This second 'Dr. Bannerman Vet Mystery' is set in a Canadian town in early spring. It features animal desecration, Nordic cults, murder, tattoos, and a good sniffer dog.
Dr. Peter Bannerman, a veterinarian in the lakeside town of New Selfoss, Manitoba, is an amateur sleuth who can't help getting involved in criminal investigations.
This puts Peter at odds with his brother-in-law Kevin, an officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who doesn't want Peter's 'help.'
Bannerman has a varied veterinary practice, but 'Big Bird' is his first ostrich patient.
Big Bird's owners, Dan and Kim Favel, note that their ostrich is off his feed and call Dr. Bannerman to have a look. An X-ray reveals a foreign object in Big Bird's digestive tract, and a surgical extraction unearths a mjolnir - a Norse religious symbol worn as a pendant.
Bannerman thinks the ornament is a tourist knick-knack but Professor Grimur Sturluson, an archaeologist at the University of Manitoba, identifies the mjolnir as a Viking artefact that's at least 1000 years old. The Vikings arrived in Canada in the 11th century, and there are many Icelandic and Scandinavian people in Manitoba, so an ancient Norse relic is not unprecedented.
Vikings
Norse descendants at a street festival in Canada
Afterward, Bannerman gets called to several 'crime scenes' where carnage has been inflicted on innocent animals. First, Rose Baldwin's ram Patrick has his throat cut, his penis cut off, his testicles removed, and his blood drained. Second, Dan and Kim Favel's pony Misty is killed, decapitated, and bled out. Third, Peggy Dinsdale's billy goat Stinky is gouged in the neck and exsanguinated.
To add to the disquiet, the Favels' receive a note reading: "Skraelings! Now that you have proof that you occupy the sacred Vesturvatnsland (west water country) of our ancestors, you have no excuse to stay. This will be your only written warning." Worse yet, the pony Misty's head - gross and maggoty - is later left on the Favels' doorstep.
Bannerman speculates that all these atrocities are related to a Norse cult that demands animal sacrifice and uses blood. This theory is reinforced after Peter and his champion sniffer dog Pippin....
......find a nithing pole, a wooden pole used in a Norse religious ritual where an animal's head is put on a stake and pointed toward a person to curse them.
Peter also sees several people in New Selfoss with tattoos featuring snakes, which are often depicted in Viking art.
Peter shares his cult theories with his cop brother-in-law Kevin, who's skeptical.....as is Kevin's police partner Kristine.
More attacks follow, and the stakes get very high when a person is killed. Though Peter is discouraged from 'aiding' in the investigation, he can't help himself, and Peter and Pippin carry on and uncover important evidence.
As all this is going on, we get glimpses into Bannerman's personal life. Peter is married to his college sweetheart Laura, a professional knitter.
Laura makes specialty items to order, such as a cardigan in Ravenclaw house colors and Game of Throne mittens.
As it happens, Laura - who's descended from Icelandic ancestors - is very knowledgeable about Norse culture, and actually uncovers information that helps Peter's inquiries. Peter also gets veterinary advice from an old crush; tries out for a dart-throwing team; becomes re-acquainted with a bully that tormented him in high school; drinks many cups of artisanal tea; treats additional ailing ostriches; and more.
All this leads to an exciting climax and surprising revelations.
For me the plot is over-complicated and a little hard to follow. Still, I enjoyed the story and like the characters, especially the Bannermans' dog Pippin and their cat Merry, who loves to cuddle with Laura.
I'd recommend the book to fans of cozy-ish mysteries.
Thanks to Netgalley, Philipp Schott, and ECW Press for a copy of the book.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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