Kat Wolfe Takes the Case (Kat Wolfe #2)

St John, Lauren. Kat Wolfe Takes the Case (Kat Wolfe #2)
December 10th 2019 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
E ARC provided by Edleweiss Plus

Kat and her friend Harper Lamb are out for a walk when they see an injured dog in a treacherous position on a cliff. Of course, Kat goes to the rescue, and manages to get the dog just before the cliff falls into the sea. The collapse also reveals a dinosaur skeleton that Harper's father investigates. A lot of people come to down to gawk, including a famous couple who ask Kat to watch their fractious Pomeranian. The dog Kat rescues is Pax, and her veterinarian mother patches the dog up and is trying to locate its owner through the information on its microchip. Bones are also found, and they belong to a man who disappeared a few years previously. Helped out by friend and former librarian Edith, they start to investigate the case. She and Harper also spend some time at her grandfather's estate, Hamilton Park,  where they enjoy the perks of living like the upper crust and also get some information about government officials. They meet the boy whose father is using fossils to cure a demanding patient, Kat babysits a snake, and there are a few other sub plots that all tie in with the illegal importing of animal products.
Strengths: There are a lot of things going on in this book, but they all tie together nicely. I think the author writes some adult books, but she does a good job at making a middle grade mystery that incorporates the more complex elements of mysteries for older readers. The setting is fun, especially Hamilton Park. I like that basic safety procedures are in place most of the time, but Kat and Harper still manage to get into some danger! This was just a very fun, enjoyable read.
Weaknesses: While I enjoyed the animal rights/environmental portion of this, the sub plot with the father and son who work with Chinese medicine didn't seem to fit into this very well.
What I really think: Love the British setting and the dark turns that these take, and the first one has proven to be very popular in my library.

This is not a Christmas sweater, although my brother bought it for my mother for Christmas in 1989. When I cleaned out my parents house six years ago, this surfaced, and I had to keep it. It has everything that was questionable about 1980s garb-- goose motif, oddly vibrant 100% acrylic yarn, shoulder pads, and a weird tunic length. The necklace may, in fact, be a Christmas tree ornament

But the sweater is not ugly. And it is not a Christmas sweater!