Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Reining in Murder raised some decidedly mixed emotions in me as I read. Leigh Hearon has created a good, solid mystery, and all the scenes concerning horses and dogs are excellent. The author also created a very intriguing pairing of characters with the elderly Martha and Annie's irritating sister Lavender. These are all good bits that I really appreciated.
However, I think your enjoyment of the book is going to hinge on your perception of the main character, Annie Carson. Mine certainly did. Annie is 43 years old, but her emotional behavior makes her appear much, much younger. She gets on her high horse a lot over others' behavior towards her or their tones of voice. She also does something that drives me nuts: she sits on evidence. She finds vital clues and then does nothing with them. Eventually she has a guilty moment and calls the sheriff to tell him what she's found, but if the sheriff doesn't use the right tone of voice, or if he's not sweet as sugar to her, she gets huffy and the phone call turns into a hangup.
One of the main reasons why Annie gets involved in the investigation is because she gets a good look at the handsome husband of the dead woman, becomes starry-eyed, and decides he's being unjustly accused. More teenage behavior, and I found this all a bit difficult to accept from a woman in her forties. Fortunately Annie begins to snap out of it in the last third of the book, and that saved this entire review.
Hearon has written a good mystery that animal lovers should enjoy a great deal. Hopefully Annie Carson will have an even higher emotional IQ in the next book in the series.
However, I think your enjoyment of the book is going to hinge on your perception of the main character, Annie Carson. Mine certainly did. Annie is 43 years old, but her emotional behavior makes her appear much, much younger. She gets on her high horse a lot over others' behavior towards her or their tones of voice. She also does something that drives me nuts: she sits on evidence. She finds vital clues and then does nothing with them. Eventually she has a guilty moment and calls the sheriff to tell him what she's found, but if the sheriff doesn't use the right tone of voice, or if he's not sweet as sugar to her, she gets huffy and the phone call turns into a hangup.
One of the main reasons why Annie gets involved in the investigation is because she gets a good look at the handsome husband of the dead woman, becomes starry-eyed, and decides he's being unjustly accused. More teenage behavior, and I found this all a bit difficult to accept from a woman in her forties. Fortunately Annie begins to snap out of it in the last third of the book, and that saved this entire review.
Hearon has written a good mystery that animal lovers should enjoy a great deal. Hopefully Annie Carson will have an even higher emotional IQ in the next book in the series.
Reining in Murder by Leigh Hearon is the first book in A Carson Stables Mystery series. Annie Carson is a horse rescuer in Suwana County, Washington. She receives a call during the night from Sheriff Dan Stetson. A man was in an accident, and he was hauling a horse. The horse needs to be brought back to Carson Farm. The man who was driving, Wayne Johnston, did not survive. The horse was okay and only suffered minor injuries. Unfortunately, the gorgeous horse belongs to Hilda Colbert of Colbert Farm. Hilda has a nasty personality. Hilda contacts Annie after she has been up all night caring for her horse, demanding that the horse be transported to her farm immediately (indicating that her farm is far superior). When Annie insists that the horse cannot be moved yet, Hilda states that they will pick up the horse first thing the next day. The next day no one shows or calls. When Annie goes over to Colbert Farm (the next day), she finds Hilda dead in her bedroom. The suspect list is long (since Hilda did not have a winning personality). Sheriff Stetson's number one suspect is Marcus Carson, Hilda's husband (feel sorry for him--being married to Hilda). Annie is not so sure. Annie starts investigating (while keeping Dan filled in--sort of) and then Marcus disappears. Annie is sure that foul play is involved, but Dan feels that Marcus took off. Then one of the Colbert Farm ranch hands is missing. People are dropping like flies. What is going on? Not only is Annie investigating Hilda's murder, but her half-sister Lavender has decided to visit (they have never met). Lavender is a quirky individual who believes that she has psychic powers (Lavender was spoiled by her parents). Life is never dull at the Carson Farm.
Reining in Murder is an easy to read cozy mystery novel. I just wish more of the book had been devoted to the mystery. The clues are very sparse (more show up just before the killer is revealed). More time is devoted to Lavender and her antics than to the mystery. We also get quite a bit of information about horses, mules, dogs, Annie's eating habits, Sheriff Stetson's marriage troubles, and the type of scotch Annie (and Dan Stetson) like to drink. I give Reining in Murder 3 out of 5 stars. I wish the mystery had been harder to figure out. You would think there would be a lot of suspects (since Hilda was not liked by anyone but her husband), but, in reality, there are few of them provided in the book. As soon as Annie found the body, I knew who killed her (you know who is going to be killed as soon as she is mentioned in the book). I did like the main characters and the gorgeous setting. I will read the next book in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of Reining in Murder from NetGalley (and the publisher) in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.
Reining in Murder is an easy to read cozy mystery novel. I just wish more of the book had been devoted to the mystery. The clues are very sparse (more show up just before the killer is revealed). More time is devoted to Lavender and her antics than to the mystery. We also get quite a bit of information about horses, mules, dogs, Annie's eating habits, Sheriff Stetson's marriage troubles, and the type of scotch Annie (and Dan Stetson) like to drink. I give Reining in Murder 3 out of 5 stars. I wish the mystery had been harder to figure out. You would think there would be a lot of suspects (since Hilda was not liked by anyone but her husband), but, in reality, there are few of them provided in the book. As soon as Annie found the body, I knew who killed her (you know who is going to be killed as soon as she is mentioned in the book). I did like the main characters and the gorgeous setting. I will read the next book in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of Reining in Murder from NetGalley (and the publisher) in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.
