Murderโs on the ticket when intrepid poodle breeder Melanie Travis travels to Maryland for a world-famous dog show where the competition isnโt the only thing thatโs cutthroat....
There are dog shows. And then thereโs the PCA: The Poodle Club of America National Specialty Dog Show. For poodle purists, itโs the pinnacle of the show season, drawing thousands of competitors and spectators from all over the world. And though she has her own Standard poodle puppy, Eve, to show, Melanie gets leashed into helping out on the raffle committee by her formidable aunt. Selling tickets and sprucing Eve up for competition wonโt leave much time for Melanie to spend with her almost-fiancรฉ Sam on their first trip together without their usual chaperone, Melanieโs seven-year-old son, Davey.
Once in Maryland, Melanie is put to work selling raffle tickets by the co-chairs of the raffle committee, Betty Jean and Edith Jean Boone. Sixty-ish steel magnolias from the South, the reclusive sisters make few appearances. But this year, they have a silver Toy puppy that has already caused quite a buzz on the show circuit.
Even though the poodles remain well behaved, itโs their owners and handlers who start acting up. And then murder takes center stage. Betty Jean is found dead at the host hotel. But this is the PCA -- and the show must go on. As Edith Jean staunchly resumes her raffle duties, Melanie instinctively starts searching for clues, and comes up with a compelling cast of suspects: a rival owner whose bite may be just as bad as his bark, a handler with a nasty reputation, and a possibly fraudulent pet psychic.
With all the attention riveted on the ring, someone out in the crowd is about to get away with murder. Scraps of conversations and suspicious goings-on have Melanie looking for a suspectโand getting ever closer to the killer. Soon sheโs shocked to discover that in the dog-eat- dog world of showing, a life can be as easily lost as a blue ribbon. And unlike cats, dogs -- and their owners -- have only one to risk....
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