Author Information
Laurien Berenson's Latest Book

Newest Release

  • Bibliography:
    43 Books (2 Series)
  • First Book:
    September 1985
  • Latest Book:
    August 2024
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About the Author

Laurien started writing romance novels on 1983 as Laurien Blair, she continued signing romances as Laurien Berenson, and now, she writes mystery novels. She’s most noted for her Melanie Travis series of murder mysteries based on school teacher Melanie Travis who owns and shows full size pedigree Standard Poodles. She is a winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, four time winner of the Maxwell Award, presented by the Dog Writers Association of America and an Agatha and Macavity Nominee.

Laurien and her husband live on a farm in Kentucky surrounded by her beloved dogs and horses.

Full Series List in Order

Melanie Travis Mysteries

1 - A Pedigree to Die For (1995)
2 - Underdog (Feb-1996)
3 - Dog Eat Dog (1996)
4 - Hair of the Dog (Nov-1997)
5 - Watchdog (Nov-1998)
6 - Hush Puppy (Oct-1999)
7 - Unleashed (Sep-2000)
8 - Once Bitten (Sep-2001)
9 - Hot Dog (Sep-2002)
10 - Best in Show (Sep-2003)
11 - Jingle Bell Bark (Aug-2004)
12 - Raining Cats and Dogs (Sep-2005)
13 - Chow Down (Sep-2006)
14 - Hounded To Death (Sep-2007)
15 - Doggie Day Care Murder (Sep-2008)
16 - Gone with the Woof (Sep-2013)
17 - Death of a Dog Whisperer (Sep-2014)
18 - The Bark Before Christmas (Oct-2015)
18.5 - A Christmas Howl (Oct-2015)
19 - Live and Let Growl (Aug-2016)
20 - Murder at the Puppy Fest (Jul-2017)
21 - Wagging Through the Snow (Oct-2017)
22 - Ruff Justice (Jul-2018)
23 - Bite Club (Jun-2019)
24 - Here Comes Santa Paws (Sep-2019)
25 - Game of Dog Bones (Jul-2020)
26 - Howloween Murder (Aug-2020)
27 - Pup Fiction (Jul-2021)
28 - Show Me the Bunny (Jan-2022)
29 - Killer Cupid (Jan-2023)
30 - A Furry Little Christmas (Sep-2023)
31 - Pumpkin Spice Puppy (Aug-2024)

A Senior Sleuths Mystery

1 - Peg and Rose Solve a Murder (Sep-2022)
2 - Peg and Rose Stir Up Trouble (Jul-2023)
3 - Peg and Rose Play the Ponies (Jun-2024)

Book List in Order: 43 titles



  • By day she was the brash and playful Emerald the Clown, entertaining at parties and charming the San Francisco tourists. But underneath the white makeup and floppy costume, Gem McAllister was a woman who delighted in shattering expectations, especia...




  • Dani Hawthorne wasn't sure what game she was playing Rick Malone changed the rules so often Dani didn't know if she was winning or losing. But Dani loved a challenge, and she tried her best to keep up with Rick, the brash newcomer to exclusive Wes...



  • He was the Rolls-Royce of heroes When Sam Donahue opened his luxury car showroom next to Lucky Panderholden's used car lot, Lucky knew she was in trouble. His slick European autos made her Late Model Lovelies look shabby by comparison. So Lucky ha...



  • He was in the doghouse! As far as Kelly Ransome was concerned, she and Eric Devane had only one thing in common -- a very large, very playful Rottweiler puppy. Kelly had been hired by Eric to train his pooch, but she was beginning to think Er...



  • The art of the deal THE PROPOSITION: Business tycoon Benjamin West knew a food deal when he saw one. Cabbie Kate Hallaby was smart sexy and sassy. To get her into his life, he offered her a job as his driver. THE NEGOTIATIONS: Kate couldn't tur...



  • Every Mother's Worst Nightmare The day her daughter Amanda is born, Jesse Archer's dream comes true. But four months later, when her precious baby is snatched from her crib in the middle of the night by an intruder, Jessie's dreams turns into a migh...



  • While investigating the mysterious death of her neighbor, whose murder could be the result of her abusive husband, Gwen Harding, a former New York City reporter, realizes that her own life is threatened, as well as that of her young son. Original....



    • / Amateur Sleuth
    • Buy Buy

    Win, Place...Or Die. The apparent heart attack that killed kennel owner Max Turnbull has left seven pups in mourning, and his wife Peg suspecting foul play. But the only evidence is their missing prize pooch--a pedigreed poodle named Beau. Enter ...






    • / Amateur Sleuth
    • Buy Buy

    Welcome to the elite Connecticut Kennel Club, where shocking secrets gnaw at the best of the breed and competition has a sharp--and deadly--bite. As if raising her son Davey, training her rambunctious poodle Faith for the show ring, and grooming ...



  • BEING AN UNDERDOG CAN BE MURDER. Amateur sleuth, single mother, and pedigreed poodle owner Melanie Travis returns to Connecticut's elite canine circles -- and unmasks a murderer lurking among the handlers and their prize-winning pets... When M...



  • The dog days of summer have just begun, and Melanie Travis is looking forward to savoring each lazy afternoon. And where better to enjoy herself than at her Aunt Peg's Fourth of July barbecue? It sounds ideal, until an uninvited guest proves that eve...



  • It's autumn in Connecticut. Melanie Travis has just started a new job, and with the added excitement of showing her standard poodle, Faith, in the fall shows, the last thing she wants is to become embroiled in yet another of her brother Frank's money...



  • Melanie Travis loves her teaching job at Connecticut's elite Howard Academy, where plans are underway for a Spring Pageant to honor the school's fiftieth anniversary. Immersed in the preparations, Melanie is hurrying to retrieve a painting of one of ...



  • Summer means two things to Melanie Travis: a break from her teaching duties at Connecticut's elite Howard Academy and a chance to plan the perfect wedding to her fiance, Sam. She certainly doesn't need the unwelcome arrival of a dinner invitation "pe...



  • With her former fiance off finding himself, Melanie Travis figures the only ring she'll be seeing in the near future is one where she's showing her prized poodles. But love is still in the air for her brother Frank, who is about to tie the knot with ...



  • In an effort to escape tail-chasing males--namely her ex-husband Bob and boyfriend Sam--Melanie Travis opts to track down the elusive owner of an adorable Dachshund puppy that's about to be put on the block at a charity auction. She, her son Davey, a...



  • Murder's on the ticket when intrepid poodle breeder Melanie Travis travels to Maryland for a world-famous dog show where the competition isn't the only thing that's cutthroat... There are dog shows. And then there's The Poodle Club of America Nati...



  • It's Christmas again, and Melanie Travis barely has time to pencil in some holiday festivities. Especially once she finds herself making a list of murder suspects--and checking it twice... This year, all Melanie wants for Christmas is a dull momen...






  • Melanie Travis has her hands full these days, what with adding a husband and three more dogs to her already cramped home. The advanced obedience training for her dog Faith is a welcome respite from the stresses of house hunting--until murder forces M...



  • If Melanie Travis was planning on a quiet family summer with her Standard Poodle Faith, son Davey, and new husband Sam, her plans are about to turn upside down. An unexpected competition, a trip to New York, and--oh yes, a murder--later, Melanie find...



  • As the dog days of summer turn to the playful nip of autumn's chill, Melanie Travis is ready for a little relaxation. Her Aunt Peg has the perfect solution--a five-day symposium for dog show judges in Pennsylvania's idyllic Pocono Mountains. While Pe...



  • Melanie Travis thought her sleuthing days were behind her. She has a new baby to take care of -- not to mention five Standard Poodles. These days, the closest Melanie gets to detective work is scoping out the scene at the local doggie day center for ...



  • After a short break from crime solving, stay-at-home mom Melanie Travis has not become boring -- no matter what her alarmingly opinionated Aunt Peg says. She still has a nose for sniffing up a good mystery, especially when it involves the life of a l...



  • Between her boisterous sons and a house full of Poodles, there's never a dull moment for Melanie Travis. But no matter how hectic life gets, she can always pick up the scent of a howling good mystery--and she'll stop at nothing to dig up the truth. ....



  • Melanie Travis has her hands full with her two young sons, a part-time job, and a half dozen Poodles to her name. But even with the busy holiday season approaching, she still has time to sniff out a Christmastime killer… There’s nothing loveli...



  • A special novella that looks back on Christmas past, as a young Melanie Travis teams up with her aunt to solve a family mystery…Ever wonder what Melanie and Aunt Peg were up to before solving murders? Let’s step back in time, when college-aged Me...



  • When her Aunt Peg lands a gig as judge at a Kentucky dog show, Melanie Travis welcomes the opportunity for a road trip. Too bad a killer has planned a deadly detour . . . For a dog lover like Melanie, the opportunity to attend the Kentuckiana Dog ...



  • Frolicking with dogs is Melanie Travis’s idea of heaven. So when she’s invited to be a “puppy wrangler” at a benefit for a local dog rescue, the last thing she expects is to be chasing after a tricky killer... As a busy mom and pedigree Po...






  • Melanie Travis needs a little peace from her busy life this Christmas. But the usual holiday hubbub is a joy compared to the killer surprise she finds tucked underneath the tree... With a demanding teaching job at Connecticut’s elite Howard Aca...



  • As owner of prize-winning Poodles, Melanie Travis knows how to handle fierce competition. But when a conformation show turns deadly, it’ll take every trick in the book to outsmart a murderer who refuses to lose... With the excitement of the spr...



  • Melanie Travis’s new book club caters to readers craving fiction -- with bite! But when a real-life murder case bares its fangs, she’ll need to swap dog-eared novels for a lengthy suspect list . . . Thanks to Aunt Peg and her enthusiastic ped...




  • Standard Poodle owner Melanie Travis is an excellent judge of dogs -- and people. But what happens when an unnamed killer emerges at one of the fiercest all-breed competitions ever? As Greenwich, Connecticut, slows down during a bitterly cold Feb...



  • As the town of Greenwich, Connecticut, counts down to a spooky celebration on October 31st, a horrifying murder leaves Melanie Travis pawing for clues in a hair-raising game of trick-or-treat . . . With just a few days left before Halloween, ever...



  • Agatha and Macavity nominee Laurien Berenson’s latest escapade in her long-running Melanie Travis Canine Mystery series finds a killer showing up in summer camp. With a new litter of Standard Poodles on the way, it’s shaping up to be a vibrant Ju...



  • Melanie Travis is gifted at raising prize-winning Standard Poodles, not standing in as the Easter Bunny. But when March in Connecticut brings daffodils and dead bodies, she’ll need to hop into action -- and fast . . . Aunt Rose already has a st...



  • Murder, She Wrote meets The Golden Girls in the award-winning author’s brand-new series! Two cantankerous septuagenarians, opposites in every way, put aside their differences to stop a killer… if they don’t throttle each other first!   Ros...



  • Melanie Travis is taking a much-needed break from the dog show circuit for a romantic Valentine’s trip with her husband Sam, but when someone at their cozy Berkshires inn has an unexpected date with death, Melanie must slip into something sleuthier...






  • Murder, She Wrote meets The Odd Couple in award-winning author Laurien Berenson’s brand-new mystery series, spun off from her much-loved Melanie Travis Canine series and featuring Melanie’s elderly aunts -- tough-as-nails Peg and soft-spoken Rose...



  • Just in time for the holidays -- and the perfect stocking stuffer for the mystery lover in your life -- two Melanie Travis mysteries, WAGGING THROUGH THE SNOW and HERE COMES SANTA PAWS, are collected in one trade paperback volume! It will a...



  • Murder, She Wrote meets The Odd Couple in award-winning author Laurien Berenson’s brand-new mystery series, spun off from her much-loved Melanie Travis Canine series and featuring Melanie’s elderly aunts -- tough-as-nails Peg and soft-spoken Rose...



  • Melanie Travis and her pedigree poodles are back on the case in an adorably giftable, fall time-themed hardcover by award-winning author Laurien Berenson!It’s autumn in Connecticut and there’s a chill in the air, the fall leaves are a rio...


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Laurien Berenson has published 43 books.

The next book by Laurien Berenson, Pumpkin Spice Puppy, will be published in August 2024.

The first book by Laurien Berenson, Come As You Are, was published in September 1985.

Yes. Laurien Berenson has 2 series.