The Clincher: A Horseshoer Mystery

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. [em]Agent: Mark Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (Nov.) [/em]