Raining Cats and Dogs
Laurien Berenson
Kensington, Sept 2005, $22.00, 266 pp.
ISBN 0758208138

For a woman who likes order and routine, Melanie Travis' life has dissolved into chaos ever since she married Sam because he moved into her home so that her son wouldn't have to change schools and neighborhoods. Unfortunately her six room house was not big enough to hold two adults, one active boy, and five standard poodles. While they are looking for a bigger house, Melanie escapes one night a week to the South Avenue Obedience Club with her dog Faith.

The club members bring their dogs to the Winston Pumpernill Nursing Home in Greenwich so the residents can play with the canines. One of the members of the club Paul Livingston has his great-aunt living there and he loves her dearly. Melanie can understand why when she meets her but that initial introduction is their last meeting because someone murdered her while the canine club was there. The leader of the club challenges Melanie to find the murderer knowing that she solved other homicides so once again she takes up the mantle of a sleuth.

Laurien Berenson can always be counted on to write a thoroughly enjoyable who-done-it. RAINING CATS AND DOGS is more humorous than some of the other books in the series as Melanie tries to deal with too many people and dogs in a small house, a new sexy neighbour whose husband is always on the road, and looking for a house that will meet everyone needs especially her canine caper crew while trying to find a murderer. The characters in this series continue to change and evolve making it impossible for fans to grow bored.

Harriet Klausner