by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to win a copy of Unleashed, along with a link to purchase the book.

For the past seven months, veterinarian Kate Burton has been practicing in Oak Falls, New York. Kate needed an escape from Long Island following an unhealthy relationship with her boss—not to mention the opportunity to pay off her massive student loans. Despite slight culture shock, Kate has happily adjusted to living in this tiny town with a close circle of friends.

Perhaps this explains why Kate is so shocked when she hears the news that artist Claire Birnham just committed suicide and left her feisty Cairn terrier Toto in the Oak Falls Veterinary Hospital. At first, Kate doesn’t outright disbelieve that Claire asphyxiated herself in her garage, but an unnerving dream has Kate wondering if her subconscious isn’t telling her something. Oak Falls police officer Luke Gianetti doesn’t help when he warns her off investigating, and this fractures their tenuous and undefined relationship. Kate’s grandfather, a retired arson investigator whose career has left him with COPD, similarly advises against becoming involved; but he doesn’t hesitate to serve as a supportive consultant.

Oak Falls has a very small population, and as a result Kate discovers that everyone seems to have an opinion on Claire and her death. A promising artist who worked in two galleries, Claire was also rumored to have abusive ex-boyfriends, an alcoholic mother, and an inclination toward bad boys. Using the Oak Falls Ladies Bridge Club, the local diner, and her talkative human clients, Kate discovers that filtering the abundance of information about Claire will be the key to deciphering the complex life of a woman devoted to art and dogs.

In this second Kate Turner mystery, Eileen Brady succeeds in blending veterinarian practices with an investigation that delves deeply into the art world. Scenes of Kate visiting her clients are as delightful as they are educational, and not surprisingly the humans are the ones who are in need of retraining. Kate has no illusions about herself as a detective (she admits that solved her previous murder by stumbling onto the culprit), but she finds that when pets are involved, people are more than willing to share information. Raised by her grandfather after the deaths of her brother and mother, Kate maintains a long-distance relationship by Skype that doesn’t seem too promising. Nevertheless, her sense of humor always shines through and she is continually delighted and surprised by her clever nonhuman clients.

Author Brady throws in numerous plot twists that will keep readers engaged until an unpredictable conclusion. It looks as though Kate will soon be forced into making some critical decisions in her life, and the next installment can’t come soon enough. A wedding ceremony also appears to be in the immediate future, but as to the identity of the bridal party… well, you’ll just have to wait and see.

To enter to win a copy of Unleashed, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Unleashed,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen August 22, 2015. 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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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).