ARC Review: Saddled With Murder by Eileen Brady

Saddled with Murder 

Author: Eileen Brady
Series: Dr. Kate Vet Mysteries
Publication: Poisoned Pen Press (October 6, 2020)

Description: First in a new vet books mystery series, perfect for fans of cozy mysteries by Miranda James and Leann Sweeney!

Veterinarian and amateur sleuth Kate Turner has her hands full trying to juggle two boyfriends, a thriving practice, and a criminal investigation

It's the Christmas season and veterinarian Kate Turner is not feeling very jolly. She's overworked, unappreciated, and dealing with two dissatisfied clients. Throw in a very complicated personal life and Kate's definitely got a case of the holiday blues.

To make matters worse, Kate's ex-boyfriend, Jeremy, is mugged and robbed after they have a heated argument in the hospital parking lot. Then, two of her dissatisfied clients turn up dead (which really gets Kate's tinsel in a tangle). All of these events seem like coincidences, but they add up to something much more venomous.

Saddled with Murder is a cozy holiday mystery from beloved author Eileen Brady that explores the fragility and resiliency of animals and humans whose trust has been broken, and will keep animal-loving readers riveted until the last page.

My Thoughts: Vet Kate Turner is filling in for another veterinarian on a year-long vacation. It's almost Christmas and the Christmas party complete with litter box cake should be fun for everyone. But when someone makes a video of the party goers making Selfish Christmas Wishes, things take a turn for the murderous. Kate makes a wish that some of her troublesome patient's owners would disappear never thinking that someone would make her wish come true.

The first death is Frank Martingale. He was contentious and always had a bunch of nuisance suits going. He is disputing the vet bill and threatening to take Kate to court. The second death is Eloise who is threatening to sue Kate because her bulldog didn't have the puppies she wanted her to have. The third is Raeleen who once worked for the vet office Kate is now running and who blames Kate for her firing. 

All three were mentioned in the infamous video which was accidentally posted on line and is now in danger of going viral. 

The first two deaths could have been accidents but Raeleen was shot to death. There are many suspects including Kate and the local snowplow driver Pinky who is Kate's next door neighbor and the owner of Princess - a senior dog and the love of Pinky's life. Pinky has some social anxiety and is otherwise a little strange. At first, Kate suspects him since he plowed the first two victims' driveways and actually discovered the second body. But there are other suspects including the on-again, off-again boyfriend of the third victim and anyone who had a grudge against Frank.

Kate also has other issues to deal with. She has a couple of boyfriends and their relationships weren't trouble-free. She is also being encouraged by her Gramps to finally make it up with her father who sort of abandoned her when her mother and brother died in a car accident near the Christmas holiday some years earlier. Her father has built a new life with a new wife and two more children and Kate still blames him for moving on so fast. 

The mystery was nicely twisty and the characters were engaging. I liked the details about the life of a vet. This is the fifth Kate Turner mystery and stands alone quite well. I haven't read the earlier books yet and had no problems getting into the story.

Favorite Quote:

Someone is playing a nasty game of cat and mouse, only the dead weren't mice, but people -- people with lives and hopes and dreams. Gone forever.

A predator who carefully chose specific victims.

Who was better equipped to catch a predator than a veterinarian?

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Edelweiss. You can buy your copy here.