Publisher: Kensington Publishing
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 26th, 2016
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
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Blurb from goodreads:
After horse trainer and rancher Annie Carson visits a feedlot in eastern Washington, she is determined to save as many horses from slaughter as possible before hightailing it back home—until she discovers the sleazy owner seemingly trampled in his corral. With the fate of the feedlot herd in her hands, Annie must navigate unfamiliar territory while trying to track down a killer and solve an increasingly tangled mystery. But unfortunately for Annie, returning to the Olympic Peninsula alive will be trickier than she ever imagined .
The book first caught my eye with the title and the cover. The looks like the artist used a Breyer model horse for the horse and it also looks like something from the teen series, Sweet Valley High. I don't love the cover, but it did its job by catching my eye. I hadn't read the first two books in the series but the story worked pretty well as a stand alone even though events in this book seem to unfold from events in the previous books.
Annie and some friends have arranged to purchase some horses, rescue them really, from slaughter and use them to help troubled teens. But when her friend and police officer Tony dies in a plane crash after buying the horses, Annie is shaken. The new few weeks turn into a nightmare. She drives up to pay for the horses and bring them home but the seller is rude, sly, and devious and then Annie finds a dead body and becomes the prime suspect. Annie makes local friends and enemies, tried to clear her name and solve the murder, helps a local teen try to save some wild horses, and
Hearon has experience solving real-life mysteries and that showed in the story. Annie was an amateur sleuth but was smart about it. And I felt for her for her; her shock and grief at her friend's death, her horror and rage at how horses are mistreated and sold for slaughter, her frustration at being trapped hundreds of miles form while being investigated for murder. "Unbridled Murder" had more depth and realism than many cozies and was thankfully free of cuteness and quirkiness.
An engaging story with likable and interesting characters, a (mostly) realistic mystery, a strong setting and intriguing topic, sweet romance, and lots of horse time added up to an enjoyable and educational story.
About the author ~
Leigh Hearon began her own P.I. agency, Leigh Hearon Investigative Services, in 1992. Her cases have appeared on In the Dead of Night, Forensic Files, 48 Hours, Court TV, City Confidential, Unsolved Mysteries, America’s Most Wanted, and CBS Evening News with Connie Chung. Hearon was an avid rider of horses throughout her childhood. She currently has a Saddlebred mare, Jolie Jeune Femme, and enjoys watching Jolie and two rescue mares cavort on a fifty-five-acre farm she shares with her husband. Visit her on the Web at leighhearon.com, on Facebook and Twitter.
I love the idea of a series set around a stable! Glad you were able to jump in ok at book 3.
ReplyDeleteYea, that appealed to me also.
DeleteLove these mysteries, Thanks for your generosity.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda, thanks for stopping by!
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