It's Fashion Week in New York and Ellie's in charge of the dogs' modeling outfits that match their mommy-mdoels for a fashion competition. But before the first round closes, one of the designers drops dead of anaphylactic shock, her Epipen useless because someone's emptied it.

The victim's peanut allergy was well-known, so Ellie and her dog Rudy must comb through the brash designer's rivals, colleagues, and many enemies to discover who was so desperate that she committed the ultimate crime of fashion.

Review

Ellie Engleman gets a break from her professional dog-walking duties to help take care of the canine models during a Fashion Week event in New York City. Part of the event includes a contest for up and coming designers to show off their creations of matching outfits for models and their dogs. One of the designers is murdered the first day of the event and while Lilah was not a nice person, Ellie is shocked at her death. Ellie promises her detective boyfriend Sam that she won’t get involved, but when a friend’s brother is accused of the crime, Ellie and her Yorkiepoo sidekick Rudy can’t sit back and see him go to prison for a murder he didn’t commit. The detective in charge of the case doesn’t welcome their help, but Ellie won’t give up. She and Rudy have the advantage of being a part of the fashion show to question possible suspects as well as witnesses, both human and canine.

Fashion Faux Paw is a fun mystery, and the unique part about the book and the entire Dog Walker series is Ellie’s ability to actually have conversations with the dogs she takes care of. Her dog Rudy isn’t just her pet, but one of her best friends. Rudy may appear cute and cuddly, but he is also extremely intelligent, observant, opinionated, and has a hilariously sarcastic sense of humor. Rudy is an important character and an integral part of the book. Ellie and Rudy make a great team and the way they communicate is fun and actually comes across as believable!

While Ellie and Rudy’s friendship is the heart of the book, Ellie also has a good friend Vivian who is thrilled to experience part of Fashion Week through Ellie’s invitation. She doesn’t play a large role in the book, but is an entertaining character when she does appear. Ellie’s boyfriend Sam, or as Rudy calls often calls him “Detective Doofus”, makes only a few appearances in this book. Sam is a good guy, and in fact is more patient than most men would be when Ellie is escorted to a party by a gorgeous designer so she can do some investigating while she is there. However, it was nice that Sam was in the background and that Ellie’s investigative skills take center stage in this book.

Fashion Faux Paw the sixth book in the series and its setting in the world of fashion makes it a winner for dog lovers as well as fans of television shows like “Project Runway”. Most of the book takes place at the fashion competition, so readers get an in depth looks at what some of what goes on behind the scenes in this industry. Ellie’s commentaries on the danger of the industry’s emphasis on rail-thin models detracted from the story. The way the information is presented sounds awkward. The dialogue just doesn’t flow smoothly, so it doesn’t sound like a realistic conversation.

Overall, the book is entertaining and there is an enjoyable conclusion to the mystery. I love the character of Ellie and especially enjoy her friendship with Rudy. There are some touching scenes at the end between Ellie and Rudy when they reaffirm their affection for each other. These scenes are bittersweet because the author, Judi McCoy, recently passed away and this will probably be the last book in this charming series.

Reviewed by Christine K.

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