Katie LeClair has finally 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 she can call home, and a small town outside of Ann Arbor seemed perfect.Katie quickly gets to work in building a life for herself in Baxter, and beyond reviving her love life, she also finds a pair of business partners in a team of … team of father and son family practitioners. But that idyllic dream is immediately shattered when one of her patients is found dead. That wouldn’t be the worst thing, except the death is ruled a suicide, and as evidence has it, the suicide was a result of the medication Katie had prescribed. But she doesn’t remember writing it.
When a closer investigation reveals it was murder, Katie is catapulted into an off-the-books investigation that leads her down a dark path of past secrets. But someone is willing to kill to keep part of the town’s history in the shadows, and Katie must race to find out who before it’s too late in nationally bestselling author Dawn Eastman’s riveting series debut Unnatural Causes.
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I am going to rate this book as 4 stars. I would of loved a bit more heartbeat moments I guess you would call it. The story was good don’t get me wrong just not as fast passed as I would of liked it. The first part of the book you get to know Katie, the main character. You learn her past, so that when the book does take off you understand her pretty well. I do think that this series is worth a 2nd look and will be waiting for book 2.
Dr. Katie LeClair has finished her residency and has decided small town family practice is where she wants and needs to be. She takes a position as doctor in Baxter Michigan a small town outside of Ann Arbor living with her brother. Everything is going great until one of her patients is found dead. When the death is ruled suicide from a prescription medication she wrote the prescription for. Katie does not recall writing this prescription. When the death is changed from suicide to murder Katie decides to investigate and finds herself smack dab n the middle of the dark side of Baxter’s past that someone is tying to keep a secret.
A great first book in a new series… I am looking forward to following Dr. Katie on her life journey!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I originally stayed away from this book because of the suicide theme, but now that the holidays, anniversary of my son’s birth and death have passed I was able to read and enjoy the story.
Katie LeClair fresh out of residency has taken a job at a clinic in Baxter, Michigan. She has only been there a few months when one of her patients dies in the emergency room. Her death has been ruled a suicide by overdose. An overdose of a drug that was prescribed by Katie. The problem is Katie doesn’t remember writing a script for the woman. There is also no record of it in the patient’s file.
When the autopsy comes in it contains a couple of surprises, including that the patient was actually murdered. Due to the original suicide ruling evidence has been lost so Katie starts investigating on her own with some shocking discoveries. Discoveries that put Katie in danger. This unusual death could claim one more victim.
Katie LeClair is a dedicated physician that wants to give her patients the best possible care. Her partners are a father and son and together they share clinic and hospital duties. She meets a diverse group of people at the clinic needing all different types of care. She lives with her younger brother, a real computer genius. Together they are still dealing with the loss of their mother several years ago. Katie also meets another young doctor that could lead to a romantic relationship. Due to a freak event, she is also close to the Baxter police chief. All of these characters come together naturally and are very well written.
Ms. Eastman gives readers a very suspenseful story. There is a lot going on and the suspects were tangled together in so many ways. I think the police really made a blunder my labeling the death as a suicide before they had the autopsy report. Thankfully Katie was doing some digging initially on her own. Clues were dropped nicely for us readers to follow but I was still juggling suspects when the killer was revealed.
A subplot deals with a very relevant 2018 topic. I was impressed by the way this was handled.
I am a huge fan of Dawn Eastman’s stories. This story had a darker feel than her Family Fortune Mysteries, but I enjoyed it just a much. I love the way she tells a story.
Unnatural Causes by Dawn Eastman is the first book in A Dr. Katie LeClair Mystery series. Dr. Katie LeClair has joined the family practice of Dr.’s Emmett and Nick Hawkins (father and son) in Baxter, Michigan. She is called into the hospital when Ellen Riley is brought in from an overdose of diazepam (and Nick did not answer his page). The bottle states that Katie wrote the prescription, but she never issued it to Ellen. The police believe it is suicide, until Ellen’s daughter, Beth convinces them to take another look. Beth states that Ellen was stressed over research she had been conducting. Ellen had discovered something—did it get her killed? Katie wants answers and enlists her brother, Caleb to assist her. What was Ellen Riley researching and why did Nick not answer his page? Someone is not happy with Katie’s meddling and warns her off her search. Can Katie uncover the killer, or will she end up the next victim?
I thought Unnatural Causes was nicely written and had a good pace. The author establishes Katie’s background early in the story and I found her a likeable, relatable character. The transitions between scenes was smooth (nicely handled by author). There is a repetition of information that could have been eliminated. The same details do not need to be repeated throughout the book. There are two mysteries in the book and both can be solved. The murderer can be discerned early in the story. The why is slowly revealed as the story progresses. There are good clues that will aid readers in solving the mystery. It is slightly convoluted and there is a surprise that readers may not anticipate. There are several suspects and some nice misdirection. The secondary mystery (regarding Nick Hawkins) is interesting and a common problem in our society (unfortunately). The action ramps up in the last 12% of the story. There is a love interest for Katie in the story. I was glad that the romance element was light and not rushed. Unnatural Causes is different from Dawn Eastman’s A Family Fortune Mystery series. It shows the author’s versatility. Unnatural Causes has good bones, and I look forward to reading the next book in A Dr. Katie LeClair Mystery series.