Melanie Travis and her pedigree poodles are back on the case in an adorably giftable, Easter-themed hardcover by award-winning author Laurien Berenson!

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 strike against her for not being too fond of dogs—or Aunt Peg. But Melanie still agrees to organize Easter festivities at Gallagher House, the new women’s shelter opened by the stern former nun, even if it takes all the jellybeans in Greenwich to sweeten the arrangement. No sooner does Melanie arrive to dye multicolor eggs and stuff baskets, than she learns devastating news about Beatrice Gallagher, the respected benefactor of the estate. Beatrice has fallen to her death, and the circumstances are shocking.

No one can say why or how charitable Beatrice got pushed into an early grave. Yet for a supposedly warm and generous philanthropist, rumors have her pinned as an overbearing manipulator who used money to control the unfortunate few trapped in her inner circle. Facing an uncertain future as danger lurks around Gallagher House, Melanie and Aunt Rose must tolerate each other’s company long enough to discover the truth about Beatrice’s true nature and identify a vengeful killer—before another person’s idyllic spring break becomes a serious nightmare… ( )

Melanie is tapped to help out her Aunt Rose with an Easter egg hunt for children staying with their mothers at the new women’s shelter that’s Rose is running. While Melanie is running interference between her two aunts, the shelter’s benefactor dies a suspicious death. And now, the future of this shelter is threatened. Aunt Peg gives Melanie advice, as does Aunt Peg, but it takes Melanie quite a while to pry out any answers. This cozy is a quick read, and while the poodles add a light-hearted touch to the story, a darker, deeper issue finally surfaces. Well written, readers will enjoy this Easter tale. ( )

Melanie Travis is looking forward to spring break, where she can enjoy her family: her youngest son, Kevin, is waiting for the Easter bunny, and her husband Sam is training his Standard Poodle pup Plum for her first time in the show ring. She thinks everything is going well -- at least until her Aunt Peg arrives and tells her she needs to call her Aunt Rose.

It seems Aunt Rose, who is an ex-nun, and her husband Peter, an ex-priest, have returned from a sojourn in Honduras and have now taken residence in Gallagher House, a women's shelter that has recently opened. Rose, who isn't fond of dogs in the least, and hasn't warmed up to Melanie ever, needs Melanie to organize an Easter egg hunt for the three children in the home. Melanie, ever soft of heart herself, agrees to the task. But no sooner does that occur when she discovers that the home's benefactor, Beatrice Gallagher, has died from a fall in her own home.

It's a tangled web indeed. Gallagher House is the former home of Beatrice, and the children -- Charlie and Charise, want it back. Then there's the little case of Rose being a suspect -- which Melanie refuses to believe -- and it tumbles from there. When Rose asks for her help, Melanie can't refuse. But where does one start when one has no clue? And who would want the woman dead? Finding a killer might not be what Melanie planned to do on her break, but it's what she's doing -- and she needs to figure it out before the last egg is dyed, or Rose won't have a home to go to...

In this latest installment of the series, Melanie has her hands full with planning Easter egg hunts for both her own children and the children of battered women. It's keeping her busier than she expected, but Melanie has never backed down from someone wanting help.

Since I came late to the series, I've never met (nor heard of) Rose; and since Rose is Aunt Peg's sister-in-law, the sister of Rose's late husband Max, then it must be that Peg is an aunt by marriage. This I never knew. Otherwise, Rose wouldn't be Melanie's aunt at all. It confused me for only a moment, but it makes some things clearer. I do like Rose's no-nonsense attitude, but it would be nice to see her soften toward Melanie. The woman already has to deal with sensible Aunt Peg; she should get affection from one of them, at least!

But the story line was very good, and written very well. Melanie does what she does best; asking questions and putting clues together. Even if the local detective doesn't listen to what she says, (or already has the information), she plunges forward, vowing to find the truth of the matter. I like the fact that she doesn't run willy-nilly into a bad situation, and can think on her feet. It makes her likable indeed. I also enjoy the fact that she has a happy home life, with a loving husband who understands her and two growing boys who adore her. It makes it all pleasant reading.

When the murderer is revealed, it's a sad situation all around. Things come to a head in the most surprising way, and it all wraps up nicely. The book was easy to read, a nice cozy for a cold evening with a cup of tea or cocoa. Recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review. ( )

Show Me the Bunny by Laurien Berenson has Melanie Travis steamrolled by her Aunt Rose into giving up her spring break to organize an Easter egg hunt for the children at the Gallagher House. Aunt Rose and her husband, Peter run Gallagher House which is a home for abused woman. They named the house after their patroness Beatrice Gallagher. Melanie is at Gallagher House the next day waiting to meet Beatrice. Instead of Beatrice, Detective Sturgill arrives. Beatrice was found dead in her home that morning from a fall. Detective Sturgill shares few details with Melanie, but she can tell that he believes the death was under suspicious circumstances. It appears that Rose is at the top of the suspect list thanks to the victim’s callous son. He gives Rose and Peter a month to move out of Gallagher House. Melanie needs to hop to it and learn all she can about the victim. She needs to keep degging for the wrong doer before Rose becomes the next fatality. Can Melanie get on the killer’s trail and lure him out before the Easter egg hunt? Show Me the Bunny by Laurien Berenson is the 28th A Melanie Travis Canine Mystery. While it can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading this entire series. It will allow you to get to know the people and their canines. I love visiting Melanie and her family. I am guaranteed to have a good time when I open one of Laurien Berenson’s books. The characters are realistic and developed. Melanie has a caring, patient husband and two great kids. Little Kevin is a precocious six-year-old. Melanie has had Aunt Peg to run roughshod over her for years and now Aunt Rose has moved nearby. It was so kind of Aunt Peg to volunteer Melanie to help with the Easter celebration at Gallagher House (instead of letting her have a relaxing spring break). The mystery was fun to follow. I admit that I was able to solve the whodunit early in the book, but I was not sure as to the why until later on. I enjoyed the investigation and Melanie’s interactions with Detective Sturgill. I laughed often while reading Show Me the Bunny. I just love the dogs and I enjoyed meeting the newest addition, Plum. You can count on Bud to create chaos as well as Kevin. I just love the interactions between Melanie and her favorite Standard Poodle, Faith. I am eager to read Peg and Rose Solve a Murder. Show Me the Bunny is an eggcelent tale with the rigid Aunt Rose, playful poodles, erecting a tree house, colorful egg creations, a fatal fall, a disobliging detective, and a curious Kevin. ( )

family, family-dynamics, charity, amateur-sleuth, friction, cozy-mystery, verbal-humor, situational-humor, Connecticut*****

If you love dog shows and breed specific (standard poodles in this case) cozies, you'll love this one! I've enjoyed others in the series and will testify that the series is proof that, unlike TV, each one just keeps getting better!
The publisher's blurb is a good hook and no need for recap or spoilers, so get something to hydrate and enjoy the read. I did!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )