In Muzzled by Eileen Brady, veterinarian Dr. Kate Turner has taken on a year-long job in upstate New York substituting for a long-time vet who is taking an extended vacation. Not long after taking over the practice, Barbara makes a house call to a couple who breed Cavalier King Charles Terriers for competing in dog shows and have over 20 dogs they dote on. When Dr. Kate arrives at the house, the dogs are going wild, and something seems strange. Pushing on the door, Dr. Kate is alarmed to see the dogs running loose, something they would never normally do. Then she discovers the bodies of the couple, at first appearing to be a murder/ suicide but showing further clues that it was outright murder. The couple’s daughter arrives to take possession of theit estate and immediately gets rid of their dogs, selling the best and dropping off the retired show dogs at the animal shelter.
Dr. Kate feels suspicious, but she keeps moving on with her life. She connects with her medical school lab partner and his wife, going with them to a dog show, where they are showing their own dogs. While returning to the ring to see her friend exhibit her dog, she sees a woman get shot and races to help the woman while waiting for the EMTs to arrive, and the woman pulls through. Dr. Kate learns that this woman was a friend of the murdered couple, making her all the more suspicious. So as she makes her regular rounds, she keeps her ears and eyes open looking for the murderer, but as she goes, she finds more and more people with motives.
One thing I really liked m about this book is the way it focuses on a veterinarian. I have read hundreds of cozy mysteries, many with animals, even one series set at a zoo, but none features a veterinarian. I enjoyed the anecdotes of Kate’s treating many different animals in her community, including a hamster that got sucked up in a vacuum cleaner, a parrot who will retrieve the keys of his mommy, an obese dog, and a cat with hyperthyroidism. Some people find these animal visits to feel extraneous and unnecessary, but I really appreciated these details. I understand that Brady worked as a veterinarian before turning to writing and that her husband is still a vet. So I liked the realistic details of treating animals.
I thought the plot was fun, but Kate seems to take a long time wandering around almost aimlessly in her search for the killer. She keeps her snooping on the back burner for quite a while. Then when she starts to look more actively, Kate takes one wrong turn after the next. So the mystery plot does move a little more slowly than I might have preferred.
The characters in this book are nice and round, with some interesting and fun people showing up. Dr. Kate is a sympathetic character with whom we can connect. She also spends time with several individuals, whether clients or friends Kate makes. One of the most vivid is a biker named Henry James, who thinks the writer who shares his name is too descriptive for his taste. Henry James has an elaborate snake tattooed around his neck and down his arms that initially fools Kate into thinking he is wearing a real snake. Yet the biker is a nice man who loves to bake and enjoys his cat, even adopting a stray kitten. I appreciate the characters in this book as realistic.
Caroline Shaffer performs the audio version of this book. She does a good job of expressing herself and uses appropriate timing. Her voices for the characters come across as effective, and I enjoyed her job.
Muzzled was a creative book with real interest. I enjoyed my experience of listening to this book and appreciated the animal stories as well as the mystery. I give this book four stars.
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