A Fatal Twist (A Downward Dog Mystery)

By: Tracy Weber
Publication Date: January 2017
Publisher: Midnight Ink
ISBN: 978-0-7387-4878-8
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: February 25, 2017

Tracy Weber manages a delightfully whimsical mystery in the latest installment of her ‘Downward Dog Mystery Series’: A Fatal Twist.

Kate Davidson is a yoga instructor and takes her job quite seriously. When she agrees to be the doula for her pregnant best friend, the reality sets in she is not ready for her own child bearing anytime soon with her love and live-in mate, Michael. The closest they had come to parenthood was with their beloved German shepherd, Bella. She had issues, but she was still the center of their universe and ample training ground for parenthood. This is to say until Michael added two precocious labradoodle puppies to the mix. Soon enough, however, that would be the least of Kate’s concerns.

At the grand opening of a new birthing center, Kate excuses herself and heads to the old wing to freshen up. When she discovers the body of surly fertility Dr. Dick and sees yoga student Rachel (his wife) fleeing the scene, Kate cannot help but incorporate the task of solving the mystery to her yoga business. Convinced Rachel is innocent, she makes it her mission to find the real killer before Rachel is destined to a life behind bars. It wasn’t easy balancing a yoga schedule and crime solving with the constant frustrations of keeping up with the shenanigans of Mutt and Jeff (the newest additions to their once balanced abode). Michael wasn’t exactly keen on Kate’s convictions to playing super sleuth in the recent turn of events with the murder of Dr. Dick either.

I’ve not had the pleasure of reading any of Ms. Weber’s Downward Dog Series. However, this being my first did not disappoint. It was fun and fast-paced and had a nice balance of humor and intrigue throughout. It is clear Ms. Weber is quite knowledgeable about yoga and I enjoyed how she developed main character Kate as the quintessential instructor with crime solving dimensions to complement her day-to-day yoga instruction. This by no means is a graphic and dark murder mystery. Rather there is a fluid and light air that carries from page to page with the sublime element of a crime having been committed and the need for resolution. I applaud Ms. Weber for focusing on the lighter side of a tragic event and maintaining her mission of guiding the reader to the answer of the proverbial ‘who done it’ with light and airy twists along the way. Well done Ms. Weber. I look forward to the next body of work in this series.

Quill says: A Fatal Twist is a fun, unpredictable read that has a nice balance of humor and intrigue throughout.