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Hush puppy / Laurien Berenson.

By: Material type: TextTextSeries: Berenson, Laurien. Melanie Travis mystery ; 6.Publisher: New York, New York : Kensington Books, Kensington Publishing Corp., [2019]Copyright date: ©1991Description: 316 pages ; 18 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781496719287
  • 149671928X
Subject(s): Genre/Form: Summary: Melanie Travis loves her teaching job at Howard Academy, where plans are underway for a Spring Pageant to honor the school's 50th anniversary. Immersed in the preparations, Melanie is hurrying to retrieve a painting of one of the illustrious co-founders when she comes upon a disturbing scene: Eugene Krebbs, the Academy's elderly caretaker, is arguing with a girl whose name Melanie learns is Jane. It's clear that Jane isn't a student at Howard, and Melanie wonders what she's doing at the school. Two days later, Krebbs is discovered on school grounds-stabbed to death. As Melanie recalls the loud argument, she realizes that she's right in the middle of a full-fledged homicide investigation. And the closer to the truth she gets, the closer she comes to being the next victim.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Fiction Davis (Central) Library Fiction Collection Fiction Collection BERE Available T00830658
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Melanie Travis loves her teaching job at Connecticut's elite Howard Academy, where plans are underway for a Spring Pageant to honor the school's fiftieth anniversary. Immersed in the preparations, Melanie is hurrying to retrieve a painting of one of the illustrious co-founders when she comes upon a disturbing scene- Eugene Krebbs, the Academy's elderly caretaker is arguing loudly with a girl half his size. Before Melanie can learn more than the girl's first name-Jane-she disappears.

It's clear that Jane isn't a student at Howard Academy, so what is she doing there? Melanie doesn't have a chance to answer that question before more problems arise. Two days later, Krebbs is discovered stabbed to death right on the school grounds. Now Melanie is embroiled in a full-fledged homicide investigation as she tries to find out who's added murder to the school's curriculum. And when Melanie's trail leads her dangerously closer to the truth, she must race against time to track down a cunning killer before she becomes the next victim to be hushed . . . forever.

Melanie Travis loves her teaching job at Howard Academy, where plans are underway for a Spring Pageant to honor the school's 50th anniversary. Immersed in the preparations, Melanie is hurrying to retrieve a painting of one of the illustrious co-founders when she comes upon a disturbing scene: Eugene Krebbs, the Academy's elderly caretaker, is arguing with a girl whose name Melanie learns is Jane. It's clear that Jane isn't a student at Howard, and Melanie wonders what she's doing at the school. Two days later, Krebbs is discovered on school grounds-stabbed to death. As Melanie recalls the loud argument, she realizes that she's right in the middle of a full-fledged homicide investigation. And the closer to the truth she gets, the closer she comes to being the next victim.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Amateur sleuth and single mother Melanie Travis (Watchdog, etc.) and her show poodle, Faith, return in a mundane canine cozy centered around the prestigious Howard Academy in Greenwich, Conn., where Melanie is a full-time tutor. School caretaker Eugene Krebbs, an unsavory school fixture, is found dead in his tool shed, stabbed with a pitchfork. Now, along with juggling Faith's dog shows and dealing with the unexpected arrival in town of her fianc‚'s ex-wife, Melanie finds herself drawn into the investigation. As part of the school's pageant committee, she is charged with searching through the Howard family papers in the school basement, where she discovers a painting and a 60-year-old diary that may hold the clues to Krebbs's death. Berenson's tale, particularly the Howard family history, starts out with potential but degenerates into a muddle of predictable characters, such as hunky boyfriend Sam, adorable son Davey and a precocious waif called Jane who knows too much for her own good. A fiery close call for Melanie leads to a disappointingly tidy wrap-up in Aunt Peg's kitchen, as the police, having been beaten to the punch by Melanie, eat cookies. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

Melanie Travis, dog trainer and amateur sleuth, has a day job as tutor for children with problems in a tony Connecticut private school. When a murder occurs, the school's polished image is threatened by the crime as well as by allegations of drug-dealing. With this sixth Melanie Travis mystery, Berenson becomes top dog in the pack of mysteries featuring canines. Berenson's characters--both human and animal--have recognizable and enjoyable traits yet continue to grow and develop. Even readers indifferent to dogs will be challenged by the book's mystery and unsettled by the sad timeliness of its theme. The novel suggests Stephen Dobyns' Boy in the Water [BKL Ap15 99], except Howard Academy and its teachers are less depressing and menacing than those in Dobyns' thriller. Recommend this to readers of both mysteries featuring dogs and those set in New England. --John Rowen

Kirkus Book Review

It's back to school for Melanie Travis and her Standard Poodle Faith, as Melanie (Watchdog, 1998, etc.) signs on as Howard Academy's new drama coach just in time to rub cantankerous caretaker Eugene Krebbs the wrong way before he's rubbed out for real. She then goes to the head of the class'way ahead of a mysterious young Jane Doe and Melanie's unhappy sweetie Sam Driver'when she and her Aunt Peg nail his killer. (Author tour)

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