Veterinarian Kate Turner features in Last But Not Leashed, the second in Eileen Brady's new series. In this tale, Kate has her hands full bandaging dogs' paws, poodle-mixes needing dentistry, looking after animals in snowstorms, and running the Oak Fall Animal Hospital with her employees. Kate's technician is Mari, and Cindy, the receptionist also works at the animal hospital. Kate is currently living in a converted garage and has a massive student loan to pay off. Her beau with whom she has a long-distance relationship, Luke Gianetti is a law student. Kate attends a lecture with Mari later on at the community centre, arranged by Mari's sister-in-law Barbara, who signed up for a number of sessions in home organisation. Sookie Overmann, a Professional Organiser, delivers the lecture and Q and A session but is later found dead by Kate in the car park, surrounded by a pool of red frozen blood, a snow shovel lying close by.

The story is very well-written and twists subplots together with a captivating mystery. The whodunit had me stumped almost to the surprising end. The author has a very comfortable writing style and I love the veterinary theme. Kate Turner also appears in another series by Eileen Brady that precedes the Dr Kate Vet Mysteries, called DVM mysteries. I didn't read the first book in this current series but fully intend to do so.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Dr. Kate is the only vet in a small town, filling in for a year while the original town vet is travelling. The practice is thriving, and Dr. Kate along with her tech Mari juggle hospital patients as well as patient house calls. As one could imagine, the stories around the patients would be enough to make for a good read! However, Dr. Kate manages to find herself in the midst of a murder, having attended an organizational seminar where the guest speaker, Sookie Overmann, is found murdered outside the community center where the seminar is being held. While at the town New Year's party another body is discovered and Kate begins to question if there is a connection, which of course prompts Kate to begin to ask some questions.

Last But Not Leashed is the second book in the series, however it very much stands on its own. The book is fast-paced and one easily becomes wrapped up in the daily life of a very busy vet as she cares for an abandoned bait dog, treats a very spoiled chihuahua and deals with the whims of a lonely actress-housewife who's dog also needs Dr. Kate's care. The stories surrounding these animals and their owners, as well as others, add to the engrossing nature of the book, as you not only get wrapped up in the two murders and how they are connected, but you become curious about the resolution of the stories surrounding the animals.

The characters are very unique! Dr. Kate is a wonderful protagonist - a vet with a mound of student loans to pay off, she relies on others for support, she's not so curious that she appears to be sticking her nose in where it doesn't belong, she also doesn't come across as knowing everything, she wants to help others, and she wants to do the right thing. You root for Kate to be successful because she is just so likeable! Dr. Kate, tech Mari and Office Manager Cindy make a great team and clearly have a wonderful working relationship.

The mystery is complex - it's difficult to see the connection between the two murders, the theft of bitcoins, and the book being written by the second victim, but all is revealed leading the reader to a very surprise ending - totally did not see that coming! Well done!

I would recommend this book and look forward to finding out what Dr. Kate, Mari and Cindy get themselves into next!

I always love a good cozy mystery where animals play a big part, especially in the showdown! This one was especially epic! Dr. Kate was a great main character but unlike you'd think at a vet office, the receptionist Cindy seemed to be the one in charge which made sense since she'd been there twenty years and the vet who owned the practice had only contracted Dr. Kate for a year. But Kate, Cindy and Mari made for a fun work trio and seemed even to be friends outside of work. They had the advantage that the police chief was her brother-in-law and sometimes she could sneak in tidbits of a case. Cindy was like an older sister who kept them all on track but loved some good gossip!

I loved how Kate's dog Buddy got along with newcomer Mr. Pitt, a poor pit bull that someone rescued from fighting and left at the vet office. Kate suspected the shy teen that was hanging around and knew he or whoever left the dog had saved the dog's life.

Another quirky little stinker of a dog was Little Man, a chihuahua that was being boarded at the vet and Dr. Kate being the softie she is, well I figured she'd give in on some of the stuff his mom told her he liked! Mari insisted that since there was a killer on the loose that Kate keep her other Rottweiler, Desi who had Schutzhund training. I'm pretty sure Kate was super glad she decided to keep Desi for a few extra days! But never underestimate a chihuahua either! When the perp needed taken down, these dogs were perfect for the job! Add to that a vet who'd had enough and a kind but intimidating-looking neighbor, and that perp didn't stand a chance! What an incredibly satisfying showdown/takedown!

Since I have the first book in the series which I never got around to reading before this one came up, I do intend to go back and read it. I'll definitely be reading more in this series as it comes available.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher Poisoned Pen Press, and my opinions are my own.

Last But Not Leashed by Eileen Brady. I didn't read the first book and I had no problem reading this book first, it was a lot of fun and twist and turns and funny. I enjoyed it even though it was long but not boring Oak fall sounds like an interesting place to live. I am not a fan of animals, but I enjoyed that the animals felt for Kate when she was in trouble.

Last But Not Leashed
by Eileen Brady
Solid 4+ stars cozy mystery.

This is the second book in this series. I had not read book one prior to reading Last But Not Leashed; however, I was easily able to follow along without missing important back story. I will go read book one ASAP because I loved this one so much.
Furthermore, I just love the main character Dr. Kate being a vet in a small town. The stories of the different patients that she sees within her clinic are a huge bonus and so much fun!
This is the first cozy mystery I have read in quite a while that grabbed my interest and was not completely far-fetched. I had a hard time putting this book down once I started. The characters are easy to relate to and to connect with their stories.
I highly recommend this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.

I liked the first book in this series and thoroughly enjoyed this one that kept me hooked and guessing.
The twists and turns were unexpected and the plot surprised me till the end.
Kate is a clever and strong women, I love the descriptions of her work as vet as they're well researched and realistic as not all her patients are lovely and very quiet pet.
The cast of characters is fleshed and I like the relationships amongst the people in the clinic team.
It's and entertaining and compelling read that I strongly recommend.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Last But Not Leashed by Eileen Brady is the second book in the Dr. Kate Turner Vet Mysteries. I really liked the first book, Saddled with Murder, but I loved this one! Though it's not necessary to read Saddled with Murder first, I think you should. You get a much deeper insight into the main characters’ personalities in that one though they do shine through Last But Not Leashed too.

I’m sure you’ve probably seen, read, or at least heard about the queen of tidying up, Marie Kondo. In Last But Not Leashed, Sookie Overman is the tidying up queen, though not quite as famous… This professional organizer is in the Hudson Valley teaching a weekly class on organization. Mari, Kate’s vet assistant and Cindy, the office manager, convince her to join them during the 3rd or 4th class. Of course, as luck would have it, after class Kate ends up finding Sookie who is lying dead in the bushes. And, so it begins…

Like Saddled with Murder, Last But Not Leashed takes place during the winter, and I'm hoping this continues through the series. It's almost as if the season is a character itself. Winter in the Hudson Valley really doesn't sound like fun! I'm only a fan of snow when I’m reading about it. However, living in Ohio also means I have to live with it. Our winters are in no way as brutal as the ones Kate deals with. And she makes house calls!

I still adore the main characters in this mystery series. As I’ve said, I did feel like I got a deeper understanding of them in the first book, but you can read this as a stand alone. I love that Kate is a veterinarian because that means there are lots of animals in the books, and they add even more depth to the story especially when Kate finds an abandoned dog… I won’t go into that since it would spoil some of the story for you.

I thought that the mystery was very well-plotted, and it kept me guessing and staying up past bedtime! I’m looking forward to reading more Dr. Kate books and solving more mysteries with her! I definitely recommend this to cozy mystery lovers who enjoy books with animals, snow, well-written characters, and an intriguing mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC of the book.

Oak Falls had only one veterinary hospital and Dr Kate Turner was the only vet on site. Her days were busy with her assistant and receptionist the only two helping out and with the hours at the surgery, plus house calls, Kate was exhausted by nightfall. Her long distance relationship with Luke was stumbling - Kate knew the dogs at least were loyal. When a young woman was murdered with Kate finding her body, then on New Year's Eve another woman died, the police seemed overwhelmed. Kate was determined to find the answers one way or another. Forming a shaky alliance with Rainbow, a computer whizz, made Kate begin second-guessing herself. Was she doing the right thing? Or should she just leave the sleuthing to the police and concentrate on her vet practice?

Last But Not Leashed is the 2nd in the Dr Kate Vet Mysteries by Eileen Brady, and it was light-hearted and entertaining. Although I haven't read the first in the series, I didn't feel I missed anything, so this would easily be read as a standalone. Dr Kate is a strong character, as is her assistant, Mari - but the best characters are the dogs! And the occasional cat! Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Last But Not Leashed is a charming read.

I have only recently picked up cozy mysteries and have absolutely loved reading them. The word cozy is just such an apt descriptor and Last But Not Leashed definitely falls in this category.

Dr. Kate is a small town veterinarian and amateur sleuth who finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation after she attends a lecture on organizing at her local community centre and finds the lecturer dead.

Last But Not Leashed had lots of suspense. I tried to amateur sleuth myself but never did figure out who the murderer was until it was revealed.

What I enjoy about cozy mysteries is that while they do have the suspense, they are a break from the violence of a hard core thriller, with the murders typically occurring "behind the scenes". I enjoy the amateur sleuth aspect and I really liked Dr. Kate's character. She was strong and determined. Temporarily taking over a small town veterinarian clinic, having to integrate herself into the town and get to know the townspeople could be challenging but by all accounts she was fitting in quite well.

I liked the setting of this book, the parts of the book where Dr. Kate was practicing her veterinary skills was interesting without being overly detailed. The role Dr. Kate's dogs played in this story was splendid.

Last But Not Leashed is part of series, but I read this without having read the others first. You can easily pick up as a stand alone. I'll be going back to read the others though.

Overall, if you are looking to curl up with a blanket, hot beverage and a cozy mystery, I'd certainly recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

In the second installment of this animal-themed cozy series, Dr. Kate Turner has one New Year's resolution: Stop finding corpses...

All Dr. Kate Turner wants to do is get her life in order before ringing in the new year, but with bodies turning up left and right, she'll have to trust her own instincts—and those of her beloved animals—to stop a killer in their tracks.

As the only veterinarian at Oak Falls Animal Hospital, Dr. Kate's life is complicated. She's swamped with hospital patients and house calls, a long-distance relationship with law student Luke Gianetti (that is less than perfect), and a handsome, flirtatious artist who sets his sights on her as his new muse.

When the body of Sookie Overmann is found outside the community center after her organization seminar, the entire town is hunting for answers. All of Kates hopes of quietly ringing in the new year are lost and when the body of Sookie's assistant falls with the confetti at midnight, she has no choice but to sniff out the killer.

I love any book that has a dog as a featured player so I was already a little biased towards a book featuring a veterinarian as the title character. I have not read the first book in the series but I picked up the character storylines easily and was able to enjoy this story. I did pick the killer rather easily but I’m also a cozy mystery professional so I have an advantage there. A very enjoyable story!

I gave Last But Not Leashed by Eileen Brady 5 stars.

This is the second book in the Dr. Kate Vet Mystery-series and I liked it as much as the first one. Something I really like about cozy mysteries is to read about the normal daily life of the sleuth. Since the author is a veterinarian herself, the description of Kate's job felt very real and it was fun to read about all the furry (and not so furry) clients that visited the clinic.

The mystery was intriguing and kept me guessing all the way through to the end. I especially liked the part where Kate had to solve another mystery in some notebooks made by an aspiring author.

This book takes place during New Year's Eve, so it is a perfect read during that time of the year. I am very much looking forward to the third book, so I can meet Kate and her friends again.

Thank you Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4947449618

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I had a hard time getting into the second book in the Veterinarian Cozy Mystery series. The characters that made up the story left me indifferent. Kate Turner is a vet who owns Oak Falls Animal Hospital in the town of Oak Falls, New York. Her office consists of her vet tech, Mari and her receptionist, Cindy. She has her boyfriend, Luke Gianetti who is studying to be a lawyer. They later breakup over New Years. He has met someone else. Mari asks Kate if she would like to go to a lecture about home organization. with her and her sister-in-law, Barbara. Sookie Overmann is the lecturer who is giving a series of talks. After the lecture Kate goes to the parking lot and finds Sookie murdered. Bobby Garcia chief of police is called.

Kate does house calls along with her tech, Mari. They are seeing a new patient who turns out to be Sookie's husband, Glenn about their cat. They were going to get a divorce but still lived together in their house. No papers had been signed. He inherits everything but when he checks their accounts he finds that she emptied all their accounts except for five dollars. She was planning to disappear. She had a boyfriend Morris who lived in the city. Her assistant, Elaine Armstet was asked to finish the series. She is also attacked in the parking lot,

When Kate takes bags to dumpster she finds a dog wrapped in a blanket who is in bad shape, He is a pit-bull who has been used for fights. She brings him into her clinic and after cleaning him up takes him into her apartment which is attached to her building. She names the dog Mr. P:itt.

When she goes to Judy's 'diner for dinner she runs into an artist who she met at the New Year's party named Colin Riley who she had danced with. They have dinner together. He tells her that he is going to Helsinki for an exhibit of his works. Glenn comes into the diner and puts up a sign saying that he will give an award for his stolen assets portfolio. Judy tells Kate she should look for the portfolio as well as solve Arthur Gambino is new in town and has lost a large amount of bitcoins and is looking into what had happened. When on a house call Kate meets his wife, Chloe Ramboulle, wife of Arthur and actress to see her dog who is limping. They find a stone in his paw pad. She tells them that the bitcoins went missing after Sookie and Posey were at their house. She had also been at the lecture along with her bodyguards. Posey is also dead. She fell at the New Years party. She had been writing a Victorian book. Kate had found her notebooks in the garbage at the Circle K where she worked. Many of the characters in her notebooks are really people in town,,

The reader is taken on an adventure to find out who killed Sookie and Posey as well as where the money went and what happened to the Bitcoins. I will leave it to the reader to read as there is so much happening to describe to the climax of who did it. . There is a happy ending with the owners of Mr. Pitt come to claim him.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

A charming dog tale. A pleasant cozy mystery series. Interesting variety of characters. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

I discovered the first series about Dr. Kate earlier this year and fell in love with them! I’m not sure why this is another series with her as the main character but I’m not complaining! I love the author’s writing style, I listened to the other books on audio and highly recommend it that way. Great cozy mystery series!

I LOVED this book and a full review has already been published on my blog. Delightful characters, excellent world building, great plotting, and an overall thoroughly enjoyable cozy!

Last but Not Leashed by Eileen Brady is the second novel in A Dr. Kate Vet Mysteries. It can be read as a standalone for those who have not read Saddled with Murder. Eileen Brady has a conversational writing style. It makes her stories easy to read. I found the pacing to be on the leisurely side as we follow Dr. Kate about her day-to-day life. I enjoyed the scenes where Dr. Kate is treating her patients. Mr. Pitt’s condition will upset animal lovers (I know it is fiction, but what this dog endured happens in real life). I like the secondary characters especially Kate’s office staff, but I feel they need to be fleshed out (a little flat). I did not find the scenes regarding Kate’s relationship with Luke to be enjoyable. They were uncomfortable and they added nothing to the book (in my opinion). The mystery had some interesting parts. Sookie Overman, a professional organizer, is murdered outside the community center after giving a lecture (and being rude to some of the attendees). Kate finds herself curious about the crime. When the victim’s husband, Glenn offers a reward for certain information, Kate teams up with Rainbow (an unusual woman who is good at mathematics and coding). The reward money would help Kate with her student loans. Kate hopes she can trust Rainbow whose moral compass is skewed. Kate gathers information with help from her friends while Rainbow dives into the dark web. The mystery moves along at a relaxed pace. There are a couple of suspects and a red herring. I thought the clues were pointed. I found that the mystery could be solved long before the reveal. While I knew the who, I was not sure of the why (had an inkling, but I needed more data). I followed Kate as she sought information on the case. Kate, the veterinarian, manages to outwit the police and solve the case. The book does contain mild foul language (I especially detested the use of the word that rhymes with witch). My favorite scene was Dr. Kate treating a chihuahua called Little Man. My family had a chihuahua for almost twenty years, and he behaved similarly to the one in the book (lots of growling with teeth bared). My mother treated him like a baby similarly to Little Man’s owner. I enjoyed Kate’s conversations with Gramps. They are sweet. The author captured winter with the snow, ice, the bitterly cold temperatures, and travel troubles because you are snowed in. Last but Not Leashed is a cute creature cozy with a slain professional organizer, a curious cashier, a wounded bowwow, a party surprise, romantic woes, a generous reward, and an inquisitive veterinarian.

Kate Turner is a vet in upstate New York , filling in for the regular vet who is on a long vacation.
When Kate's co-workers talk her into going to an organizing seminar she agrees. As she's leaving the class she finds a body in the parking lot, the body of the presenter. Soon after she ends up going to a house call to treat he deceased woman's cat. While there she meets the woman's estranged husband. Once she meets him she begins to wonder if he killed his wife. Kate finds that a badly injured dog has been dumped at her clinic, Mr Pitts survives, but Kate is now concerned the people who hurt him will be coming to reclaim him.
.She begins talking to people about the murder. One of the people is Posey a convenience store clerk. When Posey's body drops from the rafters at a New Year's Eve party. Kate begins to think they're connected.
I really enjoyed this book. I like the character development from the first book. Kate and her co-workers are likable, and of course there are animals. Mr Pitts is an adorable addition to this book.
#netgalley

Who doesn't love a cozy mystery involving dogs!?

The background of this story was probably my favorite part. The Veterinarian setting, the mention of different animals coming in for their appointments. So fun!

I was a little confused at how Dr Kate and her friends thought that she should investigate the missing electronic account money when she stated she has no computer skills and then partnered with a relative of her (boy)friend whom she doesn't know at all. It seemed rather strange. But it's a cozy mystery so I just went with it.

Last but not Leashed takes place over the Winter Holidays so this is a perfect cozy to put on your winter reading list! It publishes in early Sept 2022.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for this ARC. It was an enjoyable read. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love animals and a good cozy, so this book seemed like the perfect fit. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me.

The writing style itself is good, making this an easy read with a conversational feel.

But I was bored. And I skimmed. A lot.

Oddly, I didn’t get any emotional connection with the animals Kate cares for, even when some of the situations should’ve made me angry or given me a chuckle.

I also didn’t feel any emotional connection with the human characters.

As with many cozies, this one makes the small town cops look like idiots unable to solve the simplest case, while Kate, a vet with no investigative training, manages to save the day.

This is the second book in the series, but it works well as a stand-alone.

I liked this book in a new to me series. I had no problem starting here. There was very little need for any setup to get caught up, but what was needed was provided.

The story developed in an interesting way. I figured out (felt) whodunnit early on, but couldn't really put the pieces together until Kate did.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.