Once Bitten

A dog handler disappears in this "entertaining mystery" by the Agatha and Macavity Award finalist (Publishers Weekly).

With her former fiancé off finding himself, Melanie Travis figures the only ring she'll be seeing in the near future is one where she's showing her prized poodles. But love is still in the air for her brother Frank, who is about to tie the knot with his sweetheart, Bertie Kennedy. With scant knowledge of tulle, favors, or cocktail hors d'oeuvres, Melanie happily leaves the nuptial arrangements to Sara Bentley, a fellow dog handler moonlighting as a wedding coordinator. But when Sara suddenly vanishes, a panicked Bertie gives Melanie a choice: either pinch-hit for Sara—or find out where she is.

Opting for the latter, Melanie begins sniffing around into Sara's past—and unearths big trouble when Sara's cottage burns to the ground and a woman's body is found in the rubble. There are plenty of people with grudges against Sara—from a disgruntled dog groomer to a competitor whose dog was poisoned a decade ago to an embittered ex-boyfriend. Even Sara's own family seems oddly unconcerned about her disappearance . . . but are the blue-blooded Bentleys cold-blooded enough to kill one of their own?

"Totally satisfying."—I Love A Mystery

"Beware! Pick up Once Bitten and it will sink its fangs into your imagination. You'll read straight through to the end."—Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

© 2026 Tantor Media (Audiobook): 9798318561269

Release date

Audiobook: 8 September 2026