Eleven Stolen Horses: A Wild Horses Mystery

Former crime reporter Somers (Beet Fields) delivers a solid series launch that draws on her professsional experience and her advocacy for wild horses. Three years ago, Eleanor Wooley ended her turbulent marriage, moved to the small town of Gold Strike, Calif., and took a job as a crime reporter. Things have been fairly quiet ever since, but that changes when Eleanor’s best friend, Rette Kenny—who helped Eleanor purchase her first horse—vanishes without a trace. Concerned, Eleanor starts to report on Rette’s disappearance, only to have her boss remove her from the story out of concern that the women’s friendship constitutes a conflict of interest. Eleanor persists anyway, and soon unearths a potential connection between Rette’s fate, the theft of 11 horses from the corral outside a rustic mountain lodge, and the murder of a small-time Gold Strike thief. Somers effortlessly evokes the rhythms of life in a small town, infusing Eleanor’s twist-filled investigation with welcome authenticity. With a memorable lead and immersive atmosphere, this promises good things for the series to come. (Sept.)