Her aunt is undeterred by Melanie’s lack of writing experience: “Just grammar and stringing sentences together in a way that makes sense. Yet her buttinsky aunt wheedles her into co-writing the memoir of Edward March, a big-name dog breeder. Designed by the still-missing Viv, that topper is the only accessory adorning Lady Ellis’s naked self when she turns up dead.Ī toddler, a preteen and five standard poodles keep dog handler and amateur sleuth Melanie Travis busy in Gone With the Woof, by Laurien Berenson (Kensington, $24). The posh lady is thrilled by a teal cloche accented by crystals and satin. Scarlett, meanwhile, isn’t sure she’s meant for the hat trade, especially when she meets an exacting customer, Lady Ellis. No one, not even Viv’s mother, seems concerned. Why not visit London, where she and cousin Viv have inherited their grandmother’s millinery shop, Mim’s Whims? Viv says she can’t wait to see her, but when Scarlett arrives, impulsive Viv has vanished.

In Cloche and Dagger, by Jenn McKinlay (Berkley Prime Crime paperback, $7.99), Scarlett Parker needs a fresh start after pelting her ex-boyfriend with a $5,000 cake makes her a viral sensation. Is this Blackie’s ghost, or are the sullen teens on Liss’s committee punking her? Then a fake skeleton is replaced by a real body - which Liss recognizes. It should make an ideal haunted house, although Liss frets when random items start disappearing, then showing up in different spots. The house in Moosetookalook, Maine, last owned by a long-gone Boston mobster, is complete with hidden rooms and rumors of Blackie O’Hare’s missing treasure. Liss MacCrimmon returns in this seventh of Kaitlyn Dunnett’s Scottish mysteries, this time spearheading the transformation of an abandoned mansion into a spooky attraction for All Hallow’s Eve. Just as Halloween merchandise starts nudging aside back-to-school bargains, along comes Vampires, Bones, and Treacle Scones(Kensington, $24). Is this a flavor to die for? DeSmet includes the recipe for Ava’s creation, but go easy on the edible glitter.

Another victim surfaces, along with Ava’s pink candy garnished by another hot rock.

But Ava is baffled by an ingredient added to that fatal bite: a stolen diamond. Instead, Rainetta Johnson becomes “a fudge fatality.” Suspects: Ava, her former fiance and a young assistant. Ava Oosterling, sharing counter space in her grandfather’s live-bait store, envisions her confection in Hollywood swag bags if a visiting former movie star gives it her blessing at a local gala. First-Degree Fudge, by Christine DeSmet (Obsidian paperback, $7.99), will tingle your sweet tooth at the first mention of Cinderella Pink Fudge, even if this pastel treat may be a murder weapon.

Cloche and dagger