Cleary, Melissa

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CLEARY, Melissa

[A house pseudonym]

PERSONAL:

Female.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Berkley Publishing Group, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016.

CAREER:

Novelist.

WRITINGS:

"JACKIE WALSH AND JAKE" SERIES; MYSTERY NOVELS

A Tail of Two Murders, Berkley Publishing Group (New York, NY), 1992.

Dog Collar Crime, Berkley Publishing Group (New York, NY), 1993.

Hounded to Death, Berkley Publishing Group (New York, NY), 1993.

Dead and Buried, Berkley Publishing Group (New York, NY), 1994.

First Pedigree Murder, Berkley Publishing Group (New York, NY), 1994.

Skull and Dog Bones, Berkley Publishing Group (New York, NY), 1994.

The Maltese Puppy, Berkley Publishing Group (New York, NY), 1995.

Murder Most Beastly, Berkley Publishing Group (New York, NY), 1996.

Old Dogs, Berkley Publishing Group (New York, NY), 1997.

And Your Little Dog, Too, Berkley Publishing Group (New York, NY), 1998.

In the Dog House, Berkley Publishing Group (New York, NY), 2000.

At least three authors have published books in this series under the collective pseudonym Melissa Cleary.

ADAPTATIONS:

Some of the "Jackie Walsh and Jake" novels have been adapted as audio books, including And Your Little Dog, Too.

SIDELIGHTS:

Melissa Cleary's detective novels offer animal and mystery lovers a chance to combine their interests. The first book in the series, A Tail of Two Murders, includes the essentials of the entire series. Jackie Walsh, a film teacher at Rodgers University, and her son find an abandoned Alsatian shepherd. The dog is a highly intelligent retired police dog named Jake. They adopt Jake and soon their adventures begin. Jackie finds a body in the equipment room of the film department; unmasking the criminal eventually puts her own life in danger and requires all of her and Jake's resources. Mary T. Gerrity, writing in the School Library Journal, deemed Jackie "lively" and the plot "fast-moving."

Later books in the series describe the further adventures of Jackie and her canine companion. Some novels in the series have been more warmly received than others. Describing Dog Collar Crime for Publishers Weekly, a reviewer noted that "the tale is lightweight and standard enough that its doggy appeal is its prime one." While some reviewers enjoyed the novelty of a dog detective, others considered it a gimmick. A Publishers Weekly contributor called Skull and Dog Bones "a lame tale with unconvincing elements." Meanwhile, in First Pedigree Murder, "the tale is absorbing and the telling is quick and well written," noted Armchair Detective contributor Christine Thompson.