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The Casebook of Dr. McKenzie #3
The Case of the Ill-gotten Goat
Third in the best selling IMBA mystery series.
Before milk inspector Melvin Staples was found dead in a milk vat, he got the goat of many residents in the Finger Lakes village of Summersville. His jealous wife, vengeful husbands, and the ancient Italian widow who runs the Tree Sorelle goat cheese dairy are all suspects. To crack this case, veterinarian Austin McKenzie and his beloved wife Madeline have to learn all they can about the crotchety, cane-wielding owner of the dairy. And along the way, the vet just might save some bleating hearts…
Before milk inspector Melvin Staples was found dead in a milk vat, he got the goat of many residents in the Finger Lakes village of Summersville. His jealous wife, vengeful husbands, and the ancient Italian widow who runs the Tree Sorelle goat cheese dairy are all suspects. To crack this case, veterinarian Austin McKenzie and his beloved wife Madeline have to learn all they can about the crotchety, cane-wielding owner of the dairy. And along the way, the vet just might save some bleating hearts…
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 3, 2008
4 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
About the author
Claudia Bishop
51 books118 followersClaudia Bishop is the nom de plume of mystery & fantasy author Mary Stanton.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 4, 2014
This is a good cozy mystery about a retired vet, Dr McKenzie who uses is knowledge for finding problems in animals to solve murder. His team of helpers are is wife Madeline and two assistants. They take care of large animals and are able to ask questions while they caring for an animal.
The milk inspector to a goat dairy is found in a milk barrel. The dairy has been having problems with the bacteria count. The tax assessors has even one angry at him the raise in their taxes He is found dead in similar matter as the milk inspector. Case Close is working the case. The subplots are nicely woven together. I like this series and wish they were more.
The milk inspector to a goat dairy is found in a milk barrel. The dairy has been having problems with the bacteria count. The tax assessors has even one angry at him the raise in their taxes He is found dead in similar matter as the milk inspector. Case Close is working the case. The subplots are nicely woven together. I like this series and wish they were more.
September 17, 2019
Milk inspector Melvin Staples isn't too popular at the Tre Sorrelle Dairy, especially with Doucetta Capretti, the 94-year-old domineering owner. She doesn't like anyone messing with her business and she particularly doesn't like too-good-looking-for-their-own-good young busybodies like Staples who keep telling her the white blood cell counts in her goats' milk is too high. But did she dislike him enough to smack him upside the head with her heavy cane and dump him in a vat of milk to drown? And if not who did? Maybe his wife got tired of his taking up with other women. Maybe one of Capretti's large family decided to to protect the family's interest. Or maybe Neville Brandsetter, DVM and member of the local university's veterinary sciences department, wanted to get rid of his wife's lover. But why choose the Capretti's milk vat as the final resting place? Dr. Austin McKenzie, local vet and private detective, and his band of investigators (including his wife Madeline) set out to help the police get to the bottom of it all.
Dr. McKenzie is an unusual detective to say the least...not that I haven't run across vets as amateur sleuths before, because I have. But he is not only a veterinarian, but a private detective as well. He and his clinic assistants and his wife make up the Cases Closed sleuthing team. Somehow I find doctors, vets, schoolteachers, and whatever other profession more acceptable as straight up amateur sleuths than I do imagining them operating per usual in their every day occupation AND running a detective agency on the side. That part of the story didn't work so well for me. However, Dr. McKenzie and company are delightful characters and I did enjoy watching them track down clues--solving not only the mystery of excess white blood cells but identifying the killer as well.
A fun little cozy mystery.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting review content. Thanks.
Dr. McKenzie is an unusual detective to say the least...not that I haven't run across vets as amateur sleuths before, because I have. But he is not only a veterinarian, but a private detective as well. He and his clinic assistants and his wife make up the Cases Closed sleuthing team. Somehow I find doctors, vets, schoolteachers, and whatever other profession more acceptable as straight up amateur sleuths than I do imagining them operating per usual in their every day occupation AND running a detective agency on the side. That part of the story didn't work so well for me. However, Dr. McKenzie and company are delightful characters and I did enjoy watching them track down clues--solving not only the mystery of excess white blood cells but identifying the killer as well.
A fun little cozy mystery.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting review content. Thanks.
June 28, 2010
The Case of the Ill-Gotten Goat is an overall enjoyable mystery - a nice easy read. My two favorite things about the book is that the main character enjoys his daily glass of scotch and that the story is set on a goat farm. Some of the descriptions made me smile as I remembered growing up on a dairy.
March 3, 2014
I wasn't that crazy about the prologue, but I'm glad I stuck with the book, because I really enjoyed the rest. I absolutely loved how the main character, a vet and part-time detective, compared characters with animals he'd treated in his job. The goat farm setting was interesting, and the characters were well-developed.
February 8, 2020
I really enjoyed this trilogy of books by Claudia Bishop (Mary Stanton). I would have given them a higher rating if the author could have kept her characters and information straight. Granted, most of the mistakes were concerning the pets/animals in the books, but it was still rather annoying. The animals are the part of any books that I like the most, and she just couldn't keep them straight. For example, in the first book Allegra's horse is named Harker, is a gelding (or at least a male), and is an auction horse. Later in the books, he becomes a Swedish Warmblood - not sure how many of those are sold at auction. By the third book, the horse becomes a mare named Tracker (not to be confused with a filly in the second book named Tracks). In the first book, Juno is an adult Akita belonging to a veterinarian who is murdered and Blackie is a Lab mix puppy recovering from broken legs who becomes attached to Allegra. Later on in the books, Blackie is not to be seen and Juno is an Akita mix puppy who now belongs to Allegra. It really bothers me when an author cannot keep the characters (even animals) straight. Can't you write them down or read the previous books again to make sure you are getting it right? Not sure why her editor or anyone else involved with the books didn't correct some of the problems. Things like this interrupt the story for me and I find them quite irritating. I feel like the author doesn't care enough about the stories to keep them consistent. Otherwise, I enjoyed the books and thought the mysteries were well done.
February 27, 2018
Goats. Horses. Veterinarian. Murder. What more could one ask for in a cozy murder mystery?
Claudia Bishop's "The Case of the Ill-Gotten Goat" is the third in "The Casebook of Dr. McKenzie" cozy murder mystery series. I found this book in a local book sale and thought it might make for a fun read. I was right - it was!
Dr. Austin McKenzie lives and works in a small town in upstate New York. He is an extremely bright vet who also has a private detective agency on the side, Case Closed, Inc. When there are abnormalities found in a goat dairy's milk vats, questions are raised as to how this could be. Dr. McKenzie is brought in to investigate. Before he can get started, a New York state milk inspector, is found dead in a 400-gallon vat of milk on the dairy in question. Before the case is solved, two other murders appear and Dr. McKenzie and his team's talents are put to the test.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the Dr. McKenzie character. He has a sharp, dry wit and is a curmudgeon to boot. This combination leads to many asides made by the character in the course of the book. Ms. Bishop has done an excellent job in creating likeable, fun characters who are offset a bit by the comments of Dr. McKenzie. Great fun to read!
Claudia Bishop's "The Case of the Ill-Gotten Goat" is the third in "The Casebook of Dr. McKenzie" cozy murder mystery series. I found this book in a local book sale and thought it might make for a fun read. I was right - it was!
Dr. Austin McKenzie lives and works in a small town in upstate New York. He is an extremely bright vet who also has a private detective agency on the side, Case Closed, Inc. When there are abnormalities found in a goat dairy's milk vats, questions are raised as to how this could be. Dr. McKenzie is brought in to investigate. Before he can get started, a New York state milk inspector, is found dead in a 400-gallon vat of milk on the dairy in question. Before the case is solved, two other murders appear and Dr. McKenzie and his team's talents are put to the test.
What I enjoyed most about this book was the Dr. McKenzie character. He has a sharp, dry wit and is a curmudgeon to boot. This combination leads to many asides made by the character in the course of the book. Ms. Bishop has done an excellent job in creating likeable, fun characters who are offset a bit by the comments of Dr. McKenzie. Great fun to read!
December 22, 2022
It was cute enough to finish, but not enough to inspire me to seek out more of the series. The best part was the setting, rural Ithaca, a retired veterinarian from Cornell University, who moonlights as a detective.
February 13, 2018
read this book in a day was a great little cozy mystery.
September 1, 2018
This was a difficult book to follow
September 16, 2019
Not as good as the last on in this short series. There were murders at a goat farm.
March 6, 2026
This was a short mystery. This was good although I prefer her Hemlock Falls murder series more
June 9, 2015
This is the third entry in the Casebook of Dr. McKenzie series, but the first one I've read. The writing is perfect for a cozy series, a very light touch, interesting characters, lots of lively dialog. The plot was appealing and satisfying, with most of the "clues" evident to the reader. A list of characters was given at the beginning of the book, something which although I know others dislike, I enjoy. (I also love maps.)
February 13, 2009
Like this series and the vet's great vocabulary. Not often that you get to read about goats and cheese making in a murder mystery. Entertaining and just what I need to escape so I don't have to think about doing my taxes.
July 22, 2014
I enjoyed the interactions of the characters in this book. It was also interesting learning a bit about dairy farming with goats and carrying for horses. Reading this almost made me want a pet goat!
Want to read
September 5, 200809/04 rec via bookmooch
April 25, 2015
This book was okay. I think that this series isn't as good as the other one, the one set in Hemlock Falls, by this author.
August 4, 2016
Average mystery with fairly interesting characters. Just Ok.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews