Murder Strikes a Pose

A Downward Dog Mystery

By: Tracy Weber

Narrated by: Anne James

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Seattle yoga instructor Kate Davidson often acts more like a champion fighting rooster than the Dalai Lama. When she's not teaching yoga, she spends her time hiding from her creepy landlord and dodging her best friend's relentless matchmaking attempts. Even though her father was a cop, Kate has zero crime fighting aspirations. She has enough trouble keeping her struggling yoga business afloat while trying to live up to yoga's Zen-like expectations.

Then she stumbles over a body in the studio's parking lot.

The police dismiss the murder as drug-related street crime, but Kate knows that George - a homeless alcoholic she had befriended-was no drug dealer. And if the police won't take his murder seriously, she'll just have to solve the crime herself. After all, "Drunk Dies in Drug Deal Gone Bad at Yoga Studio" isn't exactly the free publicity she's been hoping for.

Kate stretches herself and takes on two new challenges. First, solve George's murder. Second, find someone-anyone-willing to adopt his intimidating, horse-sized German shepherd, Bella, before Animal Control sends her to the big dog park in the sky.

But with Bella's time almost up and the murderer hot on her trail, Kate will have to work fast. Or the next time she practices Corpse Pose, it may be for real.

©2014 Midnight Ink (P)2016 Tracy Weber

A great start to the series

What made the experience of listening to Murder Strikes a Pose the most enjoyable?

The plot was gently paced but I would have liked the investigative parts to be a little bit more exciting and suspenseful. There were a lot of phone calls and visiting people to talk to them- all very realistic but not very dramatic.
I wasn't expecting the story to focus on the dog more than the murder mystery but I still enjoyed it. I could relate to the owner's love for his dog and wanting to do everything he could for her. Growing up, my much loved King Charles Spaniel had EPI, just like Bella, and I empathised with that entire story line.

I am interested to see what mysteries the pair solve in the future and so this is one series that I will be happy to continue reading/listening to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I preferred to listen to this book in a few sittings.

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

A marvelous time was had by all

(I was gifted this audiobook by the author in exchange for an honest review. I am also part of her street tean. However, in no way did this affect my honest review)

I love audiobooks when they are unabridged ( or if they are then the author needs to be the performer), however, it's been a while since I've listened to one so entertaining! That in part is because of the choice of narrator. Between Anne James performance of Tracy Weber's wonderful introduction to this series, I was lost in the moment as I learned a little more about yoga and just how sleazy some people are.

As for Bella...she stole the show without so much as a "woof". Highly recommended

Murder Strikes a Pose

Any additional comments?

Good start to a series. This was just an enjoyable, light, fun and entertaining cozy mystery. A good story with a mixture of mystery, romance, suspense. Overall an enjoyable listen.

Interesting cast of characters. Both good and bad. Kate for the most part was a likable character. Occasionally though she seemed to have anger issues and lack common sense at times. You can't help but fall for Bella.

Anne James did a really good job with the narration. Pleasant voice. Easy to listen to for long periods of time. Clearly spoken with a nice even pace. Good character voices. Very enjoyable

I was given this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher at my request and voluntarily provided this review.

SUPER READ

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

YES. if you like stories about dogs and mystery this book fills the bill.

What did you like best about this story?

getting to know the characters and the ending

What about Anne James’s performance did you like?

excellent way in which she brought each character to life

Any additional comments?

I received this audio-book freely from the author/narrator or publisher and am freely offering my unbiased review freely.

Fun Cozy Mystery

I am new to this series and this author and I wasn't disappointed. I enjoyed reading about the characters and loved the setting. It did drag a bit and Kate made a few unwise choices, but, other than that, I really enjoyed this book and hope to see the rest of the series made available through Audible.

Enjoyable

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked when Bella pulled Kate down the embankment.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed listening to this book and finished it in two days by playing it every chance I got. I found it amusing how Bella and Kate trained each other and learned from each other. It took me a while to figure out who did it and why and I really liked how the author set things up and helped you to bit by bit put things together. I also liked the narrator and how she did the different voices for the characters. Fun listening for mystery and dog lovers alike. I received a copy of this book from the author to listen and review.

Nice Lite airy Mystery

Well narrated, perfect length with a satisfying ending. My only critiques would be the hint of a soap box concerning special needs dogs and the thrill of Yoga. Oh, and there were a few times I wanted to shake the protagonist and yell, "Don't do that!!" All in all though Murder Strikes a Pose: A Downward Dog Mystery, left me with a smile...just what it was supposed to.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audio-book by the author, narrator, or publisher and wish to thank them.

Loved the idea of this book

Any additional comments?

I loved the concept of this book. A murder mystery involving a yoga studio, a yoga instructor, and a dog. What a unique combination!

I liked the story enough but had no love for the main character, Katie. She was a bit hard to take--judgemental, temperamental, never wrong.

You can tell from the narration who the bad guy is early on (or at least, I did) so for me, most of the story dealt in the selfishness that was Katie. I had my fill of her pretty early on but kept with the story because of the good narration.

I won't be following this series but I will keep the narrator on my radar.

Funny, Realistic Characters, and a Mystery!

First a caveat. I hadn't listened to an audio book for several months. In the beginning, I couldn't reconcile the words I was reading to what I was hearing. I closed the book and a beautiful world of colors, places, people, emotions, conversions and actions burst forth in my head. It was wonderful!

The author's words and the narrator's voice combined into an intricate story. It held a great plotline with highly developed character studies. The mystery kept me guessing until it was revealed. I am definitely trying, not only more audio books, but more work by this author.

Great Book!

Any additional comments?

This is a great book; this is the first book in the Downward Dog Mystery series written by Tracy Weber and narrated by Anne James. Kate Davidson is a yoga instructor in Seattle. When she's not teaching yoga, she spends her time hiding from her creepy landlord and dodging her best friend's relentless matchmaking attempts. Even though her father was a cop, Kate has zero crime fighting aspirations. She has enough trouble keeping her struggling yoga business afloat while trying to live up to yoga's Zen-like expectations. Then she stumbles over a body in the studio's parking lot. The police dismiss the murder as drug-related street crime, but Kate knows that George, a homeless alcoholic she had befriended-was no drug dealer. And if the police won't take his murder seriously, she'll just have to solve the crime herself.

The narrator Anne James did a wonderful job with this book. She did a great job with the different voices of each character in this book. It was very easy to listen to in one sitting and I didn’t want to stop listening until the end.

If you are looking for a great book with well-developed characters then you need to listen to this book. I am looking forward to listening to the next book by this author and narrator.

A Review copy was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. The free book held no determination on my personal review