Reading: GAME OF DOG BONES - Laurien Berenson

Twenty-five books in, Laurien Berenson's Melanie Travis Canine Mysteries series remains as fresh as if this were book one, as Melanie's Aunt Peg - poodle breeder and all-around dog expert (though she sometimes comes off as an expert on pretty much anything) - is presented with the opportunity to act as a judge at no less than the Westminster Dog Show in New York City. Also in attendance, unfortunately, is Victor Durbin - possibly the most disliked poodle breeder on the entire east coast, and a longtime nemesis of Aunt Peg's who started his own club for poodle owners/breeders after being thrown out of the group he and Peg were in, due to questionable ethics. A con man, womanizer, and businessman with zero scruples or morals, it's almost no surprise when Victor shows up stabbed to death in a men's room at Madison Square Garden ... and when Aunt Peg virtually tops the list of suspects, it's up to Melanie to clear her name and find a killer not many people are all that anxious to find, Victor being such a scuzzball. Berenson opens this one with a great amount of info on Westminster, the epitome of dog shows, and how that show and the judging is done, but it never feels like an info dump as the facts are incorporated into the story in a way that's not just informative but will immediately draw in any dog lover. As always, once Melanie starts poking around readers are treated to a variety of potential suspects as Victor is proven to be an even more odious person than even Melanie at first thought, making her job as sleuth that much harder. It's a well-plotted, tightly-written, with Melanie and her family and friends coming fully to life on the page - but what blew this jaded reader away this time, more than anything, was the finale. Not only does the final confrontation play out perfectly on the page, full of suspense, wholly believable and without one word wasted, but the mystery's resolution comes with a surprising level of pathos and depth not usually associated with what we've come to think of as the "lighthearted" cozy. And boy, does it work well as a solution, delivering a true punch at the end. That said, this highly entertaining mystery also comes with its share of humor, light moments, and dogs - many dogs naturally - but the addition of the more complex solution, as well as a subplot involving a gay male couple (good friends of Melanie's and her family) and their upcoming wedding, truly gives Game of Dog Bones an unexpected level of resonance not often found in this genre.  4.5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.