Book Review: Do No Harm | Dawn A. Eastman

A disappearance in a small town, a decade old murder case revisited, and an enigmatic man at the center of it all—Dawn Eastman’s Do No Harm is compulsively readable and absorbing. I’d almost consider this to be a cross between a cozy mystery and a crime thriller, since it centers around amateur detective and family practitioner Katie Leclair and takes place in a small town with some big murders. This is a fun one, and I think readers will adore Katie as much as I did!

About the Book

Small-town doctor Katie LeClair is drawn back into an old murder investigation, a mysterious disappearance, and a dark undercurrent of violence.

The idyllic town of Baxter, Michigan, seemed like the perfect place for Dr. Katie LeClair to settle down after years toiling in medical school—until the murder of a patient shattered the peace she had found. Now on the mend and balancing the responsibilities of a new house and the joys of a new romance, Katie is finally ready to start enjoying life. But danger arrives just as the town is gearing up for its annual Halloween festival—and once again, this doctor-turned-sleuth will have to unmask a killer in their midst.

Trouble comes in threes this Halloween. Katie sees a new patient who has just been released from prison for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Inexplicably, the patient suddenly goes missing. And matters take an even more sinister turn when a college student who had been investigating Katie’s old murder case is found dead in the woods near Baxter.

Could Katie’s involvement with the case be responsible for the student’s violent death? Is her new patient truly a cold-blooded murderer? Is this Halloween about to become a real-life horror show? Katie embarks on a desperate race to find the truth in Do No Harm, the second gripping Dr. Katie LeClair mystery.

Reflection

Do No Harm is actually the second in a series featured around Katie LeClair, a family practitioner and recent resident of the small town of Baxter, Michigan. I didn’t read the first book in this series but this one is easily a standalone. Eastman provides plenty of backstory to catch us up, and if it weren’t for the mention of the previous case (aka book), I wouldn’t have realized it was part of a series! That said, it does that frustrating thing where it completely spoiled the first book. I’d still read it, but I already know the who, the why, and the what.

I loved the way Eastman captured the feel of a small town. Every detail she wrote, from the adorable local sandwich shop with the grumpy owner to the town gossip led by Delores reminds the reader that in a town like Baxter, your business will soon become everyone’s business! This felt authentic to me. The way that the town revealed gossip about an investigation that had barely been announced, the way they follow poor Eugene, and the way they pressure Katie into dressing up as a giant pumpkin for the Halloween parade—these elements all added to the cozy feel of the book!

Katie herself is a wonderful character. I’d be shocked if readers disliked her. She is good without being a do-gooder, and inquisitive without being nosy. I loved seeing her blossoming relationship with Matt, her quirky friendship with her brother Caleb, and her competitive but fun best friend Gabrielle. I definitely want to read more about Katie! Though I did find myself wondering how she had so much time to sleuth with such a busy practice…

Finally, let’s talk a bit about the mystery. It centers around two cases—the disappearance of college student Taylor Knox and the return of convicted murderer Eugene. Seemingly unrelated at first, Katie soon begins to wonder whether Eugene’s case might be the reason Taylor went missing—she was investigating the possibility that Eugene was wrongly convicted at the time. I really enjoyed both of these cases. Eugene, though seeming innocent in many ways, also is his own worst enemy. He is awkward at times, and does things that make him seem obsessive. But those qualities don’t necessarily make someone guilty of murder, as Katie reminds us. Taylor is also a wonderful character, for someone who goes missing and is discussed mostly in the third person. I loved learning about her!

I highly recommend this page-turner! Fans of cozies, J. T. Ellison’s series, and Tess Gerritsen will enjoy it!

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for my copy!