Six Ostriches: A Dr. Bannerman Vet Mystery

Schott’s second mystery featuring gumshoe veterinarian Peter Bannerman (after 2022’s Fifty-Four Pigs) combines the soothing sleuthing of Murder, She Wrote with the humble charm of All Creatures Great and Small. In the fictional town of New Selfloss, Manitoba, a young sheep’s throat is slit. Dr. Bannerman suspects it’s the work of an Icelandic cult that’s recently arrived in the region. With the help of his border collie, Pippin, Bannerman remains one step ahead of largely apathetic local RCMP investigators, including Bannerman’s brother-in-law, Constable Kevin Gudmundurson. Then archaeologist Grim Struluson turns up dead, his head on a pike, and both Bannerman and the authorities pick up the pace. Schott establishes a remarkable amount of tension from the fluffy subject matter, and Bannerman remains a charming, idiosyncratic creation. Fans of small-town mysteries will enjoy the adventures of this offbeat vet sleuth. (May)