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 and an indie bookstore.

Emily Grace runs Graceland School’s summer camp. This year, Davey, now fifteen, is a counselor and Kevin, age five, a camper. Emily is more than careful with her charges so Melanie isn’t worried—until weird things happen, like a truck rolling downhill by itself, a kitchen fire in a stove that’s never used, and more.

Emily’s ex-husband dropped by, unannounced of course, and dropped off three Dalmatian puppies. Untrained. Emily is not a dog person like Melanie is. After all, Melanie has a whole herd of standard Poodles at her house—and Bud, a mixed breed eating machine.

When Emily’s ex is found dead in the state forest behind the school, the neighbors who are annoyed at the sound of children playing and laughing, are quick to point the finger at Emily as the killer. They hope the school will have to close, and they can go back to their quiet beige lives in their look-alike subdivision houses.

Melanie thinks Emily is being set up and sets out to prove it, as always, with the help of Aunt Peg. It seems Emily’s ex is the kind of guy who’s always on the lookout for a fast dollar and his deals don’t have to be legal. Has his past caught up with him or has a current deal turned murderous? Melanie would have said Emily wasn’t capable of murder but with the lies Emily’s telling, who can be sure?

With a new litter of Poodles on the way, Melanie’s life won’t lack for excitement in the next book. How she remains calm in the midst of everyday chaos, Bud’s escapades, and Aunt Peg’s volunteering her, plus dog shows, is as much a mystery as the murder itself. To follow the series from when Davey was Kevin’s age, start at the beginning. Intrigued by this storyline? Jump right in and catch up later. This is a series I always look forward to—dogs and crime, what more could a reader ask for?

To enter to win a copy of Pup Fiction, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “pup,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen August 21, 2021. 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.

You can use this link to purchase this book from indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy, and KRL gets a portion of the sale:

Pup Fiction (A Melanie Travis Mystery #27)

You can use this link to purchase these book from Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

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.