First in a new series. I should have liked this book more than I did. It's got a determined female protagonist, there are horses, and the author has obvious knowledge of what it's like to work around horses. It's got nice descriptions of the locale. There were two plots going on, one involved the murder, and one involved the Big Secret of Rainy's past. The murderer and the motive were obvious from very early on, that's okay, that happens in a lot of books. I couldn't warm up to Rainy though. Some of it might have been the redneck dialogue, and some of it might have been her thinking about beating on the horse who was fidgeting while she was shoeing. Then I thought - probably my farrier wants to smack my horse occasionally too, but he doesn't do it, and neither did Rainy, give her a pass. Or maybe it's because she's just stubborn and prickly. But then, the prickliness stems from the Big Secret, and I was curious enough about it to keep reading when I thought about putting the book down. Now that the secret has been revealed, she might be a little different in the next. I will probably pick it up if I see it, just because of the horse angle, but it will be from the library.
Picking up a mystery with a female horseshoer may sound like an odd choice, but when you love horses like I do and when a man from your little hometown was a farrier for one of the teams of Budweiser Clydesdales, the choice suddenly doesn't seem strange at all. I often say that I am a character-driven reader-- and I am-- but I also read for "voice." If the main character speaks in a way that draws me right into the heart of the story, 90% of the battle is won as far as I'm concerned. Rainy Dale has that voice. She's a Texan with a colorful way of speaking-- and I'm not talking swear words here. Rainy has sworn off using bad language; it's a part of her Turning Over A New Leaf. She's made some really bad decisions in her short life, but she's got the gumption to change all that. In The Clincher, she begins to realize that the hardest thing she's going to have to do is to change her (very low) opinion of herself.
Anyone who loves horses is bound to love this book for the equine lore alone. Even if you don't love horses, if you like learning about new things, chances are good that you'll find this book a winner, too. Horseshoeing, a sport called Ride & Tie, learning to get along with a talented chef who wants more from Rainy than she wants to give... all these things and more play parts in a strong, fast-paced mystery. Character, mystery, and setting are the winning trifecta here.
I'd barely begun reading when I knew I needed more, so I already have the second book in the series, Dead Blow, on hand, and I see that the third is scheduled to be released in September. If you love characterization and that elusive "voice" as much as I do, please give Lisa Preston's The Clincher a try.
Anyone who loves horses is bound to love this book for the equine lore alone. Even if you don't love horses, if you like learning about new things, chances are good that you'll find this book a winner, too. Horseshoeing, a sport called Ride & Tie, learning to get along with a talented chef who wants more from Rainy than she wants to give... all these things and more play parts in a strong, fast-paced mystery. Character, mystery, and setting are the winning trifecta here.
I'd barely begun reading when I knew I needed more, so I already have the second book in the series, Dead Blow, on hand, and I see that the third is scheduled to be released in September. If you love characterization and that elusive "voice" as much as I do, please give Lisa Preston's The Clincher a try.
