Crum’s agreeable 10th Gail McCarthy equestrian adventure (after 2006’s Moonblind
) finds the amateur sleuth adjusting happily enough to life as a stay-at-home mom with toddler Mac, though she misses the total freedom and control she once enjoyed as Santa Cruz County’s top veterinarian. Enter a nasty new neighbor, Lindee Stone, who ruffles feathers wherever she goes and sets her sights on a corral where Gail keeps two horses. When Gail goes to confront Lindee about her unsavory business practices, Gail witnesses the expert horsewoman’s death during a barrel-racing exercise. After a second “horse wreck” occurs a few days later, Gail is sure they weren’t accidents and sets out to prove it. While this slim mystery is full of the customary horse facts and well-rounded characters, Gail’s musings on motherhood can be a bit heavy-handed at times. She remains, however, a likable heroine readers—horse lovers or not—will continue to seek out. (Apr.)
