A Fatal Twist by Tracy Weber

I wasn't familiar with the Downward Dog mysteries before being given an opportunity to review "A Fatal Twist", and I plan to check out more of the series. As I read it, the book appealed to me because a) I love animals, b) I struggled to become a mom, and c) I enjoy, but am not all that good at, yoga. Sounds like an odd combination of topics, but Tracy Weber combines them effectively in this entertaining mystery. Main character Kate Davidson has a lot on her plate: she's a yoga instructor who's trained to become a doula for a friend about to have twins, she owns a large German shepherd with digestive issues, and she suddenly finds herself with two more puppies on her hands thanks to her boyfriend Michael (or, to be precise, thanks to the person who left them in a box for him to find). On top of all this, she becomes embroiled in solving the mystery of a prominent fertility doctor's murder after his wife -- one of her yoga students -- is arrested for the crime. There are a lot of moving parts in this well-written cozy, but it never feels cluttered or disorganized. The author keeps the story going at a good pace, yet ensures the resolution of each of the elements is satisfying. I enjoyed the rescue of the puppies' mother and how the perfect homes were found for all three -- between that and the eventual birth of the twins Kate helps deliver, I got a little teary at the end of the book. However, there's also plenty of humor throughout. I liked watching the friendship develop between Kate and Michael's employee Tiffany -- the latter turned out to be smarter and less self-involved than she seemed at the beginning of the book. They really did make an entertaining Thelma-and-Louise-type investigative team. And the revelation of the killer was one I didn't see coming. It turned out not to be who I'd expected, and I actually had some empathy for the perpetrator. I'll look forward to reading future books in this series -- it will be fun to see what happens when Kate and Michael decide to start a family, especially after her doula experience. I didn't have as strong a sense of Michael's character in this book as I'd have liked; hopefully, that will be fleshed out through other installments.