Publisher: Dancing Horse Press
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 21st, 2026
Buying Links: Amazon |
Blurb from goodreads:
Twenty-eight horses. One deadly fire. A racetrack hiding secrets.
When a late night blaze destroys Barn 7 at Liberty Racetrack, killing twenty eight prized Standardbred horses, authorities rule it arson. Insurance investigator Callie Oaks knows the fire wasn’t random. Raised in the harness racing world, Callie goes undercover at the track, posing as an exercise driver to investigate suspicious insurance claims. As she digs into the tight knit backstretch community, she uncovers secrets worth killing for. From the author of “Silver Charm,” “The Sand Pounder,” “Pinto,” and “The Stallion and His Peculiar Boy.”
Someone set the fire. Someone profited. And when Callie gets too close to the truth, she becomes the next target.
Perfect for readers who love:
Horse racing mysteries
Arson investigations
Small-town crime fiction
Female amateur sleuth / insurance investigator thrillers
Suspense with authentic equestrian detail
Fire at the Track is a fast-paced mystery thriller packed with insider racing drama, financial deception, and high-stakes suspense.
At Liberty Racetrack, everyone has a secret. And one of them is a killer.
My Thoughts:
I've always enjoyed horse books and mysteries so when this opportunity hit my inbox, I said yes. Most of the horse racing books I've read have been about Thoroughbreds and flat racing so a Standard was a nice change and I'm hoping there will be more in this series.
Callie Oakes, our protagonist and female love interest, is an insurance company employee with experience handling and racing Standardbreds so she goes undercover at the Track where the fire occurred to determine how the fire started and who or what was responsible. She meets Paul Coffman, a local sports reporter, and they team up to find more information. A sweet romance develops in the process.
Callie and Paul were enjoyable and believable in their amateurish investigative work though I had a hard time believing how much access and help they got from the police. Evans sprinkles clues and red herrings. and keeps the pace moving smoothly over several months. I was partially correct in identifying the culprit and their motivation, and I enjoyed the story. The characters, including secondary, were interesting though a bit under-developed, the mystery kept me hooked, the romance was sweet, and there was some suspense. You could feel author's love of horses and the amount of detail suited me just fine. The quiet moments with the horses were among my favorites.
Fire at the Track was a good start to a new series and a nice mix of cozy mystery and procedural. It was engaging and a sweet testament to horses. You could feel the pain of the trainers, groomers, owners, and other horse people when the horses died in the fire. If you want a new mystery series that's not heavy but will keep you engaged, pick up Fire at the Track,
The author is giving away 1 autographed print copy of Fire at the Track: A Harness Racing Mystery. U.S. Only.
Thank you for reading Fire at the Track. I had fun interviewing harness racers as my lifelong experience with horses has not included harness racing!
ReplyDeleteSounds fun! I have read many horse books myself.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart