Lisa Preston

Forging Fire by Lisa Preston
Horseshoer Mystery Series #3

Rainy Day is back to solve another murder mystery. Thinking she can do a favor for a friend she heads off to the Black Bluff bull sales hoping to see the place and check off one item on her bucket list. Little does she know that she will face losing more than time on the road and away from home.

What I liked:
* Rainy: strong, independent, horseshoer working in what is usually considered a man’s jobtrade. Willing to help others, eager to solve mysteries, loves her Guy, and adores Charley, her herding dog. Sometimes I did question her choices, though.
* Guy: Rainy’s fiancé doesn’t get much page time but is devoted to Rainy. He is more than capable in the kitchen and ready to do what it takes to keep Rainy safe.
* Charley: rescued at the side of the road a couple years before, loves Rainy, is friendly, and loves to herd animals (and humans?). More of his backstory comes out in this book.
* The plot and writing.
* That I did not know who the culprits were till very near the end.
* Being reminded that good people can also have a darker side.
* Knowing that there is a book four to look forward to.
* Also…going off to search for a “shoeless Joe” definition and finding myself reading about donkeys, mules, various hybrids and crosses and all the names they are given as well as how they vary.

What I did not like:
* The bad guys and just how bad they were
* Having to say goodbye to the characters till the next book is ready to be read.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars… (mehr)

Picking up a mystery with a female horseshoer may sound like an odd choice, but when you love horses like I do and when a man from your little hometown was a farrier for one of the teams of Budweiser Clydesdales, the choice suddenly doesn't seem strange at all. I often say that I am a character-driven reader-- and I am-- but I also read for "voice." If the main character speaks in a way that draws me right into the heart of the story, 90% of the battle is won as far as I'm concerned. Rainy Dale has that voice. She's a Texan with a colorful way of speaking-- and I'm not talking swear words here. Rainy has sworn off using bad language; it's a part of her Turning Over A New Leaf. She's made some really bad decisions in her short life, but she's got the gumption to change all that. In The Clincher, she begins to realize that the hardest thing she's going to have to do is to change her (very low) opinion of herself.

Anyone who loves horses is bound to love this book for the equine lore alone. Even if you don't love horses, if you like learning about new things, chances are good that you'll find this book a winner, too. Horseshoeing, a sport called Ride & Tie, learning to get along with a talented chef who wants more from Rainy than she wants to give... all these things and more play parts in a strong, fast-paced mystery. Character, mystery, and setting are the winning trifecta here.

I'd barely begun reading when I knew I needed more, so I already have the second book in the series, Dead Blow, on hand, and I see that the third is scheduled to be released in September. If you love characterization and that elusive "voice" as much as I do, please give Lisa Preston's The Clincher a try.… (mehr)