Dead Blow: A Horseshoer Mystery

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Lisa Preston, and the publisher, Skyhorse. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this modern western novel of my own volition and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend Lisa Preston as an author to follow to friends and family. This is the second book of the series - I can't wait to get the first (The Clincher) and more... Following the ARC is a peek into the third novel in this series, Forging Fire. Dead Blow is a murder mystery - police procedural - modern western novel peopled with honest souls, soulless souls, good cops, bad cops, and some excellent dogs and horses. It doesn't take long to sort the protagonists out, but the mystery remains hidden until the last possible moment. The story itself is full of hoots and giggles when appropriate, and most of the protagonists are exactly not what you expect. Rainy Dale is a mid-twenties, new to the neighborhood loner - or she was when she blew into Cowdry, Oregon in her diesel pickup, 'Old Blue', along with her old dog Charley, her horse Red, and her horse-shoeing equipment. But perhaps loner gives the wrong impression - Rainy is alone, as in without family, without backup, without friends. All she is looking for is enough folks in need of a good, reliable horseshoer to keep her and her sidekicks in food and shelter. Cowdry is a nice little town, enough shops to keep you from having to hit a bigger city most of the time, a small but aging police force, a good vet, a decent restaurant and some fast food on offer. It fits the Dale crew very well, and before long there is Guy, and the attraction is mutual with weddings discussed for down the road. Co-habitation is nice for both of them. For Rainy and Charley, the plus is Guy is an excellent professional chef who loves to cook, which works in nicely with the fact that Rainy has never learned how. The only minus is Guy's bossy cat - and the fact that Rainy seems to uncover lots of murderous clues and the occasional dead body...

Dead Blow by Lisa Preston Horseshoer Mystery #2 Rainy Dale, female horseshoer, returns to solve another murder in this tale of love turned to hate and then murder. What I liked: * Rainy: what an interesting character she is! * Guy: cook extraordinaire who truly loves Rainy * Melinda: a friend in the making for Rainy * The supporting characters – equine and human * The plot and way the story played out * The secondary romance * The love of animals exhibited by more than one person in the story * Learning more about the life of a horseshoer * Learning more about horses and dogs * The catching of the truly bad person who killed more than one person What I did not like: * The murderer...what a horrible person! * Having to say goodbye to Rainy and her friends * Having to wait for the next book to be published Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing – Arcade CrimeWise for the ARC- This is my honest review. 5 Stars