by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of A Fatal Twist. We also have a link to order it from Amazon, and from an indie bookstore where a portion goes to help support KRL.

When Kate Davidson agreed to train and become her best friend’s doula, Kate thought that witnessing a twenty-one hour labor would be the most disturbing sight of the night. Instead, that honor goes to the vision of the aptly named Doctor Dick making out with a nurse in the hallway of A Better Birth Associates’ birthing center. Kate sees him all too soon in her own Serenity Yoga studio, where she learns that Doctor Richard Jones is the husband of one of her students. A labor and delivery nurse at the Lake Washington Medical Center, poor Rachel Jones is saddled with the cheating Doctor Dick and a rebellious teenaged daughter who is still mourning the loss of her father to cancer. Having had a little experience with anger management herself, Kate offers Nicole the Yoga Sutra advice of having hope to lighten a dark future. If only everyone could follow that path, as during the opening of the hospital’s new birthing center Kate witnesses Rachel running from the women’s restroom moments before discovering Doctor Dick’s body inside.

When evidence and Kate’s eyewitness testimony quickly leads police to Rachel, Kate’s protectiveness and feelings of guilt spur her to become involved in her third, technically her fourth, murder in two years. Kate thinks she must be working off some bad karma, but her mother Dharma sees it more as a calling. Kate’s need to ease suffering is perhaps what has her so devoted to raising Bella, a strong-minded German Shepherd whose autoimmune disease demands a careful diet and stable household. Bella may have successfully trained Kate into bypassing the customized doggy door, but two adorable new creatures may soon come to test their patience. Negotiating peace at home will be excellent practice, as Kate finds herself in the middle of a dietary battle between expecting parents. Considering how long humans have been giving birth, the diverse opinions on how to do it properly is astounding.

This very entertaining series continues to explore new avenues while always maintaining at its core a devotion to all things canine. The shenanigans of the hospital staff, emotional upheavals experienced by expecting parents, and Kate’s doula training often prove to be as comical as fascinating. Yoga has eased many of Kate’s earlier neuroses, but she has not lost any of her biting wit, cleverness, or compassion to those she loves. This is a wonderful mystery with a perfect balance of human follies, doggy appreciation, and laugh-out-loud scenarios.

To enter to win a copy of A Fatal Twist, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “fatal,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 4, 2017. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

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Click on this link to purchase this book & a portion goes to help support KRL & an indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:

A Fatal Twist

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Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.