Member Reviews
I was either in a mood or a funk when I started this one because I really didn't like it when I first started reading it. It probably took almost half way through for me to get interested in it enough to keep going but once I did I enjoyed it. I am not sure if it was just to slow at the beginning or what but the ending was pretty cool and it has a good mystery.
Katie moves to a small town near Ann Arbor to get out of the big city, but see is pretty busy working at the clinic. One of her regulars is brought in almost dead from what seems like an overdose. She wasn't on call but they couldn't get ahold of Nick who was supposed to be so she comes in and finds Matt taking care of her. He doesn't work there but is doing some sort of locum type thing which I guess means he takes shifts in different hospitals. She remembers Matt from her residency days and has a bit of a crush on him.
The EMT's said that the prescription bottle had Dr. LeClair's name on it but Katie doesn't remember prescribing that drug to her. She can't get that out of her head and then when Ellen's daughter Beth talks to Katie about how she doesn't think it was a suicide it gets Katie to thinking and she decides to look into it with Beth.
I liked Katie well enough and she was a pretty good sleuth, I really like her brother Caleb the most though he was funny and cool.
The author does a great job of giving you information that can make you think one thing when it was something else. I had most of it figured out but it still surprised me a little about why it happened. I thought the last like 10% was the best part with the reveal and who did what and why as it when pretty quick.
Although I had a rough start with this one it wasn't a bad mystery and I did end up enjoying it and I will probably check out the next one in the series to really see if it was just me in a funk or the writing style. If it sounds like a good one then check it out as I did think it was a good mystery.
What a great start to a new series. Meet Katie a new doctor who is trying to learn the ropes after finally graduating at a small clinic in an even smaller town. One of her patients is rushed to the DR suffering from what looks like an overdose only to not make it. Full of guilt Katie finds herself investigating until she is in danger. This story is just full of little medical details that just set the story apart really giving Katie some depth. The development has lots of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing even when they think they are keeping up. If you enjoy a good mystery this is the book for you. I really enjoyed it so it gets 4/5 stars.
Dawn Eastman, the author of the highly entertaining Family Fortune cozy series, is branching out with this book. Unnatural Causes is a fast-paced, solid mystery that kept me guessing, and the main characters are well placed to solve mysteries. Katie LeClair is a caring, gifted doctor, and what makes her a good doctor makes her a good investigator. Her brother Caleb is very good with computers, and since Katie saved the life of the police chief's dog, she also has an "in" with the police department.
All elements mesh together well and run like a finely tuned machine. The trouble is, I just didn't find myself warming up to any of the characters-- which is one of the main selling points of mysteries on the cozier end of the genre. Unnatural Causes is well-written and does have an appealing main character, so don't be afraid to give it a try. Your mileage may definitely vary!
Katie LeClair has settled down as the new Doctor in Baxter, MI. After years of moving, schooling and training she wants nothing more than to find a place to call home. She has found a pair of business partners in a team of father and so practitioners. Then one of her patients is found dead. Its sucicide, and they had took medication that Katie had prescribed. But Katie does not remember writing I the prescription. Was it suicide? Or was it murder!
This is the first book in a new series. We are introduced to the rest of the characters in this book (some might have a motive). As the plot developes, there are many twists to keep you guessing. This is an easy read. I read it in a few hours. A nice cozy mystery.
This is one drama that stayed with me long after I closed the book. A mystery filled with secrets that caused the death of Katie’s patient. What did she learn? Why her demise meant more to the killerr? That is what you’ll find in this engagingly thrilling novel that kept me engrossed in all facets of this fast-paced drama. The author did a great job in giving me just enough to keep me guessing and intrigued in all possibilities as each suspect was pushed forward and clues that popped up at just the right moment. The characters were introduced with a firm backstory – enough to whet my appetite in knowing more about them. Among the characters was the town gossip who happened to have close ties to the police; the chief who I liked especially as he trusted what Katie had to tell him; then there was her brother Caleb; her partners, the doctors Hawkins and of course Matt, a fellow medical professional. Not to be outdone are the residents of Baxter, some of whom were on the quirky side and of course the murderer. The suspense factor played heavily as a double twist occurred that added to how well this narrative was being told. This is a great debut series and I can’t wait to see what adventures await Katie and her circle of friends.
3.5 stars
This is a low key mystery, almost a cozy mystery if you will. It’s a nice change from some of the really gruesome mysteries I’ve been reading lately. Dr. Katie LeClair is just out of her residency and working at a small town practice. A patient of hers supposedly commits suicide using pills Katie supposedly prescribed. But she didn’t.
A large part of the beginning of the book is spent developing Katie’s character.
There’s a strong romance element here as well. This isn’t a complicated book. It’s just a solid mystery with lots of suspects to keep you guessing. I couldn’t quite buy into how much info the police chief shared, despite all the rationale given. But that’s a minor quibble. I’ll definitely seek out book two in the series.
My thanks to netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance copy of this book.
Katie LeClair is a new dr in a small town in Michigan. She is ready for the slow pace of a small town but things aren't what they seem in this new town. One of her patients is found dead and the police rule it a suicide from a prescription that Katie prescribed but the problem is Katie doesn't remember writing the prescription. This mystery keeps you guessing until the end. Is Katie losing her mind or is someone in her new town trying to set her up?
Dr. Katie LeClair joins a small family practice in Baxter, MI, after completing her residency. She enjoys the pace of the clinic she shares with her medical practice partners, a father and son team. Then, one night she is called to the emergency room to find one of her patients pronounced dead from an overdose of medicine she could not recall prescribing. After an autopsy determines that her patient was murdered Katie begins investigating.
This is a low key cozy with likable characters and a puzzling mystery. The twists and red herrings keep the pages turning and are well executed. However, the final resolution seems to be almost too complicated to believe. This is an easy read and hopefully provides the foundation for a new cozy series.
After finishing her residency in Ann Arbor, Katie LeClair has accepted a position at a small town in Michigan.. Called to the ER for her patient suspected of an overdose and possible suicide, she doesn't buy into the suicide theory. Small towns have a lot of secrets. As she looks into the circumstances of her patient's death, she gets warnings to mind her own business.
UNNATURAL CAUSES is an entertaining well-written mystery with a strong heroine.that I hope to meet again soon.
Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Publishers for the opportunity to read an advance copy in ed exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was unfamiliar with Dawn Eastman's work but wanted to read this book since it was set in Michigan. I grew up there and am always drawn to books that take place in various towns/cities there. I am extremely glad that I was selected to read this!
I enjoyed the book from the first page to the last. It was a light easy read that was suspenseful yet fun. It had everything a mystery should have. I cannot wait to read the next book about Dr. Katie!
After finishing her residency Katie LeClair decided that she would best fit in a small family practice getting to know her patients well instead of a high pressure job facing emergencies and surgeries daily. Katie found such a practice in the small town of Baxter, MI where she has been working for a few months now. However one night Katie receives a call that one of her patients has been rushed to the hospital of an apparent overdose so Katie immediately rushes over.
After arriving at the hospital Katie finds that the paramedics at the scene had found an empty bottle of pills that looked like Katie herself had prescribed but Katie has no memory of doing so. When her patient doesn’t make it that night Katie is sure there is more to the story than suicide since she would have had to have seen the signs. And just where did that bottle of pills come from? Katie knows something is up and decides to find out the truth of what she thinks could have likely been a murder.
Unnatural Causes by Dawn Eastman is the first book in the Dr. Katie LeClair Mystery series. By the look of the cover of this book I was sort of expecting a darker suspense read but this was a bit on the lighter side for a mystery. The author seems to have done several cozy mysteries before and you can certainly get that feel with this one so I would warn to expect more of a light read than the cover suggested.
When starting out with this book it didn’t take long to become interested in the story. I found that while Katie may be slightly hesitant and not quite so sure of herself as a doctor quite yet that it gave her sort of a naive charm that I liked as she found her way to the answers she needed. And with this book being set in a small town it became one that everyone seems to know everyone which is always a plus and the gossip around town helped Katie along in her investigation. After finding this one entertaining I’ll certainly be looking forward to seeing what happens in the future for Dr. Katie.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
Did Dr. Katie LeClair write the prescription for medication that killed a woman? What did the woman actually die from? Who wrote the prescription for the narcotic drugs? Katie and another Dr. named Matt try to solve the mystery before anyone else can die at the hospital they work at.
Katie LeClair has found herself a small practice in Baxter. The new doctor likes small town living, and Baxter appears to be the perfect place to start her new life. Things take in ugly turn when Katie is accused of writing a prescri=ption that led to the suicide of one of her patients. It’s a terrible blow, and Katie doesn’t even remember writing the prescription. While she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her patient and the idea that she may have somehow been to blame, authorities rule the death a homicide. Now instead of potentially losing her license, Katie is looking at spending the rest of her life in prison. Baxter is beginning to look far from idyllic as Katie rushes to prove her innocence by tracking down the real killer. This is the first book in a new series and I was really taken with Katie, as a heroine she is both strong and vulnerable, but at the same time no one’s fool. I also liked the location , the murky depths hidden beneath the surface of a sleepy little town