The Clincher

Starred review from September 17, 2018
Horseshoer Rainy Dale, the narrator of this exuberantly quirky series opener from Preston (The Measure of the Moon), becomes a murder suspect after the police inform her that the client for whom she just did a job, Patsy-Lynn Harper, is dead. Recently settled in Cowdry, Ore., Rainy worries that her fraught past will be brought to light. With the help of her handsome landlord, chef Guy Kittredge, Rainy aims to suss out Patsy-Lynn’s killer, but being the new girl in town isn’t easy, and she encounters plenty of resistance. The tough and irascible but innately good-hearted Rainy, determined to rise above her past, is brought to vivid life by Preston, whose effortless prose immerses readers in rural Cowdry, populated by horses that are just as interesting as its human residents. Rainy likes horses and her dog, Charley, more than people, and her attempts to meet her “heart’s new goal” to be nice offers genuinely funny moments, balancing the story’s darker elements. The exciting, crowd-pleasing finale will leave readers breathless and eagerly awaiting Rainy’s next adventure. Agent: Mark Gottlieb, Trident Media Group.

October 15, 2018

Preston (Orchids and Stone; Measure of the Moon) begins her "Horseshoer Mystery" series with this first title featuring Rainy Dale, a tough acting yet tenderhearted young farrier with a troubled, secret past. Rainy travels from Texas to Oregon seeking Red, the horse she owned as a teenager. Upon finding him, she looks for work and stays on in Oregon, quickly acquiring clients and an unlikely lover, her landlord, a gourmet cook named Guy. When client Patsy Lynn is found dead, a rasp (farrier's tool) is discovered near her body, making Rainy a suspect. In order to prove her innocence, Rainy sets out to uncover the murderer's identity. Several people arouse her suspicions, including Guy, rival farrier Dixon Talbot, and Cherry Edelman, who's looking for a rich husband. Preston's background as a police officer, horse owner, and author of several nonfiction works about horses helps make the actions of her characters authentic and very believable. VERDICT Fans of light mystery with tough female protagonists and a little romance thrown in will want this book. For those who enjoy both mysteries and horses, it's a must.--Patsy Gray, formerly with Huntsville P.L., AL

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2018
A woman with a dicey past and an uncertain future finds herself suspected of murder in the latest by Preston (The Measure of the Moon, 2017, etc.).Passed back and forth as a child between her mother in California and her father in Texas, Rainy Dale has often fallen between the cracks, loving only Red, the horse she spent years seeking after her dad sold him. Things start to look up when Guy, the food-obsessed chef she meets at an Oregon gas station, rents her his garage. She's found Red, adopted a dog, Charley, and begun a relationship with Guy. Graduating from farrier school has given her a new lease on life. She's encouraged by picking up more clients until one of them is found dead. Although Patsy-Lynn Harper's wealthy husband has been happy to support her hobby, something wasn't right with her stud, Spartacus, when Rainy went to the Flying Cross to shoe him. Although Patsy-Lynn's death looks like an accident, neither Rainy nor the police buy that scenario, especially since Patsy-Lynn was found near a blood-covered hoof rasp. When the veterinary clinic office is broken into and the investigating officers find a rounding hammer used to shape horseshoes, Rainy becomes a suspect. Guy professes his love for her, but his proposal meets with skepticism and his efforts to discover more about her past, with hostility. Investigating on her own, Rainy soon becomes more involved in the equine community, where she hopes to pick up some clues. Can a woman whose life is all about horses and a man whose life is all about food make a go of it?A rousing novel. The mystery leaves plenty of open questions for the tough but needy heroine while immersing the reader in all things equine.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.