Murders of a Feather (Dr. Kate Vet Mysteries, #3)

by Eileen Brady

It's February in the Hudson Valley and Oak Falls veterinarian Dr. Kate is once again up to her galoshes in corpses

Hudson Valley winters can be brutal...and deadly! Dr. Kate is once again on the case (not to mention thin ice) after discovering a young engaged couple frozen to death in the lake. To make matters worse, her temporary receptionist appears to have overdosed from a recreational sedative used at the animal hospital. Kate barely has time to dread Valentine's Day (and the fact that she's alone on this holiday, once again) as the police investigation shows that all three fatalities are in fact homicides.

But who would want the young couple dead, just as they were embarking on a new life together? And who pumped the temp employee full of enough animal tranquilizers to drop an ox? Kate doesn't know where to begin until she stumbles upon a connection between the three victims and decides she needs to investigate further. But will her investigation leave her any time to get to know the handsome large animal vet she's just met on a house call? And is the injured wild crow she's taken under her wing in fact an omen of more bad things to come?

• ISBN10: 1728249376
• ISBN13: 9781728249377
• Publish Date: 3 November 2023 (first published 3 October 2023)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Poisoned Pen Press
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Murders of a Feather is the 3rd cozy featuring veterinarian Dr. Kate written by Dr. Eileen Brady. Released 3rd Oct 2023 by Poisoned Pen Press, it's 384 pages and is available in mass market paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

I had read the previous books in the series and had really enjoyed the gentle pace of these cozies along with the quirky secondary characters (and all their pets). It's also cool that that the author slips in the occasional good suggestion for responsible pet ownership without being strident or snarky. 

The plot develops gradually, the dialogue is smooth and not clunky. The denouement was a bit over the top, but that's why most cozy fans are reading the amateur sleuth genre anyhow. It's refreshing that Dr. Kate can take care of herself and readers will be cheering and *high fiving* at the end. There's a strong romance subplot, but it doesn't take over the story (too much). It's a Valentine's day themed story, so there's a fair bit of holiday romance included, but nothing too spicy. 

The language is clean and there is no graphic on-page violence. The author has 4 books in an earlier series with the same main character, but the continuity is a trifle iffy between the 7 books, so readers should treat them as 2 separate series and proceed accordingly.

Four stars. This book (and the series) are well written and comfortably fun cozy reads. It would make a good selection for public library acquisition, binge/buddy read, or for fans of animal cozies. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes