This is book 25 in the Melanie Travis series

Melanie helps find a killer.

Killer was easy to spot early on.

Melanie Travis
1. A Pedigree to Die For (1995)
2. Underdog (1996)
3. Dog Eat Dog (1996)
4. Hair of the Dog (1997)
5. Watchdog (1998)
6. Hush Puppy (1999)
7. Unleashed (2000)
8. Once Bitten (2001)
9. Hot Dog (2002)
10. Best in Show (2003)
11. Jingle Bell Bark (2004)
12. Raining Cats and Dogs (2005)
13. Chow Down (2006)
14. Hounded To Death (2007)
15. Doggie Day Care Murder (2008)
16. Gone With the Woof (2013)
17. Death of a Dog Whisperer (2014)
18. The Bark Before Christmas (2015)
19. Live and Let Growl (2016)
20. Murder at the Puppy Fest (2017)
21. Wagging through the Snow (2017)
22. Ruff Justice (2018)
23. Bite Club (2019)
24. Here Comes Santa Paws (2019)
25. Game of Dog Bones (2020)
26. Howloween Murder (2020)
27. Pup Fiction (2021)
28. Show Me the Bunny (2022)
29. Killer Cupid (2022)
30. Pumpkin Spice Puppy (2024)

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Game of Dog Bones by Laurien Berenson is the 25th A Melanie Travis Mystery. I have enjoyed following Melanie Travis as she has solved mysteries since A Pedigree to Die For. Melanie has a happy home life with her husband, Sam and her two children, Davey and Kevin. Their household also has five poodles and one mixed breed who wreaks more havoc than all the poodles combined. I just love Faith, Melanie's favorite poodle. It is delightful the way Melanie talks to Faith and how the poodle responds. This series contains great characters from Melanie down to little Kevin. I like that the characters continue to develop as the series progresses. Melanie received some advice from her sister-in-law, Bertie and I hope she acts upon it. In Melanie's household, things are never dull which provides readers with laugh-out-louds moments. We get to visit the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in Game of Dog Bones. I had no clue so much went into dogs shows. All the work that goes into preparing a poodle for the ring is fascinating. Laurien Berenson explains the judging in an easy to understand manner which I appreciate. Laurien Berenson has a lovely writing style that makes each book a joy to read. Her books have a smooth flow, good dialogue, relatable and well-rounded characters, and descriptive sentences that makes the reader feel they are right there in the book. The mystery was thought it with a just the right number of suspects and misdirection. The clues were present, but not obvious. The way the crime was carried out was clever. I liked the reveal which included some unexpected action. Crawford and Terry get married on Valentine's Day. Terry (who is sporting purple hair) is planning the nuptials. I was surprised that Crawford left it up to the flamboyant Terry. I love how the book ended. Game of Dog Bones can be read as a standalone for those new to A Melanie Travis Mystery series. I am looking forward to reading Howloween when it comes out. Game of Dogs Bones is an entertaining cozy mystery with precious poodles, a wonderful wedding, dog club drama, a vile victim, a clever crime, and an autocratic aunt.

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