A Fatal Twist by Tracy Weber is the fourth book in A Downward Dog Mystery series. Kate Davidson is the owner of Serenity Yoga in Seattle, Washington. Kate has also been busy training to be a doula to help her friend, Rene. Rene is expecting twins with her husband, Sam. Kate is at the open house of the Lake Washington Medical Center new birthing facility. After getting cake all over her top (thanks to Sam and Rene’s bickering), Kate heads to a restroom to clean up. Just as she is about to enter, Rachel Jones comes out clutching her red handbag to her chest. Rachel runs by Kate without a greeting. Upon entering the bathroom, Kate finds Dr. Richard Jones (known by most as Dr. Dick) on the floor with a knife sticking out of his chest. Dr. Dick lived up to his name with his philandering ways. Because of Kate’s testimony, Rachel is arrested for the murder leaving her sixteen-year-old daughter, Nicole in the care of Justine (friend of Rachel’s). Kate knows that Rachel did not murder her husband and sets out to find the real culprit. Kate has some new additions to her household. Michael, Kate’s boyfriend, brings home two puppies that he found outside his store, Pete’s Pets. Bella, Kate’s one hundred pound German Shepard, actually likes the little fellows. Soon, though, the destruction gets to be too much for Kate and Bella’s health takes a downward turn. Will Kate be able to find Dr. Jones’ killer and the person responsible for leaving the puppies outside Michael’s shop before Rene has her babies?

I found A Fatal Twist to be an easy read and a reader can enjoy it as a stand-alone novel. I found the two mysteries (the murder and the puppy issue) to be easy to solve. The identity of the killer can be figured out very early in the book (much to my disappointment). The puppy conundrum can also be solved before the answer is revealed in the story. I found A Fatal Twist to be packed with yoga, puppies, babies, lawsuits, cheaters, sleuthing, Bella’s stomach issues, and Kate’s bio breaks (leaving little room for the mystery). The reader is subjected to many details regarding Bella’s digestive condition (EPI). The details will have you reconsidering eating your next meal. I also found the frequent mention of “bio break’s” unnecessary. Does a reader really need to know every single time a character goes to the bathroom? I give A Fatal Twist 3 out of 5 stars. I found Kate to be a contradiction at times (and a hard character to like). Kate loves yoga, but has issues with hot yoga (you could not pay me enough to subject myself to hot yoga). Her reaction to the class seemed odd for this yoga lover. The book does contain descriptions of various yoga poses and different types of classes. If you have enjoyed the previous books in the series, then you will enjoy reading A Fatal Twist.

Kate can't catch a break! And if a killer is caught with her testimony, but it turns out she is not guilty, can Kate point the cops in the right direction? Unlike other amateur sleuth mysteries, this yoga guru has a respect for the abilities of the local police, but even Kate is worried that with damning evidence right in front of them, a killer could go free if the police stop looking.

In a good cozy, the reader learns a skill or some technical aspect of a theme, maybe gets some delicious recipes. With Tracy Weber we get an abundance of education while having fun.
from the dilemmas surrounding childbirth, to the troubles new puppies can create, to dealing with suspicious and sarcastic teens. though bad relationships, hot, smelly yoga practices and more - plus throw in a murder. The action and troubles seem to never cease.

Tracy Weber keeps our interest up, our lunch down, and ties it all together even when there are more suspects with every turn of page. Whether or not you have read the previous books in this series, you don't want to miss this one. Kate Davidson is not a perfect heroine but her dedication can not be questioned.

I have greatly enjoyed this series and following the antics of Bella and Kate and this book did not disappoint. I love seeing how Kate interacts with Bella and in this story there are two foster puppies as well. Bella like many older dogs does not like this intrusion into her home and reading about the situations they find themselves in is quite entertaining.
Also there is the little situation of murder going on. Kate has agreed to be a doula for her friend and one of the doctors turns up dead. Kate works to figure out what happened and finds out all kinds of things about the doctor that makes it difficult to narrow the suspects down to one all while taking care of the dogs and working at her yoga studio.
A great read and recommended to anyone who likes a good cozy mystery.
I received a copy of the book from the author, but the review is entirely my own.

What a delightful book! This is the first book I've read in this series, and Tracy Weber's name is definitely going on my "must read" author list!!!! A FATAL TWIST is one of the funniest mysteries I've read in a long tome. At the same time, it dealt with enough serious issues to be a good choice for a book group. I've read a number of mysteries involving yoga, but Webers deep understanding of the subject made many of them seem trivial in comparison. I can hardly wait for Kate and her gang's next adventure!!!

Puppies and babies, who could ask for more? Solving a mystery...even better. Then add some yoga and Weber has brought together a spell binding combination that anyone would love to read.

A Fatal Twist
A Downward Dog Mystery, Book #4
Tracy Weber
5+ Stars

Synopsis:

Yoga instructor Kate Davidson’s life takes a chaotic turn once she agrees to not only be the doula for her pregnant best friend, but also play foster mother to two puppies. The chaos only gets worse when Kate finds the dead body of a philandering fertility doctor and Rachel, one of her yoga students, fleeing the scene.

Kate is convinced her student is innocent, and she sets out to find the real killer before her testimony condemns Rachel to a life behind bars. But her hands are full with caring for three dogs, teaching yoga classes, and gaining an unexpected crime-solving partner. If she’s not careful, Kate’s next yoga pose may be a fatal one. (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well rounded, well developed and three dimensional. I just love Kate. She is a hard working, caring woman who is loyal to her friends and would do anything to help them in a time of need. But she also has a temper, that she is trying to control, and does not like for people to tell her what to do. But that is okay, these traits just make her seem more real to me. She is flawed, just like all of us are. Reading about the interaction between Kate and her best friend, Rene, and Rene’s husband, Sam, had me laughing out loud. The bickering and bantering between them was very entertaining. I loved reading about the relationship between Kate and Bella, her German Shepard. There is not anything that Kate would not do for Bella, and Bella feels the same way about Kate. You can tell that the author is a real animal lover. Add two little puppies that get into all kinds of trouble, and who are real Houdini’s, and you have all the ingredients for mischief and mayhem. I loved all of the characters, both the two legged and four legged ones, and in my opinion, that makes this book stand out in the best possible way.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and and through much of the book, I felt like I was right there, watching all of the action taking place around me. She is also very talented in creating suspense with just the written word. There were enough suspects to consider and plenty of twists and turns to make figuring out the killer nearly impossible. I did not figure it out until it was revealed at the end.

I would recommend this book (and series) to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy. If I could, I would give it more than five stars. If you are looking for a book that has great characters, laugh out loud moments and lots of adorable fur babies, then this is the book for you. If you have not read the first three books, what are you waiting for.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Midnight Ink for the opportunity to read and review this book.