June 15, 2020
Toxic treats spell trouble for a school secretary at Halloween. Although Melanie Travis is best known for the triumphs of her champion standard poodles in the dog-show ring, her job tutoring special needs students at Howard Academy, a private school in upscale Greenwich, is also a source of satisfaction for the breeder. Melanie works to maintain good relationships with her colleagues, even agreeing to help novice teacher Cheryl Feeney prepare for this year's Halloween celebration. But the person who really needs Melanie's help, Cheryl confides, is Harriet Bloom. The omnicompetent school secretary spent the better part of the fall making marshmallow puffs, a delicacy cherished by both the Howard Academy staff and Ms. Bloom's neighbors. That is, until one of those neighbors, Ralph Penders, dies after eating one. Once the police zero in on Harriet as chief suspect, she reaches out to Melanie with a proposal. She'll take over the party planning with Cheryl--no great stretch for the seasoned secretary--if Melanie will please find out who slipped the cyanide into Mr. Penders' puff. Harriet's sister, Bernadette, can't think of any reason why someone would want to do away with the memory-impaired senior citizen, whose gravest fault seems to have been wandering the neighborhood in his pajamas. But once Melanie starts digging, she discovers a treasure trove of microaggressions and petty grievances in this quiet corner of Connecticut, with motives aplenty for murder. A quick and tasty tale of sabotage in the suburbs.
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