A Distance to Death

Sharply drawn characters and a vivid setting distinguish Menino’s appealing second Tink Elledge mystery (after 2013’s Murder, She Rode). Tink and her veterinarian friend, Isabel Rakow, have driven five days from the Elledge farm outside Philadelphia to a B&B ranch near Truckee, Calif., their horses in tow. In two weeks, Tink and Isabel plan to ride in the Tevis Cup race, which wends it way through the Sierra Nevada. Then they learn that James Worthington, the elderly scientist who intended to sign a lucrative deal with Tink’s businessman husband, Charlie, has died in the vicinity. As their suspicions of the dead man’s heirs mount, Charlie digs into the legal tangle involving the deal. Meanwhile, Tink and Isabel prep their mounts and dodge a pair of armed thugs. Even non-horse lovers will enjoy watching Tink manage her horse through the challenging Tevis, though much of the action depends on coincidence and luck. Agent: Ethan Bassoff, Lippincott Massie McQuilkin. (Aug.)