by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

You’d think volunteering to dye three dozen Easter eggs would be a simple task. It would be for most people. However, Melanie was volunteered for the job by her Aunt Peg, the woman no one argues with, ever. The second complication was that the favor was for Melanie’s seldom seen Aunt Rose who does not get along with Aunt Peg.

Rose spent three decades as a nun before falling in love with a priest. Both left the church, but the calling to help those in need remains. They’ve started a shelter for abused women in a house that belongs to Beatrice Gallagher, a wealthy woman. Beatrice calls Rose and says there’s something they need to talk about—and Rose is anxious to tell what’s been done so far. Unfortunately, it’s a police detective who shows up in Beatrice’s stead. It seems Beatrice fell on the stairs in her home and died. Was it an accident? He thinks not.

Rose, determined as Peg always is although she’d never admit it, wants Melanie’s help to find the real killer. Beatrice’s son has already dropped the dime on Rose by telling the police she had a motive—Beatrice had second thoughts about the shelter.

There are other suspects, of course. Both of Beatrice’s adult children, Charlie and Cherise are spoiled. Charlie is especially aggressive. Beatrice’s best friend is a competitive woman who didn’t like being second best. Morty, Beatrice’s boyfriend, says he broke up with her, but that’s not the story Melanie heard. Cherise’s fiancé tells a different story about their breakup as well.

Can Melanie find the truth before the Easter Bunny hops?

As regular readers know, Melanie has six black Standard Poodles, the adults all finished champions. Then there’s Bud. He’s a spotted dog found alongside the road. He’s as full of mischief as a court jester. Aunt Peg makes several appearances but isn’t as involved as usual because of Rose. Berenson always features a different dog breed in each book and this time it’s an Italian Greyhound.

This is book twenty-nine in the series, many reviewed here. It’s an enjoyable journey to travel along with Melanie from the start of her love affair with dogs, Poodles in particular, to now. It’s one of my favorite series.

Fans of Aunt Peg will be excited to know, she and Rose are getting their own book. At the back of this one, read the first two chapters of their tale. Rose wants to join a bridge club and against all odds, wants Peg to be her partner. You just know this will not end well for someone.

To enter to win a copy of Show Me the Bunny, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “bunny,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen April 16, 2022. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. BE AWARE THAT IT WILL TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN USUAL FOR WINNERS TO GET THEIR BOOKS DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. A new episode went up this week.

You can use this link to purchase the book. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the Amazon link. You can also click here to purchase the book.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s editor for Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s, with twenty-two cozy stories. She also edited A Murder of Crows, twenty-one stories featuring animals and crime (no animals were harmed). She also writes for magazines, newsletters, and the occasional guest blog. Both anthologies are available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.