Pumpkin Spice Puppy! How could any aficionado of cozy mysteries resist this cover and title? From the Crew’s perspective, we couldn’t. What an exciting cozy mystery for our September genre of cozy mysteries. One that is spiced with fall colors, pumpkins, and a downright, undeniable, adorable puppy. We want one. And that’s just the beginning. Author Laurien Berenson pulls the reader into an intriguing murder whodunnit with a long list of suspects.
About the Crew’s Bolo:
Pumpkin Spice Puppy
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Author: Laurien Berenson
Genre: Cozy, Mystery
It’s autumn in Connecticut and there’s a chill in the air, the fall leaves are a riot of color, and pumpkin spice is the flavor of the season. Melanie Travis is perennially busy, of course—but when the owner of a local pet supply shop is found murdered, sleuthing tops her To Do list
Between taking care of her family and assorted Standard Poodles, Melanie is also working as a special needs tutor for Howard Academy, a private school in Greenwich, where her younger son attends kindergarten. This year, the headmaster has come up with an idea for a school fundraiser. All students will participate in a town-wide treasure hunt, with grades competing against each other.
Tokens shaped like pumpkin spice muffins have been hidden in downtown stores. Students will scramble to collect as many as they can in exchange for prizes. At first all goes smoothly, and the uptick in foot traffic to the stores is a win-win. . . .Until the pet supply shop owner lodges a complaint. When Melanie stops by to smooth things over, she instead finds the man dead, a knife in his back, and his loyal, ever-vigilant Chow Chow locked in the storeroom.
Over the headmaster’s objections, Melanie is once again drawn into an investigation. It doesn’t take her long to gather a list of suspects, from neighbors balking about the number of rescue Chows the man was fostering in his home, to the landlord who’d filed an eviction notice against him, to the bitter ex-wife who is happy he’s gone. With the fundraiser soon drawing to a close and celebrations imminent, Melanie will have to follow every clue—before the biggest prize is staying alive . . .
On Goodreads, Amazon, and Bookbub.
Readers Opinions
Laurien Berenson’s Pumpkin Spice Puppy is a delightful cozy mystery that blends charm with intrigue. The characters are endearing, the plot is engaging, and the autumn setting adds a cozy touch.
Pumpkin Spice Puppy is a fun fall whodunit with treasure hunt troubles, a Chow called Cider, pumpkin spice cookies, falling leaves, dog show season, and a happily hectic home.
The stories are well written, the mysteries well thought out with enough hiring to keep you guessing and going in a few different directions before finally figuring out whodunit. This is truly a gentle cozy, so it’s a great one to share with older family members as well as younger family members who are interested in reading a cozy mystery along with you.
About the Author
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.
Connect with Laurien at her website: https://www.laurienberenson.com/
Or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurienBerenson/
