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First review of the year: Dr. Nightingale Comes Home by Lydia Adamson

Genre: Mystery, cosy
Year of publication: 1994
No. in series: 1
Series detective: Dr. Deirdre “Didi” Quinn Nightingale, veterinarian
Type of mystery: Murder
Type of investigator: Amateur
Setting & time: Rural New York state, contemporary

A good friend of Didi’s is found dead, apparently mauled to death by wild dogs. His mistress claims he was murdered, but disappears before Didi can persuade her to reveal why she thinks so. By examining the crime scene photos and coroner’s report through the perspective of a vet, Didi realises that he must have been murdered, but has a hard time convincing the police that she is right, so she ends up investigating the case on her own.

This is a pretty solid cosy murder mystery with a nicely thought out plot with some unexpected twists and red herrings. The writing is plain and straightforward and gets the story across without going into flourishes of language, and the main characters are interesting. A promising start to a series – I will definitely be on the lookout for more Dr. Nightingale books.
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