Hair of the Dog

For her fourth adventure, Connecticut poodle owner Melanie Travis returns to the Dog Eat Dog (1996) world of high-tech grooming and showing. With her five-year-old son, Davey, Melanie attends her Aunt Peg's Fourth of July barbecue where she learns of the scandal surrounding Alicia Devane, who has left her husband for a generally disliked dog handler named Barry Turk. The next night, following a win at a popular poodle show, Barry is shot to death at his home. Melanie jumps at the chance to investigate when Alicia asks her to see if she can identify the killer. The case is complicated by Alicia's announcement that she is pregnant and the discovery that Barry had recently written a will, leaving everything to her. Talking to owners and handlers at successive dog shows, Melanie builds a picture of Barry as a self-satisfied, occasionally charismatic man with many enemies and few friends. Then Alicia declares that neither her dead lover nor her husband is the father of her child. A second murder of a dog-world figure close to Alicia moves Melanie to step up her investigation behind the dog-show scenes. Abundant with dog lore, this lighthearted adventure will charm dog fanciers and cozy fans. Mystery Guild alternate. (Oct.)