An e book bargain

#MissWinterintheLibrarywithaKnife #NetGalley

My thoughts:

Miss Winters in the Library with a Knife’s author, Martin Edwards, is quite talented. He has written standalone and series mysteries, has published books on the genre, and has done introductions to many classic crime stories. Here he has written a fun mystery that is set around the holidays in cold and isolated Midwinter.

Six people are invited to come to this unique place where six employees also work. They are going to play some kind of game that offers a reward at the end. Readers, of course, may have the sense that they want to warn the players off, although, of course, they cannot.

Each of the main characters has something to do with crime fiction. For example, there is author Harry. He has named all of his many novels with riffs on titles by well-known authors. Each of these titles is listed for the reader who will enjoy conjuring up the names of the originals. Watch from the very beginning as he tries to get information from many, including a certain driver. There are five others with whom he will interact.

As readers of the genre know, put a group of characters in a cold, isolated location and the chances are that they will be unable to leave. What will happen in this game? Will there be a real, as opposed to fictional murder? Readers can make a guess. The title of this book is, of course, reminiscent of the board game, Clue. Interesting.

Follow the clues, see if you can solve any of the puzzles, and enjoy the “clue finder” at the end of the book. Find out how good a detective you might be.

This is a clever, fun take on a classic mystery. It seems just the thing for a cold night with a cup of tea and a willingness to engage with the text.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this title. All thoughts are my own.

Pub date: 07 October 2025

Book summary and additional information:

From the publisher:

Six contestants. One chance at a new life. Who wouldn’t be tempted to cheat?

Award winning, renowned master of mysteries and editor of the British Library of Crime Classics, Martin Edwards turns up the heat for the most seasoned fair play mystery connoisseurs and puzzle afficionados just in time for a gleefully wicked holiday read.

Six down-on-their-luck people with links to the world of crime writing have been invited to play a game this Christmas by the mysterious Midwinter Trust. The challenge seems simple but exciting: Solve the murder of a fictional crime writer in a remote but wonderfully atmospheric village in north Yorkshire to win a prize that will change your fortunes for good.

Six members of staff from the shadowy Trust are there to make sure everyone plays fair. The contestants have been meticulously vetted but you can never be too careful. And with the village about to be cut off by a snow storm, everyone needs to be extra vigilant. Midwinter can play tricks on people’s minds.

The game is set – but playing fair isn’t on everyone’s Christmas list.

---

Advance Praise

“The perfect way to unwind during the holidays. What a treat.”
— SJ Bennett

“Martin Edwards is a magician who conjures up a captivating crime story before your eyes.”
— Janice Hallett

“The king of the puzzle mystery novel.”
— Alex Pavesi

“You can put down the Radio Times and highlighter pen, this book is all the entertainment you’ll need this Christmas. Wonderful stuff.”
— Ian Moore

From the Publisher:

Editorial Reviews

Review

“In a clever standalone homage to Agatha Christie, Edwards invites ‘external observers’ (i.e., readers) and ‘analysts’ (reviewers) to participate in an interactive puzzle mystery-within-a-mystery…readers can apply their own detective skills in deciphering the clues the author sprinkles throughout the podcast excerpts, text messages, journal entries, webpage excerpts, and third-person narrative. If you love to play Clue and are a fan of atmospheric cozies, this is a fun, diverting read.” ― First Clue–This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

From Amazon

Martin Edwards has been described by Richard Osman as ‘a true master of British crime writing.’ His novels include the eight Lake District Mysteries and four books featuring Rachel Savernake, including the Dagger-nominated The Puzzle of Blackstone Lodge. He is also the author of two multi-award-winning histories of crime fiction, The Life of Crime and The Golden Age of Murder. He has received three Daggers, including the CWA Diamond Dagger (the highest honour in UK crime writing) and two Edgars from the Mystery Writers of America. He has received four lifetime achievement awards: for his fiction, short fiction, non-fiction, and scholarship. He is consultant to the British Library’s Crime Classics and since 2015 has been President of the Detection Club. 

I first read about this book when it was published in England and knew that I would want to read it. My favorite genre-mystery- plus an Oxford setting and a lot about words. (I loved The Bookbinder which was historical fiction set in Oxford with much about words). So, getting this book from NetGalley was a real treat. It did not disappoint.

Readers meet Martha who works for the Clarendon English Dictionary which feels like a fictional stand in for the OED. She and her colleagues including Simon, Alex and Safi get to deal with words as their profession. They are just four of the many characters in this story.

As the book opens, there is a staff meeting and all seems pretty much as usual until an odd letter arrives. It takes a bit but Martha comes to realize that this letter may be referencing the disappearance of her talented, bright and beautiful sister thirteen years ago. No one knows what became of Charlie? Who is “chorus,” the anonymous letter writer? What other messages will be received? What did happen to Charlie?

From this point in, I was so drawn in and spent as much time as I could reading the story. There were also some fun treats along the way with various vocabulary words. For example, I loved conjobble which was defined as eat, drink and talk!

Still, while the English vocabulary references were great fun, it was the story that kept me intrigued. Publishers Weekly described this book as a “treat.” I definitely agree.

I am delighted to know that this is the first in a series. I can’t wait for more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 30 September 2025

384 pages

Mystery & Suspense

Editorial Reviews

Review

“There are pleasures here for anyone who revels in the joy of text.” ― Kirkus Reviews

“Etymologist Dent makes an impressive fiction debut with a clever whodunit that pivots on her linguistic expertise…a tantalizing puzzle for Anglophiles and Golden Age mystery lovers alike.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Linguist Dent proves she is a talented wordsmith in her own right, diverting readers with historical and lexicological tidbits throughout the story…Martha and her team are whip-smart and fun, providing a light juxtaposition to the suspense elements, while the lush and vibrant descriptions of Oxford create a lovely sense of place; readers will be both informed and entertained.” ― Library Journal

“If you’re like me and love both language and crime, then Guilty by Definition has it all. Susie Dent’s impressive debut novel is virtuosic. So meticulously and fascinatingly steeped in the archaic glory of words, it will surely be the ultimate treat for every logophile out there. But this is so much more than a celebration of the dictionary – it’s a tantalizing mystery of a missing sister, a cold case that will not lie down, and a family frozen in their unresolved grief… all while their circle of friends and colleagues nurse secrets and lies beyond explication. Guilty by Definition is positively aglitter with etymological and detecting treasures for word-sleuths and crime-fans alike.” ― Janice Hallett, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Appeal

Next in the series:

Publisher’s Synopsis-From the British publisher

A brand-new linguistic mystery from Countdown‘s resident lexicographer, Susie Dent, set in the city of Oxford

**AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW**

When mysterious symbols appear as graffiti around Oxford, lexicographer Martha Thornhill recognises them from a runic alphabet created by a deceased fantasy writer whose papers she once worked on. But this is no publicity stunt, and tensions intensify when further graffiti is found near the body of a university lecturer.

Martha is not the only one to have doubts when the suspicious death is ruled by police as suicide. Called upon to lend their linguistic expertise to the case, Martha and her colleagues begin to unearth a tragedy that extends beyond the ancient walls of the university. As new messages portend more death, it’s clear that a spirit of vengeance is stalking the city’s streets, and may be reaching out towards them too.

Once again, HTP is spotlighting a number of excellent titles in their Fall 2025 Blog Tours. Many thanks to all at HTP for this opportunity.

The Book:

The Library of Fates 

By Margot Harrison

On Sale: December 2, 2025

ISBN: 9781525804311

Graydon House Hardcover 

Price: $30.00

About the book:

When its librarian keeper mysteriously dies, two former classmates must race to locate a rare book from their college years that can foretell your future if you confess a secret from your past—but someone is intent on protecting what’s hidden inside.

It can write the story of your future… and hide the secrets of your past

The Library of Fates was designed to show you who you are—and who you could become. Its rarest book, The Book of Dark Nights, holds a secret: when you write an intimate confession on its pages, you’ll receive a prediction for your future, penned in your own handwriting.

For Eleanor, whose childhood was defined by a senseless tragedy, the library offers a world where everything makes sense. She’s spent most of her life there as an apprentice to the brilliant librarian, showing other people how to find the meaning of their lives in stories.

But when her mentor dies in a freak accident and The Book of Dark Nights goes missing—along with the secrets written inside—Eleanor is pulled out of the library and into a quest to locate it with the last person she expects: the librarian’s estranged son, Daniel, who Eleanor once loved.

Together, as they hunt down clues from Harvard to Paris, Eleanor and Daniel grow closer again, regaining each other’s trust. But little do they know that they’re entangled in a much larger web. Someone else wants the book, and they’ll go to dark lengths to get it…

Start reading:

Now

September 26, 2019, 1:15 p.m.

The Library of Fates lived tucked under the mansarded roof of a tall, charcoal- gray building in Harvard Yard. To a casual visitor, it was like any other library, lined with shelves for hours of pleasantly aimless browsing. But every student knew that if you came to the Library of Fates and asked for a book to guide you safely through turbulent times, the librarian would go straight to the shelf and put a book in your hands. And that book would change your life.

Eleanor Dennet was that librarian now, but the knowledge felt hollow. Her predecessor, Odile Vernet— her mentor, her guiding star, her best friend— had died suddenly three days ago, and she could barely process it.

Her throat still raw from crying, her brain still woozy from too much vodka, she stepped over the threshold of the library that had been her refuge for most of the past twenty-four years. On the surface, everything seemed the same: the dark oak paneling and moss- green area rugs and accents; the pearly glow that came through the recessed skylight; the sweet, faintly musty smell. The custodian had opened the curtains and blinds of the nine bay windows on each long side of the room. Sunlight bathed the books in a greenish haze and washed over the varnished seminar table and armchairs. The mural on the ceiling evoked the magic of stories.

But something felt different here. Something was wrong. 

Then Eleanor saw him.

From his seat in a green brocade armchair angled toward the window, he didn’t seem to have noticed her entrance. Barely daring to breathe, she took in black hair sprinkled with gray on the headrest and long lashes outlined on his cheek as he gazed down at a sheaf of papers in his hand.

Daniel Vernet, Odile’s son.

The last time they’d seen each other, in 1995, they’d been standing here in the library. Eleanor’s view of Daniel had been clouded by tears, but she would never forget his dark eyes gazing back as if she were a stranger. The bland way he’d smiled, as if she meant nothing to him after everything they’d been through.

And here were more damned tears, rising and choking her. She would have to face Daniel eventually, to give condolences and make arrangements for his mother’s memorial. But not yet. She wasn’t ready for that. She darted to the window bay farthest from his chair, silent on the thick carpet, and slipped behind the floor-length curtain.

Daniel sighed heavily. The papers crackled. Frozen in place, Eleanor watched through a gap as he stood up. He didn’t look his age, the lines of his chin and cheekbones still firm.

A sharp click- clack of heels sounded on the stairs behind them. “Ready, Daniel?” asked a slightly accented voice that Eleanor recognized as Liliana, Odile’s housekeeper and close friend.

Daniel nodded, but his gaze was still on the papers. “What the hell is this?” he asked. “What the hell?”

As the older woman put a soothing hand on Daniel’s shoulder, Eleanor saw his body heave. Was he grieving his mother, then? Their relationship had never been smooth. Though Odile visited her son in Europe on occasion, it had taken her death to bring him back to the States for the first time in decades.

Liliana gave Daniel a hug and led him toward the door. “Everything will work out. You’ll see. We don’t want to be late for our appointment.”

“I’m just so confused!” Eleanor heard him still exclaiming as their feet thudded down the stairs.

She emerged from behind the curtain and stood very still, waiting for the tension to dissipate and the atmosphere to settle. Listening for a faint but steady thrum on the edge of her awareness, a rumble that was neither pipes nor heating. Like Odile, Eleanor was attuned to the library’s vibrations, inaudible to most people.

But now, standing dead center in the library, straining her senses in the stillness, she detected no reassuring thrum. Nothing. As if the library were an immense machine that had stopped running.

Panic gripped her. It can’t be.

She hurried to the oak door at the far end of the room and unlocked it with trembling fingers. Here in the librarian’s small office, The Book of Dark Nights was kept, secure in a safe, its pages alive with the power of the secrets trapped inside, for the library drew its power from the Book. As long as the Book remained there, the library would function.

On top of the safe, she found a sticky note in Odile’s strong cursive:

A place of pages,

A subterranean secret,

Where love is shared.

One book brought you together.

 Start from there.

Eleanor stared at it for a dazed second. Odile often left literary quotes on sticky notes, but this didn’t seem like the style of poetry she would read— or write, if Odile had been a poet.

Then she knelt beside the safe to type in the code. Fumbling in her urgency, she had to enter it twice before the light turned green and she could swing the door open. Eleanor closed her eyes and said a silent prayer: Please let it be here.

The Book had been stolen only once, and the results had been disastrous. Eleanor tried not to think about them as she reached into the safe for the cracked calfskin of the Book’s binding, bracing herself to feel the usual tingle as her fingers made contact. Needing to experience that uncanny suggestion that the Book was alive. To know that it was only Daniel’s presence that had made the library feel wrong.

But there was nothing.

She knew people saw her as Odile’s mousy, adoring acolyte, hidden away in the library like a relic herself. A perennial student who had never even finished her PhD. A wan spinster, a living history display. Here in the library was the one place Eleanor mattered. In these books is your future, Odile had told her long ago. In these books are all the tools you need to live your life to the fullest. But all that depended on the magic.

And as she ran shaky fingers from corner to corner of the steel compartment, she found only shadows and a fine, powdery dust that came off on her fingertips.

The Book of Dark Nights was gone.

Excerpted from THE LIBRARY OF FATES by Margot Harrison, Copyright © 2025 by Margot Harrison. Published by Graydon House, an imprint of HarperCollins.

About the author:

MARGOT HARRISON  is the author of The Midnight Club and The Library of Fates. She is also the author of four young adult novels, including an Indies Introduce Pick, Junior Library Guild Selections, and Vermont Book Award Finalists. She grew up in New York and now lives in Vermont.

Links:

Buy Links:

HarperCollins: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-library-of-fates-margot-harrison?variant=43819432935458 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1525804316 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-library-of-fates-margot-harrison/1146730878 

BookShop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-library-of-fates-margot-harrison/df8857ce86f517ae?ean=9781525804311 

Social Links:

Author Website: https://margotharrison.com/ 

X: https://x.com/MargotFHarrison/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margotfharrison/ 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14215617.Margot_Harrison 

My thoughts:

This book’s premise is so intriguing. I always love books that are about books and the book in this title sounds quite unique.

I also enjoy stories with intriguing characters and this novel satisfies on that level as well. In addition, this is a suspenseful read. All in all, a perfect book to curl up with this fall.

Many thanks to HTP and NetGalley for this title. All thoughts are my own.

by Kate Stephenson

#TheBookLoversGuidetoEdinburgh #NetGalley

My thoughts:

Well, there are certainly many well-known authors with ties to Edinburgh. To name just a few, there are Robbie Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Diana Gabaldon and J.K. Rowling, as the author notes in her introduction. Learn more about them and their connections to the city in these pages.

This informative text is enhanced by the photographs that are found throughout. I especially enjoyed the walking tour sections-they offer a great way to organize getting to know the city and its writers.

I also enjoyed the section on literary events and places. For one, there is mention of the Literary Museum-I imagine that would offer a good experience to a bibliophile. There is mention of festivals for those who would be interested (I would!). I also loved that there was a list of bookshops.

Any reader who is planning a trip to Edinburgh would do well to have this book in hand. It will enhance the visit. This title is well researched and filled with information.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword-White Owl for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 30 January 2026

Description:

from the publisher

Whether you’re a lifelong book lover or a curious traveller, this guide is the perfect companion to discovering Edinburgh’s extraordinary literary heritage. Explore the places and authors that have shaped the city’s cultural and physical landscape, from sites of literary history and interest to buildings and vistas that inspired famous poems and novels. Including many iconic Edinburgh sights, this guide also draws on local knowledge to highlight some lesser-known gems hidden away in the Old Town or located further afield in the city.

After a brief history of Edinburgh, the guide offers five detailed walking trails. These allow readers to follow in the footsteps of some of the best-known writers associated with Edinburgh from Robert Burns, Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson to J.K. Rowling and Diana Gabaldon. The second section delves into Edinburgh’s wider literary associations. Organised by geographical area, it spans a diverse range of authors, poets and playwrights across many centuries, uncovering unexpected connections, fascinating pieces of history and even a widely-disseminated literary hoax. The third and final section explores the city’s vibrant literary scene today, detailing museums, bookshops, and festivals, such as the world-renowned Edinburgh International Book Festival and Festival Fringe.

About the Author:

from Amazon

Dr Kate Stephenson is a freelance historian and tour guide based in Edinburgh. Specialising in social history, particularly clothing and sex-related topics, she regularly does events, as well as appearing on podcasts and television, talking about the latter. She also works with museums and heritage sites creating interpretative and educational resources. In her spare time, she is an avid reader.

An e book bargain

#TurningtoBirds #NetGalley

Today, I went to my local botanical garden. I sat by a pond, read, stared into space, saw ducks, and heard and saw birds-not that I could identify them but I thoroughly enjoyed leaving city life behind and experiencing nature. I left feeling so much better than when I arrived.

Lili Taylor, a successful actor, has also come to enjoy spending time with and noticing birds. Here in beautiful essays, Taylor shares her observations with readers. They will be better for it. Hopefully, they will begin to pay attention too. They may even become acquainted with their “spark bird.”

Recommended to current and perspective nature lovers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 29 April 2025

208 pages

Nature/Memoir

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

“By turns introspective, inquisitive, and funny, the book is a love letter to nature and the solace it can provide.”—The New Yorker

“Lili Taylor has always been such a wonderful actor to watch—perhaps partly because of the watchful quality she so often brings to her characters. . . . In Turning to Birds, Taylor brings that sharp eye to her own backyard, chronicling her own pleasure at observing the birds at play there. Her enchantment by the various feathered beings whose lives she witnesses may be catching.”—The Boston Globe

“A profoundly relatable story about falling in love with the avian world.”—Audubon Magazine

Also consider this one:

The Backyard Bird Chronicles (Amy Tan)

Four stars ****

Jennifer Ryan has become one of my favorite writers of historical fiction and here she has written another successful WWII set story. In The Underground Library, she follows three main and many auxiliary characters.

Juliet has gotten her dream job, even if it may only be because the men are away. She is now the Deputy Librarian of the Bethnal Green Library. (Look it up for some great photos). She hopes to liven up the rather staid premises with a book club, children’s story hour and more. What will she contribute to the project that is the title of this book?

Juliet lives with a landlady and it turns out that she knows the other boarder. Juliet used to have no respect for him. Will her feelings change?

Katie has been working in the library while waiting to attend university. She becomes a friend and colleague to Juliet. However, Katie faces a serious crisis. Will she be okay?

Sophie lived a nice upper middle class life in Germany before the war. She has become a Jewish refugee in London. Sophie works for an incredibly mean spirited man and some in London view her in a rather prejudiced manner. She finds solace in the library. Will Sophie get a chance at something better? Will she ever be reunited with her family?

Readers also get to know a number of the library’s patrons. These include two older sisters and the rather bold Marigold. All of them interact over the course of the story including, of course, the three main characters.

The author does a good job of depicting wartime London. The descriptions of bombing raids, Anderson shelters and running to the underground for safety are all well portrayed.

This is a novel that will be enjoyed by those who like books about books, women’s fiction and WWII set stories. The pages definitely turn.

Look for all of Jennifer Ryan’s novels starting with The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir. They offer engaging reads.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

From the publisher:

#DaysattheMorisakiBookshop #NetGalley

This book was so easy for me to love. It is short (under 200 pages) and a paean to what books, bookshops and reading can mean to people.

Two of the main characters are a twenty-something young woman who has been hurt in a relationship and has, as a result, left her job. She goes to stay with an uncle who has taken over the family used bookstore.

When Takako first arrives, she has no interest in reading but one night all that changes. Through her, readers discover the excitement and sweetness that happens when the world of books opens to a person.

The neighborhood where the bookshop is located is a real one. I would love to go there.

This book is filled with quotable moments. For example:

It was as if, without realizing it, I had opened a door I had never known existed…It was as if a love of reading had been sleeping somewhere deep inside me all this time, an then it suddenly sprang to life. ..And there was no danger Id run out of books…It made me feel like I had been wasting my life…

Anyone who loves books and/or books about books, read this one. You won’t be sorry.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 04 July 2023

by Paula Sutton

#ThePottingShedMurder #NetGalley

I recognized the name of this author from a profile that I had read about her in a magazine. I loved Sutton’s sense of personal style (vintage) and was eager to see what kind of writer she was. Here, she has penned a mystery that readers will enjoy.

Spring time seems like the perfect moment to focus on a title with gardening…and murder. This is what readers find when a school headmaster is found dead on his allotment.

Newcomer to the community (after choosing to leave London), are Daphne and James. They are an interracial couple with three children who at first wonder how they will fit in in a less urban setting. Daphne seems to be accepted and liked for her sense of style. But, what will happen when Daphne gets herself involved in the investigation? What will happen when her friend is accused of the crime? How will sleuthing impact Daphne’s standing in her village? Read this one to find out.

Some reviewers have noted that this title is written a bit muddily. Still, it is worth a look in my opinion. I enjoyed both the characters and the setting. I hope that the author will have a second traditional mystery for us.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

This title was published in the UK in April 2025 and will be out in the U.S. in May 2025.

In the Blink of an Eye

A Novel

by Jo Callaghan

#IntheBlinkofanEye #NetGalley

I had seen this book on a British bookstore’s website and was quite intrigued. I was delighted when it became available in the U.S. and thrilled to get an early review copy of this series starter.

Jo Callaghan has already received awards and praise for her debut. She is the Winner of the Crime Writers’ Association’s John Creasy New Blood Dagger Award and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. These are huge accomplishments and, in my opinion, well deserved.

Readers will not forget Kat and Aide. Kat is a detective who has been paired with an artificial intelligence device. It is an experiment to see if and how AI might be useful in investigations. Aide can assume bodily form as a hologram, at times causing much consternation. He also can be rather outspoken. There is much interplay between Kat’s intelligence and emotions as compared with Aide’s brilliance and lack of tact.

Kat, Aide, her team and the creator of Aide Lock are tasked with the investigation of two (cold) missing persons cases, both young men. One is a Black student missing from Uni. The other is a white theater graduate who is from a well to do family. Are these situations independent or linked?

In this novel, there is an excellent mystery plot and added to this are the AI elements of the story. Both kept me turning the pages and sad to reach the end of the story. Luckily the sequel, which is out in the UK, will be coming to the U.S. before too long.

The other aspect of the story that I enjoyed was the characters. Each had enough back story to keep them interesting. In the case of Kat, she is widowed and has a teenage son. One of her investigators has a sister who had a bad experience at university while another, Debbie, seemingly lacks confidence. The relatives of the missing young men and others also very much come to life.

This book is easily one of my favorites of the year. I hope Callaghan writes many more titles.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this one. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 06 August 2024

From the Publisher

My thoughts:

This book has an interesting setting in Nevada’s wild horse country. It could be a place of peaceful nature but that is certainly not the case here. Protagonist, Porter Beck, instead has a lot on his hands. There are murder, the horses, Covid, a group of troubled kids and Porter’s personal relationships all appearing in these pages. It makes for a most interesting and complex read.

I think that those who enjoy Paul Doiron’s Mike Bowditch series will want to give this title a look. Both have strong male leads who know nature.

Note that The Horse is the third in a series. The first two titles are The Bitter Past and Shades of Mercy. However, I think that this book can be read without knowledge of the previous titles. Readers may well want to go back to them though.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press-Minotaur Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 08 July 2025

Post first written on 28 November 2025

About the book:

from the publisher

An USA Today bestseller!

A controversial wild horse round-up in the high desert of Nevada results in two murders and too many suspects for Sheriff Porter Beck to deal with.

A helicopter driving a controversial round-up of wild horses suddenly crashes and the pilot is found to have been shot. Then the person coordinating the round-up for the Bureau of Land Management is savagely murdered, buried up to her neck and then trampled to death by the very same wild horses. And there’s no lack of suspects—with the wild horse advocacy group having sworn to protect the horse At Any Cost! Now the state and federal agencies are showing up looking for answers or at least a scapegoat.

Sheriff Porter Beck has had better days.

Porter Beck’s new girlfriend, Detective Charlie Blue Horse, arrives to help with the investigation, which leads them to Canadian Lithium mining operation near the round-up area that sets off Beck’s mental alarm bells. Brinley, Beck’s sister, is leading a group of troubled kids in a wilderness program, when one of them, Rafa, bolts one night. When Brinley catches up to him, they’re just outside the mine—in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

With his personal life in turmoil, too many suspects and too many secrets, the feds pushing for a quick resolution, and his impetuous (if skilled) sister in the mix, one wrong step could be deadly for Porter Beck.

About the Author

from Amazon

BRUCE BORGOS lives and writes from the Nevada desert where he works hard every day to prove his high school guidance counselor had good instincts when he said “You’ll never be an astronaut.” He has a degree in political science which mostly served to dissuade him from a career in law while at the same time tormenting his wife with endless questions about how telephones work. When not writing, you can usually find him at the local wine store.

“A solid, action-packed police procedural… similar to the work of C.J. Box and Craig Johnson.” ―Library Journal