poodle people has grown considerably since reading Ms. Berenson's books. The only thing that makes the Irish Setter and the Standard Poodle similar is that they are both bird dogs, and both are highly intelligent with a great sense of humor. After this first book, Ms. Berenson will introduce you to other breeds, but she keeps her beloved Standards as the backbone of her stories. Well done, Ms. Berenson!
Customer image
LBJ
5.0 out of 5 stars A Pedigree to Die For gives readers a dose of comedy along with murder and dog show information for the discerning reader.
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2016
This is the first book in the Melanie Travis mystery series, and I've enjoyed all of them. I'm waiting patiently for the next book to appear. When I first heard of Ms. Berenson's books, I had to ask friends for advice. I'm a dog show person, and I've been burned by books purporting to have real events from dog shows accurately portrayed in them. But Ms. Berenson's books proved to be a bright light in the dog show world and hilarious with her novice introduction to the dog show scene along with breeding, stud dogs, and of course the inevitable Grande Dame of Dog Shows in her Aunt Peg. Mix in a possible murder along with a kidnapped Standard Poodle, and you'll have the time of your life. Granted, most people aren't that familiar with conformation dog shows, but again Ms. Berenson uses Melanie's inexperience to walk you through. I have Irish Setters which do not require the amount of grooming and upkeep involved with a Standard Poodle. My respect for Standard Poodle people has grown considerably since reading Ms. Berenson's books. The only thing that makes the Irish Setter and the Standard Poodle similar is that they are both bird dogs, and both are highly intelligent with a great sense of humor. After this first book, Ms. Berenson will introduce you to other breeds, but she keeps her beloved Standards as the backbone of her stories. Well done, Ms. Berenson!
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14 people found this helpful
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V. Williams
4.0 out of 5 stars Beau Is Not Just Your Average Missing Dog
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2014
Verified Purchase
Not over-joyed about the cover, but anything "dog" catches my interest. Not really a poodle person either, but fortunately you don't have to be to enjoy this little romp into the characters behind the dogs in the dog shows that most would not watch unless they had a vested interest. Ms. Berenson seems to know her dogs pretty well as she weaves this tale (no pun intended) in and out of the explanation behind all the pomp and circumstances. It is Aunt Peg who breeds and raises champion standard black poodles that gets Melanie involved in finding her champion stud, Beau, missing since the night of her husband's apparent heart attack. Searching for Beau gives niece Melanie something to fill her time after the 30 yr old single mom and Connecticut school teacher loses the summer job she had lined up, putting a serious crunch in her summer budget. Melanie manages a fairly generous network of friends who will take her 4 yr old son on an instant notice if he is not in his summer camp and days she is not working the fill-in position at the camp. As ignorant as any of us not associated with the world of professional dog handlers, breeders, and the work involved in (specifically) standard poodles, Aunt Peg is a fount of knowledge and does a neat job of education while Melanie works on the mystery of finding the missing stud and encounters the collateral damage the twisting plot has wrought. I downloaded this free offering from BookBub; glad I did, and would recommend. I won't mention to my Bichon Frise that I'm reading about poodles, but I am already looking forward to the next installment in this series.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Sid Fox
5.0 out of 5 stars Melanie Travis mystery book
Reviewed in Canada on May 15, 2019
Verified Purchase
Love the book and the whole series can’t wait until the next one comes out
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 28, 2017
Verified Purchase
very happy with my book and service was great
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars wie aus dem Leben gegriffen...
Reviewed in Germany on November 16, 2015
Verified Purchase
... für dog-show peoples ;) Leider nur auf englisch zu bekommen, aber Dank dem Kindle und seiner Möglickeit schnell mal etwas zu übersetzten, auch mit Schulenglisch gut zu lesen. Es war für mich sehr spannend, und so nett zu lesen, dass ich mir die weiteren Bände so nach und nach einverleiben werde. Worum es geht, steht in der Buchbeschreibung, daher gehe ich darauf nicht weiter ein.
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Geni
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in Canada on April 8, 2022
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Interesting
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Eileen Bentley -Gouldstone
4.0 out of 5 stars pedigree to die for.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2014
Verified Purchase
Started off rather slow for me but ended with a twist that was good will. Certainly read another Melanie travois mystery
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