"If you like dogs, you'll love Laurien Berenson's Melanie Travis mysteries!" --Joanne Fluke, New York Times bestselling author 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 Show Cluster is not to be missed. Fortunately, the timing coincides with her spring break from teaching, so she heads for central Kentucky with her sister-in-law Bertie and Aunt Peg, who's accepted a week-long judging assignment. Once there, Aunt Peg reconnects with an old friend, Ellie Gates Wanamaker, a former Standard Poodle exhibitor and a member of a well-heeled Kentucky family. Miss Ellie has been out of the dog show world for more than a decade, but when Melanie invites her to spectate at the Louisville Kennel Club dog show, she's eager to accompany her. Miss Ellie's presence at the expo center, however, provokes mixed reactions from exhibitors she hasn't seen in years, including some outright animosity. The following day Melanie learns that Miss Ellie has suffered a fatal accident while exercising her dogs. Aunt Peg, however, suspects foul play. Wishing to avoid any scandal, Miss Ellie's pedigreed family prefers to let sleeping dogs lie, but as Melanie begins to sniff around, she discovers Miss Ellie had many secrets, both in the dog show world and amongst her Kentucky kin . . . Praise For Death Of A Dog Whisperer "Melanie's engaging narration, with its slightly sarcastic flair, makes her utterly relatable. Fans will roll over with joy, and new cozy readers will likely scoop up the rest of the series." -- Publishers Weekly "Berenson cleverly weaves in interesting details about different breeds and showmanship. Fans of Miranda James' Cat in the Stacks series may also enjoy Berenson." -- Booklist Praise For Gone With The Woof "Berenson, who has a nose for balancing fun and fright, devises another story that will appeal to dog aficionados and cozy lovers alike." -- Kirkus Reviews "A wonderful novel. Even better if you read it with a dog on your lap." -- Suspense Magazine Laurien Berenson is an Agatha and Macavity nominee, winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award, and four-time winner of the Maxwell Award, presented by the Dog Writers Association of America. She and her husband live on a farm in Kentucky surrounded by dogs and horses. Readers can visit her website at: www.LaurienBerenson.com. Live and Let Growl By Laurien Berenson KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP. Copyright © 2016 Laurien Berenson All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4967-0338-5 CHAPTER 1 I was moving fast. The ground below me was little more than a blur. Scenery flew by with astonishing speed. I was running.... No, not running ... riding. I was on the back of a horse. I could feel the smooth motion of the muscular body beneath me. I could hear the creak of the leather saddle, and the steady, rhythmic sound of hoofbeats striking the turf. Their pounding cadence pulsed through me. It drew me in and made me one with the motion. It propelled me onward, as if this heady race was the only thing in the world that mattered. Where was I? I wondered. What was happening? Was I racing toward something — or was I running away? I had no answers. All I knew was that I could feel the sharp bite of the wind on my face and a sensation of freedom humming deep inside my bones. The feeling was heavenly. It was addictive. One thing I was sure of — I wanted more. All at once a pale mist rose on the path ahead of us. Its silvery tendrils lifted and swirled, obscuring all view of what was to come. I found myself leaning forward in the saddle. I gazed in vain between the tips of two dark, pointed ears. I could see nothing. The vista before me was still blank ... and suddenly forbidding. In the space of a second, the breakneck speed at which we were traveling lost its appeal. Frantically I reached for reins, but couldn't find them. My fingers felt thick and stiff. Useless. I screamed into the wind. I told the horse to stop but my words had no effect. Then the mists shifted and drew apart and I saw that behind them lay only darkness. A void of nothingness. It looked as though my steed and I were racing toward the edge of the world. Abruptly my stomach plummeted as the ground disappeared from beneath us. My hands flew upward, groping in the air, grasping desperately for purchase that wasn't there. My heart pounded with the sudden knowledge that I couldn't save myself. And then I was falling, helpless as I plunged downward and tumbled into the unknown below ... I awoke with a gasp and bolted upright in bed. My heart was beating wildly in my chest. Mouth open, I was desperate for air. Fire clawed at my lungs. My insides still churned with the sensation of falling. Though my eyes were open wide I couldn't see a thing. Everything around me was black: inky and