Show Me the Bunny (A Melanie Travis Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
28th in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Kensington Cozies (January 25, 2022)
Hardcover : 208 pages
ISBN-10 : 1496735811
ISBN-13 : 978-1496735812
Kindle ASIN : B093XVRRJZ
Melanie Travis is gifted at raising prize-winning Standard Poodles, not standing in as the Easter Bunny. But when March in Connecticut brings daffodils and dead bodies, she’ll need to hop into action—and fast . . .
Aunt Rose already has a strike against her for not being too fond of dogs—or Aunt Peg. But Melanie still agrees to organize Easter festivities at Gallagher House, the new women’s shelter opened by the stern former nun, even if it takes all the jellybeans in Greenwich to sweeten the arrangement. No sooner does Melanie arrive to dye multicolor eggs and stuff baskets, than she learns devasting news about Beatrice Gallagher, the respected benefactor of the estate. Beatrice has fallen to her death, and the circumstances are shocking . . .
No one can say why or how charitable Beatrice got pushed into an early grave. Yet for a supposedly warm and generous philanthropist, rumors have her pinned as an overbearing manipulator who used money to control the unfortunate few trapped in her inner circle. Facing an uncertain future as danger lurks around Gallagher House, Melanie and Aunt Rose must tolerate each other’s company long enough to discover the truth about Beatrice’s true nature and identify a vengeful killer—before another person’s idyllic spring break becomes a serious nightmare . . .
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Aunt Rose and her husband Peter have arrived back in town after completing their good works abroad. They have been asked to run Gallagher House, a new women’s shelter by its benefactor Bea Gallagher. With Easter right around the corner, Aunt Peg volunteers Melanie to organize an Easter egg hunt for the children at the shelter. Melanie can’t say no to Rose, the former nun, without feeling buried by guilt so she agrees to the task. While meeting with Rose to iron out the details they learn that Bea Gallagher is dead following a suspicious fall. Rose’s son has pointed to Rose as the most likely suspect. He has also informed Rose he is closing the shelter and they have just 30 days to get themselves and the women and children they are helping out of the house. Aunt Rose asks Melanie to help prove her innocence and try to pen up the real killer as quickly as possible.
What an egg-cellent story! This time the focus is not a dog show but an Easter event. The dogs are still present in the story, in fact, there is a new puppy named Plum in the Travis household. Their elderly poodle passed away a few months ago. Faith and Melanie’s closeness always warms my heart.
Sam, Melanie, and their boys were planning a low-key relaxing Spring Break but Aunt Peg has other ideas. As we have learned over the course of this series Aunt Peg is always busy with something and she thinks Melanie should be too. So volunteering Melanie to help Rose wasn’t a big surprise. It was nice to have Rose and Peter enter the core cast. They are an interesting couple being a former nun and former priest and still driven to help wherever and however they can. As with all the characters in this series, they are well crafted and true to life.
The mystery this time was different too because it really took Melanie to a place she wasn’t familiar with and people outside of her usual circles. I did enjoy the way she worked with Detective Sturgill and the way Sam continued to just go with the flow knowing he wanted to have more family time during the break. He also knows how to handle Peg. The man is a total saint. As for Melanie’s investigation, serious issues and dysfunction are revealed. I did solve the mystery before all was completely spelled out but that didn’t limit my enjoyment of the story at all.
Show Me The Bunny
This is not the last we are going to see of Rose either. Rose and her sister-in-law Peg are branching out in their own story, Peg and Rose Solve a Murder
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
About This Author
Laurien Berenson is an Agatha and Macavity Nominee, winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, and four-time winner of the Maxwell Award, presented by the Dog Writers Association of America. She and her husband live on a farm in Kentucky surrounded by dogs and horses.
Find out more about her and her books on her webpage here. Find her on Facebook here and on Twitter here.
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