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Retired professor of veterinary medicine Austin McKenzie and his wife Madeline are barely making ends meets when an investment gone bad leaves them with little more than their upstate New York farm. It’s Austin’s small veterinary practice that keeps them going from day to day. Then Austin is given the chance to be a veterinary delegate to the Earlsdown Three-Day Event, a horse show of some fame in the region. Along with the honor comes a hefty paycheck and an opportunity for a few days vacation with his wife. Austin is at first reluctant to accept the invitation, but Madeline is one persuasive woman. At her urging, Austin hires two temporary helpers to watch over his four-legged patients while he’s gone. Joe Turnblad is a second-year vet student with an economically disadvantaged past. Allegra Fulbright is a college senior with a checkered past as an equestrian. The two take an immediate dislike to each other, but together, they use their different experiences to manage the farm rather capably. What neither they, nor Austin and Madeline, can manage is murder, especially when it happens so close to home. Veterinarian Larky Schumacher is gunned down while tending to a wounded dog on the side of the road. Ruled a random killing, Schumacher’s death is soon followed by the murder of a second vet, Ben Grazley. Summersville chief of detectives Simon Provost doesn’t welcome Austin’s advice when the retired professor intrudes on the case. But Austin knows that both Schumacher and Grazley were involved in a business deal with venture capitalist and horse owner Brewster McClellan. McClellan is a rough man, not above hitting either his horses or his wife. Austin doesn’t like the man and would love to pin the murders on him. The question is, how can he do it? Probing into McClellan’s partnership with Schumacher and Grazley leads Austin to a third veterinarian, this one a man doing dubious experiments on horses. Austin thinks he has it figured out until another murder destroys his cleverly concocted solution. It’s back to the drawing board for Austin and Madeline. Then, as the clues begin to fall into place, they set a trap for the only person who could be responsible for the shattered peace inflicted on their little community. Claudia Bishop is the author of 13 Hemlock Falls mysteries. This is her first novel in The Casebooks of Dr McKenzie series. It takes a while to form any liking for the obnoxiously arrogant Dr Austin McKenzie, but Madeline is one character fans will love from the get-go. Austin grows on the reader over time, though, and becomes more personable as he learns how to interact with his young assistants. Joe and Allegra have very different personalities, and it’s enjoyable watching them bicker their way towards a grudging acceptance of each other. Detective Simon Provost is portrayed as infuriatingly slow in his comprehension of the case, but this isn’t unusual in cozies where the protagonist must have a reason to inject himself into the investigation. All in all, this is a nice start to a new series and should please most cozy fans.
Reviewed by Mary V. Welk, October 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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