Unleashed: A Kate Turner, DVM Mystery (Kate Turner DVM Mysteries Book 2)
By: Eileen Brady
Rating: 5 of 5
“Unleashed” is the second in a series of mysteries about Dr. Kate Turner by Eileen Brady. Kate is a veterinarian who has moved to Oak Falls to fill in for the established vet, who is off on a prolonged vacation. She has been in her position for a number of months and is settling in quite well.
In this story, Claire, the owner of Toto, a Cairn terrier who is one of Dr. Kate’s patients, has committed suicide… or has she? While almost everyone in town is willing to accept her death, Kate has lots of questions. Further, she is fairly indiscriminate as to who she is asking the questions of. She starts getting caught up more and more in trying to figure out how Claire actually died and if murder might actually be involved.
Dr. Kate has the inside scoop as she travels around town making house-calls on various pets. She gets to meet and greet individuals who knew Claire and who have their suspicions, too. Some of the house-calls are really funny. I can’t say too much as that could take some of the reading fun away from others. I just really appreciated the slight lunacy of some of the pet owners as I have had my pets for many years and can relate to them.
I enjoyed the characters and the plot. It was a fun whodunnit to read and one that I figured out just a little ahead of the reveal. There were plenty of suspicious characters and lots of hints given. There seems to be a potential romantic relationship developing very, very slowly – which is great as it promises a lot of fun within the series. The book does not include any sexual scenes or other things that might make it less than family friendly. It if were possible, I would feel as comfortable giving a copy to my late mother as I would to my daughter.
I had not read the author biography until after I read the book. I was not surprised to see that she is a veterinarian of long standing. The book really provided a good look at the type of issues and treatments that a vet would encounter. Some books seem to skimp on the actual profession of their sleuth but it was obvious during the reading that Ms. Brady knows the day to day life of a veterinarian. I found the discussion of the pets and animals and their issues and treatments almost as interesting as the whodunnit of the mystery. It was also interesting to see that the character makes house-calls – I’ve always had to bring my pets to the office.
As a second in a series, I was able to read the book as a stand-alone story with no issues. While there are a number of references to the previous book, there were no serious spoilers that would keep me from reading and enjoying the book if, as I plan to do so, I would go back and read it. I really like that the author has not given away the previous story in this one. I often read books out of order in a series and sometimes the author gives so much away about the prior books that I have no desire to read the back list.
I received a digital ARC copy of this book from the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, via Netgalley.
“Unleashed” is the second in a series of mysteries about Dr. Kate Turner by Eileen Brady. Kate is a veterinarian who has moved to Oak Falls to fill in for the established vet, who is off on a prolonged vacation. She has been in her position for a number of months and is settling in quite well.