Dark Horse

July 29, 2002
The professional horse world, as seen through Hoag's eyes, is full of intrigue, glitter and skullduggery. Elena Estes is a former cop whose bravado on the force resulted in a colleague's death; it also cost her her job and her self-esteem, not to mention the psychological and physical fallout from nearly being shot. She's been keeping a low profile at a friend's Florida ranch, but her world is disrupted when 12-year-old Molly Seabright, wise beyond her years, attempts to hire Elena to find her older sister, Erin, who has been missing for two days. As Elena digs deeper into Erin's disappearance, the dark side of the horse-show set is revealed. Hoag (Night Sins; Dust to Dust), herself an experienced equestrian, shows off her dressage-to-showing knowledge of the sport as she weaves behind-the-scenes tidbits—about the training, competitions, horse brokers and grooms—into a plot that gallops along. Though she is a master of suspense, the story falters when a major secret about the kidnapping is exposed. There are too many bad guys who may be in on the scheme, and readers will feel cheated by the improbable 11th-hour revelation. It's too bad Hoag felt the need to undercut her plot with schemes and counterschemes, since she finds plenty of tension in the equestrian world she examines here and doesn't need the contrivance. Nonetheless, she has enough skill and drawing power to propel this, her 10th book, onto bestseller lists. Major ad/promo.

May 1, 2002
Elena Estes leaves the Palm Beach County sheriff's office in disgrace after causing the death of a fellow copand gallops straight into trouble at an international riding competition in Florida's horse country.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2002
Welcome to the dark psyche of Elena Estes, a woman who had everything that society has to offer but gave it away to become a cop, and now even that life is lost. She made a mistake during a drug bust, an officer died, and she was badly hurt. Now she's a pariah in the Palm Beach sheriff's office. She retreats to the farm of an old friend, and returns to her childhood love of horse, while she recovers physically if not emotionally. Twelve-year-old Molly Seabright brings Elena back to the world of the living by asking her to find her missing 18-year-old sister, Erin, who works as a groom. Neither the police nor her parents believe anything is wrong, but Molly is persistent. Elena agrees to investigate and soon lands knee-deep in the muck of the horse world, where she finds horses murdered for insurance money, sleazy dealers, debauched playboys, charismatic trainers, and one infuriating cop. A tangled web of deceit and double-dealing makes for a fascinating look into the wealthy world of horses juxtaposed with the realistic introspection of one very troubled ex-cop. A definite winner for Hoag.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)