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WORK TITLE: Unnatural Causes
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://dawneastman.com/
CITY:
STATE: IA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
Married with a son and daughter; http://dawneastman.com/blog/; https://www.facebook.com/DawnEastmanAuthor/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2015025870
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2015025870
HEADING: Eastman, Dawn
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008 150225n| azannaabn |n aaa c
010 __ |a no2015025870
035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca10097499
040 __ |a IAhCCS |b eng |e rda |c IAhCCS
100 1_ |a Eastman, Dawn
370 __ |e Iowa
372 __ |a Detective and mystery stories |2 lcsh
374 __ |a Authors |2 lcsh
375 __ |a female
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a Eastman, Dawn. Be careful what you witch for, 2014: |b title page (Dawn Eastman)
670 __ |a Author’s web-site, Feb. 25, 2015 |b (After many years in Michigan, I now live in Iowa with my husband, son and daughter. When I’m not writing or chauffeuring kids, I keep busy catering to the whims of a bossy bichon-shih tzu mix who wants to rule the world.) |u http://dawneastman.com/author-bio/
PERSONAL
Married; children: one daughter, one son.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Dawn Eastman has built a career for herself within the fiction publishing industry as a writer. On her personal website, she explained that she has long held an interest in mystery novels. She has published several mystery novels of her own, such as An Unhappy Medium, Be Careful What You Witch For, and Pall in the Family.
Unnatural Causes is the start of a series of novels written by Eastman. The novel stars the titular Katie LeClair, who finds herself in the middle of a horrifying mystery. Katie has recently made the move to Baxter, Michigan, a small town, following her decision to break free from her bustling medical career in the city. With her new home comes a position at the community’s clinic. Katie is grateful for the move; her old life in the city had grown too turbulent to bear, and life in Baxter represents the sense of peace she craves. However, her arrival to the town proves to be anything but peaceful.
After mere months, Katie rushes into work on an emergency call. Ellen, a patient that has come under her care, has taken a sudden and sharp turn for the worst after ingesting a toxic amount of medication. Despite the clinic’s best efforts, Ellen does not survive, and her passing is determined to be a suicide. While this new is tragic enough, Katie soon learns of even more unsettling news: the medication Ellen used to supposedly end her life was supplied to her by Katie via prescription. What’s worse is Katie never filled out the order for Ellen—or, if she did, she can’t recall the date or the details of it happening. The only real evidence of Katie’s involvement is her name, which is stamped onto the pill bottle Ellen ingested. Katie is devastated by Ellen’s death, as Ellen was one of the few people in Baxter that she had begun getting to know on a more personal level.
As new details emerge, Katie finds her suspicions rapidly growing. When autopsy specialists conduct further investigation on Ellen’s death, they realize that a completely different medication caused her demise, and it may have entered her system through nefarious means. The authorities soon begin to hunt for the real culprit. Katie becomes determined to get to the bottom of the circumstances of Ellen’s death, and decides to join Beth, the daughter of Ellen, in cracking the case. Katie also enlists help from Caleb, her brother, who is highly technologically skilled.
In the process of unveiling the truth surrounding Ellen’s demise, Katie stumbles upon a myriad of discoveries. One of them involves one of her work colleagues, Nick, whose conduct at work seems to be following a dangerous and sinister pattern. It was Nick’s turn to handle on call duties around the time that Ellen passed away. What’s worse is many of the patients Nick cares for wind up with easy access to powerful drugs for seemingly no reason. On top of this, Katie finds herself in the midst of a burgeoning relationship with another coworker by the name of Dr. Gregor. Dr. Gregor seems to return Katie’s feelings, but the wounds from Katie’s past—and her old life in the city—are still too raw for her to accept any opportunities to revive her love life.
As Katie begins to gather more and more evidence and clues, she finds her own life may be in danger as well. She’ll have to act fast to reveal the reality behind Ellen’s death, or else she may meet the same terrible fate as her late patient. One Publishers Weekly reviewer stated: “Readers will look forward to seeing more of the appealing Katie.” On the self-titled Michael Thomas Barry website, Michael Thomas Barry remarked: “A highly recommended read, Unnatural Causes will engage anyone wanting a simple straight forward mystery and in Dr. Katie LeClair, Dawn Eastman has created a strong and appealing new heroine to the thriller mystery genre.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews commented: “In a change from her psychic series … Eastman introduces a strong new heroine who has her hands full with a large cast of potential killers.” Jenn Z, a writer on the That’s What She’s Reading blog, called Unnatural Causes “a fast-paced and engrossing start to a series that I will definitely be on the look out for as more books come out.” On the My Reading Journeys blog, Grantham Lynn wrote: “This was a great read.” They added: “The character(s) are fun to get to know.” A reviewer on the dru’s book musings blog said: “This is a great debut series and I can’t wait to see what adventures await Katie and her circle of friends.” A contributor to the Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh my! blog remarked: “The author does a great job of giving you information that can make you think one thing when it was something else.” A writer on the Kittling: Books blog said: “Unnatural Causes is well-written and does have an appealing main character, so don’t be afraid to give it a try.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, October 2, 2017, review of Unnatural Causes, p. 118.
ONLINE
Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh my!, https://www.booksmoviesreviewsohmy.com/ (December 14, 2017), review of Unnatural Causes.
Dawn Eastman Website, http://dawneastman.com (March 14, 2018), author profile.
dru’s book musings, https://drusbookmusing.com/ (December 3, 2017), review of Unnatural Causes.
Kirkus Reviews, https://www.kirkusreviews.com/ (September 18, 2017), review of Unnatural Causes.
Kittling: Books, http://www.kittlingbooks.com/ (December 13, 2017), review of Unnatural Causes.
Michael Thomas Barry, https://www.michaelthomasbarry.com (December 12, 2017), review of Unnatural Causes.
My Reading Journeys, http://myreadingjourneys.blogspot.com/ (December 15, 2017), review of Unnatural Causes.
New York Journal of Books, https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/ (March 22, 2018), Michael Thomas Barry, review of Unnatural Causes.
Penguin Random House Website, https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/ (March 14, 2018), author profile.
That’s What She’s Reading, http://www.thatswhatshesreading.com/ (December 19, 2017), Jenn Z, review of Unnatural Causes.
Dawn Eastman lived in Michigan for many years, in a house full of animals, unusual people, and laughter. She now lives in Iowa with her family and one extremely bossy small dog. She is the national bestselling author of The Family Fortune Mystery Series, which features psychics, animal communication, quirky characters and murders.
www.DawnEastman.com
Dawn Eastman
Good reason for you buy essays online
When I was ten years old, my two favorite things were climbing trees and reading. As a bonus, I discovered if I combined the two, I could hide from my mother when she wanted me to clean my room. Nancy Drew and I spent many afternoons solving crimes and avoiding chores. Eventually, I moved on to Hercule Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, and Stephanie Plum. I improved my housework-dodging ploys.
After many years in Michigan, I now live in Iowa with my husband, son and daughter. When I’m not writing or chauffeuring kids, I keep busy catering to the whims of a bossy bichon-shih tzu mix who wants to rule the world.
Dawn Eastman
D E
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dawn Eastman is the national bestselling author of the Family Fortune mysteries, including An Unhappy Medium, A Fright to the Death, Be Careful What You Witch For, and Pall in the Family. She lived in Michigan for many years in a house full of animals, unusual people, and laughter. She now lives in Iowa with her husband, son, daughter, and one extremely bossy small dog.
Print Marked Items
Unnatural Causes: A Dr. Katie LeClair
Mystery
Publishers Weekly.
264.40 (Oct. 2, 2017): p118.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Unnatural Causes: A Dr. Katie LeClair Mystery
Dawn Eastman. Crooked Lane, $26.99
(288p) ISBN 978-1-68331-313-7
At the start of this solid series launch from Eastman (An Unhappy Medium), Dr. Katie LeClair, who has
settled fresh from her residency into a family clinic in rural Baxter, Mich., is summoned to the local
community hospital, where she discovers that a patient of hers, Ellen Riley, is close to death after an
overdose. Katie is horrified to learn that the medication Ellen overdosed on was prescribed by her, but she
has no memory of prescribing it. After Ellen's death, the police rule it a homicide. Despite warnings from
police chief John Larson, Katie sets out to discover who wanted Ellen dead, with the help of her computerwhiz
brother. Could a fellow doctor have been the culprit? Danger mounts as Katie looks into the problems
at the clinic and discovers that even the most tranquil small town has a dark side. Readers will look forward
to seeing more of the appealing Katie. Agent: Sharon Bowers, Miller Bowers Griffin Literary Management.
(Dec.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Unnatural Causes: A Dr. Katie LeClair Mystery." Publishers Weekly, 2 Oct. 2017, p. 118. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A509728426/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=958004a6.
Accessed 5 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A509728426
Review of Unnatural Causes by Dawn Eastman
Category: Book Reviews / Tag: author Dawn Eastman, Crooked Lane Books, new fiction mystery thrillers, New York Journal of Books, review of Unnatural Causes / Add Comment
Author: Dawn Eastman
Release date: December 12, 2017
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Pages: 288
Buy the book from Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Unnatural-Causes-Katie-LeClair-Mystery/dp/1683313135/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513103473&sr=8-1&keywords=dawn+eastman
Dr. Katie LeClair has agreed to join the small town medical practice of Emmett and Nick Hawkins in the small town of Baxter, Michigan. After years of moving, schooling, and training, she wants nothing more than to settle down in a place she can call home.
Katie quickly gets to work in building a life for herself in Baxter. But three months into her new employment Katie’s embroiled in controversy when Ellen Riley, one of her patients, commits suicide by overdosing on prescription medication. The only hitch is that Katie knows that she did not prescribe the medicine and is bewildered as to how her name could have ended up on the bottle of pills. Riley’s family is certain that Ellen would never kill herself but police are convinced that suicide was the cause of death.
“It felt like a kick in the gut. Katie had seen many deaths, but Ellen’s felt Personal. She had known and liked Ellen Riley. The tentative friendship that they’d begun had made Katie feel like she might actually fit in Baxter.”
An autopsy changes the whole scenario when it’s discovered that Riley died from an injected overdose of Demerol and not the pills as previously thought. Never been one to stand on the sidelines, Katie joins the victim’s daughter in searching for the truth. They both believe this is a case of murder and not suicide.
“It was always a struggle to convey her concerns without violating privacy laws. In the past, not ever saying the patient’s name had been good enough. But in a small town like Baxter, the news would be in the public domain before morning. She focused on the two things that bothered her the most: the idea of the suicide itself and the fact she didn’t remember writing the prescription that led to Ellen’s death.”
Katie soon realizes that her medical training as a doctor although improbable might possibly blend well with the skills needed to solve the mystery of what happened to her friend. As Katie delves deeper and deeper into the case, she uncovers dark secrets that someone doesn’t want exposed.
Overall, Unnatural Causes is a well written mystery thriller which is filled with plenty of suspense, a touch of romance, and thoroughly engaging characters. Eastman’s writing style is smooth and effective, and the plotline effortlessly evolves through numerous twists and turns while keeping the reader guessing right up to the very end.
A highly recommended read, Unnatural Causes will engage anyone wanting a simple straight forward mystery and in Dr. Katie LeClair, Dawn Eastman has created a strong and appealing new heroine to the thriller mystery genre. Dr. LeClair will most certainly have her hands full of potential killers and a cadre of mysteries to solve in novels yet to come.
Michael Thomas Barry’s most recent book is In the Company of Evil: Thirty Years of California Crime, 1950–1980. He is the author of six other nonfiction books and is a columnist for CrimeMagazine.com.
Review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on December 12, 2017 – https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/unnatural-causes
A murder allows a doctor to hone detective skills as logical as they are improbable.
Dr. Katie LeClair has joined the father-son medical team of Emmett and Nick Hawkins in small-town Michigan. Ellen Riley, one of her patients, has been rushed to the hospital, where she dies from an apparent overdose of diazepam. The doctor in charge is Matt Gregor, who tells her the prescription for diazepam had Katie’s name on it. Unless she’s losing her mind, though, Katie knows she didn’t write it. Both Ellen’s daughter, Beth, and her second husband, Christopher, were unaware that she was taking any drugs and are certain she didn’t kill herself. Unfortunately for police chief John Carlson, the whole affair seemed so obvious that Ellen’s home was not treated as a crime scene. But an autopsy showing that she died from an overdose of injected Demerol changes the picture. Katie, agreeing to help Beth look into the death, finds that the skills she’s learned to diagnose diseases are remarkably similar to those a detective needs. Although she’s barely gotten over an affair gone wrong, she finds herself attracted to Dr. Gregor, who shows signs of reciprocal interest. In truth, Katie barely has time for a love life between hunting for clues to Ellen’s murder and trying to keep up at the clinic in the frequent absences of Nick, who was supposed to be on call the night of the murder. Searching the files for information on prescriptions and taking on Nick’s pain clinic, Katie realizes that there are discrepancies in the drug supply and that many of Nick’s patients seem to be getting prescriptions for painkillers they don’t need. The best clue she has may be Ellen’s disproportionate interest in researching color blindness. But how can she fit that into a scenario for murder?
In a change from her psychic series (An Unhappy Medium, 2016, etc.), Eastman introduces a strong new heroine who has her hands full with a large cast of potential killers.
Dr. Katie LeClair has agreed to join the small town medical practice of Emmett and Nick Hawkins in the small town of Baxter, Michigan. After years of moving, schooling, and training, she wants nothing more than to settle down in a place she can call home.
Katie quickly gets to work in building a life for herself in Baxter. But three months into her new employment Katie’s embroiled in controversy when Ellen Riley, one of her patients, commits suicide by overdosing on prescription medication. The only hitch is that Katie knows that she did not prescribe the medicine and is bewildered as to how her name could have ended up on the bottle of pills. Riley’s family is certain that Ellen would never kill herself but police are convinced that suicide was the cause of death.
“It felt like a kick in the gut. Katie had seen many deaths, but Ellen’s felt Personal. She had known and liked Ellen Riley. The tentative friendship that they’d begun had made Katie feel like she might actually fit in Baxter.”
An autopsy changes the whole scenario when it’s discovered that Riley died from an injected overdose of Demerol and not the pills as previously thought. Never been one to stand on the sidelines, Katie joins the victim's daughter in searching for the truth. They both believe this is a case of murder and not suicide.
“It was always a struggle to convey her concerns without violating privacy laws. In the past, not ever saying the patient’s name had been good enough. But in a small town like Baxter, the news would be in the public domain before morning. She focused on the two things that bothered her the most: the idea of the suicide itself and the fact she didn’t remember writing the prescription that led to Ellen’s death.”
Katie soon realizes that her medical training as a doctor although improbable might possibly blend well with the skills needed to solve the mystery of what happened to her friend. As Katie delves deeper and deeper into the case, she uncovers dark secrets that someone doesn’t want exposed.
Overall, Unnatural Causes is a well written mystery thriller which is filled with plenty of suspense, a touch of romance, and thoroughly engaging characters. Eastman’s writing style is smooth and effective, and the plotline effortlessly evolves through numerous twists and turns while keeping the reader guessing right up to the very end.
A highly recommended read, Unnatural Causes will engage anyone wanting a simple straight forward mystery and in Dr. Katie LeClair, Dawn Eastman has created a strong and appealing new heroine to the thriller mystery genre. Dr. LeClair will most certainly have her hands full of potential killers and a cadre of mysteries to solve in novels yet to come.
While I went into this story with the impression that it was going to be darker, it was ultimately a good, solid mystery that set the stage for a series that I am very much looking forward to continuing on with! It's light-hearted and low key enough for any mystery lover, but filled with more suspense and tension to set it above more traditional cozys.
I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the small town atmosphere through the eyes of a doctor, and because Katie is relatively new to the community, you get to form your opinion about a lot of these characters right along with her. It was also quite interesting to watch her approach her sleuthing in much the same way that she would diagnose a patient, taking all the parts as a whole rather than trying to make each piece fit. In the end, there is a lot of doubt to cast on a considerable amount of shady individuals and I was kept guessing until the very end as the culprit was someone I never saw coming!
Additionally, Katie is such an extremely likeable and relatable character that along with the connection she has with her brother will make for great fodder as the stories continue. This was such a fast-paced and engrossing start to a series that I will definitely be on the look out for as more books come out.
Suspense? Thriller? Cozy? This is one that the cover doesn't tell us.
Honesty I expected it to be more of a thriller and a little dark.
I dare to say someone that is a fan of Cozy's and not the other two might not give Unnatural Causes a chance.
And, that would be bad.
Unnatural Causes is a little different that most cozy's but still will fall in the category.
This was a great read. The character(s) are fun to get to know.
Katie is a strong character. The author provides the reader with just enough medical jargon to make the book readable without being confusing for a layman.
There is a little romance simmering for book 2.
It's always fun to get into a series at the beginning. I am looking forward to book 2.
This was a great clean read and worthy of checking out!
This is one drama that stayed with me long after I closed the book. A mystery filled with secrets that caused the death of Katie’s patient. What did she learn? Why her demise meant more to the killer? That is what you’ll find in this engagingly thrilling novel that kept me engrossed in all facets of this fast-paced drama. The author did a great job in giving me just enough to keep me guessing and intrigued in all possibilities as each suspect was pushed forward and clues that popped up at just the right moment. The characters were introduced with a firm backstory – enough to whet my appetite in knowing more about them. Among the characters was the town gossip who happened to have close ties to the police; the chief who I liked especially as he trusted what Katie had to tell him; then there was her brother Caleb; her partners, the doctors Hawkins and of course Matt, a fellow medical professional. Not to be outdone are the residents of Baxter, some of whom were on the quirky side and of course the murderer. The suspense factor played heavily as a double twist occurred that added to how well this narrative was being told. This is a great debut series and I can’t wait to see what adventures await Katie and her circle of friends.
I was either in a mood or a funk when I started this one because I really didn’t like it when I first started reading it. It probably took almost half way through for me to get interested in it enough to keep going but once I did I enjoyed it. I am not sure if it was just to slow at the beginning or what but the ending was pretty cool and it has a good mystery.
Katie moves to a small town near Ann Arbor to get out of the big city, but see is pretty busy working at the clinic. One of her regulars is brought in almost dead from what seems like an overdose. She wasn’t on call but they couldn’t get ahold of Nick who was supposed to be so she comes in and finds Matt taking care of her. He doesn’t work there but is doing some sort of locum type thing which I guess means he takes shifts in different hospitals. She remembers Matt from her residency days and has a bit of a crush on him.
The EMT’s said that the prescription bottle had Dr. LeClair’s name on it but Katie doesn’t remember prescribing that drug to her. She can’t get that out of her head and then when Ellen’s daughter Beth talks to Katie about how she doesn’t think it was a suicide it gets Katie to thinking and she decides to look into it with Beth.
I liked Katie well enough and she was a pretty good sleuth, I really like her brother Caleb the most though he was funny and cool.
The author does a great job of giving you information that can make you think one thing when it was something else. I had most of it figured out but it still surprised me a little about why it happened. I thought the last like 10% was the best part with the reveal and who did what and why as it when pretty quick.
Although I had a rough start with this one it wasn’t a bad mystery and I did end up enjoying it and I will probably check out the next one in the series to really see if it was just me in a funk or the writing style. If it sounds like a good one then check it out as I did think it was a good mystery.
Becoming a doctor has meant years of schooling, training, and moving, and now that Katie LeClair has settled down as the new doctor in Baxter, Michigan all she wants is a place to call home. But that's not going to be as easy as she thought. One of Katie's patients has been found dead. The woman's death is ruled a suicide which was the result of medication prescribed by Katie... medication that Katie doesn't remember prescribing.
An autopsy reveals that it was murder, and Katie finds herself investigating in her spare time. Trouble is, the secrets she's uncovering could lead to her own untimely demise.
Dawn Eastman, the author of the highly entertaining Family Fortune cozy series, is branching out with this book. Unnatural Causes is a fast-paced, solid mystery that kept me guessing, and the main characters are well placed to solve mysteries. Katie LeClair is a caring, gifted doctor, and what makes her a good doctor makes her a good investigator. Her brother Caleb is very good with computers, and since Katie saved the life of the police chief's dog, she also has an "in" with the police department.
All elements mesh together well and run like a finely tuned machine. The trouble is, I just didn't find myself warming up to any of the characters-- which is one of the main selling points of mysteries on the cozier end of the genre. Unnatural Causes is well-written and does have an appealing main character, so don't be afraid to give it a try. Your mileage may definitely vary!