Karma's a Killer

A Downward Dog Mystery

By: Tracy Weber

Narrated by: Anne James

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

When Seattle yoga teacher Kate Davidson agrees to teach doga (yoga for dogs) at a fundraiser for a local animal shelter, she believes the only damage will be to her reputation. But a few downward-facing dogs are the least of Kate’s problems when an animal rights protest at the event leads to a suspicious fire and a drowning.

The police arrest Dharma, a woman claiming to be Kate’s estranged mother, and charge her with murder. To prove Dharma’s innocence, Kate, her boyfriend, Michael, and her German shepherd sidekick, Bella, dive deeply into the worlds of animal activism and organizational politics. As they investigate the dangerous obsessions that drive these groups, Kate and her sleuthing team discover that when it comes to murder, there’s no place like hOMe.

Praise:

"Weber's clever assemblage of suspects is eliminated one by one in her entertaining novel." (RT Book Reviews)

"[Weber's] characters are likeable and amusing, the background is interesting, and the story is ultimately satisfying." (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)

"A wonderful story for dog lovers, with the other human characters being just as likeable." (Suspense Magazine)

"Weber keeps readers guessing and populates the action with plenty of kooky characters." (Mystery Scene)

"Karma's a Killer continues Tracy Weber's charming series." (The Seattle Times)

"Crazy, quirky critters and their odd, yet utterly relatable human counterparts, make Karma's a Killer an appealing story. But when you add the keep-you-guessing mystery with both laugh out loud one liners and touching moments of pure poignancy the result is a truly great book!" (Laura Morrigan, national best-selling author of the Call of the Wilde mystery series)

©2016 Tracy Weber (P)2018 Tracy Weber

Animal Rescue, Yoga, and Murder

Any additional comments?

Kate Davidson has agreed to teach a Doga Class (Dog Yoga) at a fundraiser for a no-kill animal shelter that her boyfriend Michael was hosting. During her Doga Class, a group of protesters going by the name HEAT showed up protesting animal ownership. Later one of the member’s of HEAT showed up at Kate’s yoga studio claiming to be Kate’s long-lost mother Dharma. Shortly after Dharma is accused of murder another one of HEAT’s members. Kate decided she couldn’t let Dharma go to jail without trying to clear her.

Kate and her German Shepard Bella have really come along way since the first book. Bella still has her issues but Kate with Michael’s help has made great strides with Bella’s health. I really enjoyed how all of the characters have become more complex with each book. I love that this series helps to promote pet adoption and animal rehabilitation. The mystery is well developed with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guess which suspect was the murderer.

I listened to the audio version of this book. The Narrator Anne James is wonderful with her accents and diction. You have no problem distinguishing between the characters. She has great pace and timing which is a great asset to the story.

I recommend this book to anyone that loves animals, yoga, and cozy mysteries. If you can get the audiobook you will be in for a great listening treat.

I received a copy of this book from the Author in hopes I would give a review. This did not influence my thoughts in any way. All the opinions of the book are honest and my own.

An Awesome Listen

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review, and found it very enjoyable. A fund raiser for a local animal rescue goes terribly wrong and Kate, the yoga instructor, is right in the middle of it. Kate struggles to deal with new knowledge about her past as she tries to solve a murder. Chaos and humor is the result in this delightful tale that is filled with unique and interesting characters.

I'm hooked

This is my first Tracy Weber book and I'm hooked. Miss Weber gives her characters depth and feeling. She writes in such a way that you can actually feel the environment around you. The mystery is thought out and keeps the readers attention. If you're an animal lover, Miss Weber's books are a great fit. She is a animal lover and that shows in the way she includes the animals in her stories. I may just even learned a bit about Yoga from reading this fun mystery.

Murder, Animal Rescue, and Dog Yoga

Tracy Weber's books pull me in from the very beginning. Must be a dog thing, as I'm not a yoga person. I found the one liner's to be laugh out loud funny. Some of the characters were so endearing while others were not. I found myself rooting for some of the birds too! I loved how the author wrote some very unexpected twists in the book. Anne James did a great performance with the various characters and their distinguishable voices. I like how this book is both a standalone listen and has characters from the previous books in it. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review. I will definitely listen to more books by this author and narrator.

Karma's A Killer

Karma’s A Killer by Tracy Weber is the third book in the Downward Dog series. I requested to review this book as I believed it was unnecessary to read the series in order as each book focuses on a different mystery. However, on completing this installment I feel it would have been best if I had read the books in order, as this would have provided me with better insight into the development of the main character.

This book failed my expectations. When I hear the term cozy mystery, I am expecting a small town mystery mixed with humour and served with a side of romance/love interest. Well, humour permeated the story, the love interest had developed significantly, but the mystery was severely lacking. This installment focused on the principles of yoga and the drama surrounding the characters while the murder mystery played a minor role in the whole scheme of things. There was so much yoga in this book that even the dogs were learning yoga.

My favourite character was not the protagonist but her best friend Renee who was the life of the story. She had me in stitches for most of the story. I enjoyed watching Kate build a relationship with her mother even though it was not under the best of circumstances. There were instances, however, when I found Kate’s actions frustrating. Her refusal to communicate with her boyfriend about issues, which affected her and would ultimately affect their relationship.

Despite it playing a minor role, I thought it was well done. Figuring out the identity of the villain did not come easy. I figured it out the same time Kate and Renee did, which occurred near to the end of the story.

I took some time to get through the story. I believe this was due to the slow pacing and the minor role the solving of the mystery played in the story. Added to that, the yoga principles and terms went over my head.
Narration
This is my first time listening to Anne James and I would definitely listen to her again. She did a great job in bringing the characters to life. Her narration of the characters’ voices were distinct, making it easy to identify each of the characters.

Conclusion/Recommendation
Overall, I found this to be an average read, but I believe it could have been much better. Fans of cozy mysteries may want to try this book.

I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobookworm Promotions. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

A fun look into Kate’s past!

This was my favorite book of the series! There is a lot more depth to Kate, we learn a lot about her past which ties a lot of things together. There is a surprise guest who shows up & rocks Kate’s world. There are also some interesting twists & turns along the way too, and I didn’t suspect the killer at all! The narration was great & it was all around a very fun listen! I was given a review copy & gave my honest review

Love it.

Another great story in this series. This is the second book i have read in this series. I actually started with book 2. I look forward to going back to read book 1. This book kept my attention throughout the story. The narration was great as well. I received this book as a gift in exchange for an honest review.

Such relaxing and funny stories

I really love how this narrator narrates these books. It's so relaxing to let go and listen. Almost like doing yoga. I love how the author incorporates humor into her stories. Dharma is Kate's mother and comes on the scene. I was a little surprised but happy. I liked learning their back story so hopefully she will become a part of this series like Dale the lawyer turned goat rancher. The killer made sense once reavleaed. Wasn't whom I thought it was. This story wouldn't be what it is without Kate's side kicks Rene and Bella. I love those 2 characters.

Fundraising is hard in and of itself but add dog yoga to the mix and shake it up with a rabbit and you've got a hilarious side story. Kate learns the hard way about dog sitting Dale's Jack Russell Terrior omg that was hilarious. Wanna know what happened, you'll just have to listen. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

fun cozy mystery

I had fun with the cozy mystery presented here, but I can't help but wonder if I was missing somethings about our little detective. Kate Davidson was a yoga instructor. For whom? I'll let you find that out. But there was more to her. I would have liked to made a real connection with her. This book did not do that connection any justice.

The mystery itself and the way things got solved was on the other hand entertaining. I was lured in by the cozy mystery sub text, but if I go from what I know of cozy mysteries this one missed the mark on a few of the key elements. Witt. Charm. Humor. And more. I was wanting to have the lead carry things to the level of cozy mystery connection. She was not the humor of the story. She was not even the charm. She was on the one hand surrounded by those that supported her character with the things she was missing.

Anne James was a good narrator for the cozy mystery genre. She had elements in her voice that carried the characters and the setting just right. The clarity and distinction of the various characters made for an easier listen. There was not trying to figure out who was saying what.

Fun dogie mystery

Would you listen to Karma's a Killer again? Why?

Yes but not for awhile it is a good effort at humor for dog lovers and those who would enjoy a light mystery.

What did you like best about this story?

The overall funny tone to the story.... it is not difficult to digest for a dog or a human.

Have you listened to any of Anne James’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No ..... but she is a pro she did a good job.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Its Yoga time for dogs.

Any additional comments?

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.