Last but Not Leashed: A Dr. Kate Vet Mystery

It’s a snowy December evening in Oak Falls, N.Y., in Brady’s scintillating sixth mystery featuring veterinarian Kate Turner (after 2020’s Saddled with Murder), when Kate, at the urging of friends, agrees to attend a lecture on home organizing by local entrepreneur Sookie Overmann. As one of the last to leave the community center following the event, Kate discovers Sookie dead, the snow shovel that bashed her head in lying nearby. Sookie’s angrily contested request for a divorce, the dodgy backgrounds of some of her clients, and the disappearance of around $40 million in Bitcoin provide a fine array of potential motives and plausible suspects. Along with the intricately plotted mystery, Brady, herself a veterinarian, treats readers to useful information about organizing air travel with a pet, the proper diet for iguanas, and the sweet nature of properly raised and cared for pit bulls. Refreshingly well-adjusted Kate is a competent and compassionate protagonist cozy fans will want to see a lot more of. Pet lovers will adore this. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds. (Sept.)