Tuesday, July 1, 2025

ARC Review: The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos

The Blue Horse

Author:
Bruce Borgos 
Series: Porter Beck (Book 3)
Publication: Minotaur Books (July 8, 2025)

Description: A controversial wild horse round-up in the high desert of Nevada results in two murders and too many suspects for Sheriff Porter Beck to deal with.

A helicopter driving a controversial round-up of wild horses suddenly crashes and the pilot is found to have been shot. Then the person coordinating the round-up for the Bureau of Land Management is savagely murdered, buried up to her neck and then trampled to death by the very same wild horses. And there's no lack of suspects―with the wild horse advocacy group having sworn to protect the horse At Any Cost! Now the state and federal agencies are showing up looking for answers or at least a scapegoat.

Sheriff Porter Beck has had better days.

Porter Beck's new girlfriend, Detective Charlie Blue Horse, arrives to help with the investigation, which leads them to Canadian Lithium mining operation near the round-up area that sets off Beck's mental alarm bells. Brinley, Beck's sister, is leading a group of troubled kids in a wilderness program, when one of them, Rafa, bolts one night. When Brinley catches up to him, they're just outside the mine―in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

With his personal life in turmoil, too many suspects and too many secrets, the feds pushing for a quick resolution, and his impetuous (if skilled) sister in the mix, one wrong step could be deadly for Porter Beck.

My Thoughts: The third Porter Beck mystery begins with the death of a helicopter pilot who is rounding up wild horses. Sheriff Porter Beck is in his last weeks as sheriff before he takes a state-wide post in criminal investigation. 

But the murder of the pilot is only the first death. A video is put up showing the death of the BLM manager involved in the round-up. What doesn't show is that one of truck drivers is also murdered. The FBI comes in after her death because she was a federal employee. The FBI would like a fast resolution to the case, but Beck isn't convinced that the obvious suspects weren't set up to take the blame.

Covid is making itself felt in his county despite it being both very rural and sparsely populated. His chief deputy, who is supposed to take his place as sheriff, comes down with a case of it the is severe enough to require her to spend time on a respirator. His already stretched department is stretched even more with people going out sick. 

Meanwhile, Porter is dealing with his night blindness and the prospects of becoming totally blind in the relatively near future. He's also dealing with his girlfriend Charlie Blue Horse's shifting moods and secrets. And his sister Brin disappears when she's volunteering with a group of troubled teens on a wilderness camping trip. 

The story is packed with action and very engaging. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Death and the Librarian by Victoria Gilbert

Death and the Librarian

Author:
Victoria Gilbert
Series: Blue Ridge Library Mystery (Book 9)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (July 9, 2025)

Description: It’s summertime in Virginia, but things are about to get out of hand when murder darkens the annual arts festival in this ninth installment of the critically acclaimed Blue Ridge Library mystery series, perfect for fans of Ellery Adams and Miranda James.

Library director Amy Muir has always been suspicious of wealthy art dealer Kurt Kendrick. As a close family friend, the ties that bind them are strong, but his murky past is concerning, especially since he is the godfather to Amy and her husband Richard’s six-year-old twins. When a visitor to their small, historic Virginia town is found dead after publicly accusing Kurt of committing a decades-old murder, Amy is determined to prove that Kurt didn’t kill anyone, in the past or the present. But the evidence Kurt’s accuser sent to Sheriff Brad Tucker before her untimely demise indicates otherwise.

With Amy’s own aunt and other older town residents corroborating some of the details related to the first murder and a witness placing Kurt near the scene of the second crime, it seems Kurt is doomed to swift and severe justice. Amidst the fun and excitement of an arts festival that features the premiere of Richard’s new dance company, Amy faces her own challenging performance—balancing her work and family life while dancing on the edge of danger.

With family and friends harboring suspicions about Kurt and Amy bedeviled by her own wavering trust in his innocence, she must fight to uncover the truth before a hidden killer strikes again.

My Thoughts: When a visiting author of true crime books is murdered while attending a local arts festival, Library Director Amy Muir finds herself doing some research for the local police and getting herself in danger when she comes too close to the murderer.

Maureen Dryden has capitalized on the success of her first true crime story and is planning her second book which will be a succession of stories from small towns. She wants to look into the disappearance of Edward Jaffe who disappeared in 1967. While the newspapers barely mentioned the disappearance, Amy's aunt and her twin's godfather may have some information they've never shared about the disappearance. And Kurt, the twin's godfather, was seen at the inn where Maureen's death occurred. 

Amy finds herself juggling her research for the police with the care of her children and the preparation for her husband's launch of his new dance company. As she looks into the case described in Maureen's first book, she learns that enemies were made who might be involved in her death. 

This was an engaging story filled with interesting characters and a fast-paced plot. I enjoyed catching up with Amy and her circle again in this ninth book in the Blue Ridge Library Mysteries. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Monday, June 30, 2025

State of the Stack #166 (June 30, 2025)

This is my monthly post which details progress made on review books. I want to thank the authors and publishers who have contributed their books. 

Read This Month 

Dates indicate the date the review was/will be posted.
  1. Trixie Belden: The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell (June 17)
  2. Look Before You Leap by Virginia Heath (June 17)
  3. The Secrets We Keep by Amy Lillard (June 18)
  4. Trixie Belden: The Red Trailer Mystery by Julie Campbell (June 19)
  5. Them Bones by David Housewright (June 19)
  6. A Tarnished Canvas by Anna Lee Huber (June 24)
  7. Tricks of Fortune by Lisa Chern (June 25)
  8. Dogged Pursuit by David Rosenfelt (June 26)
  9. Death and the Librarian by Victoria Gilbert (July 1)
  10. The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos (July 1)
  11. The Myth Maker by Alie Dumas Heidt (July 2)
  12. Rage by Linda Castillo (July 3)
  13. The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths (July 3)
  14. Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts (July 8)
  15. Fateless by Julie Kagawa (July 9)
  16. Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods (July 10)
  17. Gold Dust by Catherine Asaro (October 1)
DNF
  1. Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox (July 1)
Read Previously, Posted This Month 

Dates indicate when the review was posted.
  1. Grave Words by Gerri Lewis (June 3)
  2. Knave of Diamonds by Laurie R. King (June 3)
  3. A Botanist's Guide to Rituals and Revenge by Kate Khavari (June 4)
  4. Believe Me Now by S. M. Govett (June 5)
  5. Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West (June 7)
  6. The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott (June 10)
New This Month 

Date indicates when the book will be released.
  1. A Tarnished Canvas by Anna Lee Huber (June 24)
  2. Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell (July 29)
  3. A Silence in Belgrave Square by Jennifer Ashley (August 12)
  4. A Moment's Shadow by Anna Lee Huber (August 26)
  5. If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia (September 2)
  6. Framed in Death by J. D. Robb (September 2)
  7. All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan (September 9)
  8. A Dark and Deadly Journey by Julia Kelly (September 23)
  9. The Devil in Oxford by Jess Armstrong (November 4)
  10. The Nameless Land by Kate Elliott (November 4)
  11. Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop (November 11)
  12. Wild Instinct by T. Jefferson Parker (November 11)
  13. At Midnight Comes the Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming (November 18)
All TBR Review Books

July
August
September
October
November

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (June 30, 2025)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Want to See What I Added to My Stack? links to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality.

Other Than Reading...

Happy Monday! How in the world did it get to be the end of June already? This year seems to be going by so fast. 

I had a quiet week. It cooled off enough to run the furnace for a couple of cycles this past week, but it looks to be warming up again. The storms that were supposed to roll through the area a couple of time last week missed us. We did ger enough rain that the grass was too wet for my brother to mow the lawn on either of his days off last week. It's getting a bit shaggy, but he does have another day off tomorrow which might work for lawn mowing. 

I spent a lot of time side-tracked last week in my reading and listening. I got caught up in a science fiction mystery series by Catherine Asaro. And, just as I finished the most recent one to be available on audiobook, I learned that the eARC for the October release is this series was available at Baen Books. I had to buy and read it. I have the review scheduled for the beginning of October. 

I'm behind in my reading by eye but well ahead in my reading by ear. Unfortunately, I usually read four by eye and two by ear each week which means I'm behind again. This week I need to concentrate on reading the books I actually have listed on my calendar for July 10 and later posts. There are six by eye on my stack before my next by ear which I am currently reading. 

I'll do a more thorough month in review next week, but it looks like I've read 202 books as of June 29 according to my Google spreadsheet. Now I'm off to work on my State of the Stack post.

Read Last Week
  • Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts (Review, July 15) -- Second Vandy Myrick mystery set in Queenstown, New Jersey. My review will be posted on July 8)
  • The Vanished Seas by Catherine Asaro (Audiobook Reread) -- Third book in the Major Bhaajan science fiction mysteries. I reviewed this one here.
  • The Jigsaw Assassin by Catherine Asaro (Audiobook Reread) -- Fourth book in the Major Bhaajan science fiction mysteries. I reviewed this one here
  • The Down Deep by Catherine Asaro (Mine; Audiobook Reread) -- The first Dust Knights science fiction mystery. My review for the Kindle book is here
  • Fateless by Julie Kagawa (Review, July 15) -- First in a YA epic fantasy trilogy. A young thief finds herself the only one who can defeat the newly resurrected Deathless King but first she has to gather colleagues and survive. My review will be posted on July 9.
  • Gold Dust by Catherine Asaro (eARC from Baen Books, October 7) -- Second Dust Knights mystery has a team from the Undercity preparing to take part in the Olympics and dealing with lots of prejudice. My review will be posted on October 1. 
  • Gone Gull by Donna Andrews (Chirp Audiobook, Mine since June 28, 2022) -- 21st Meg Langslow mystery with the usual combination of mystery and humor. My review will be posted on July 17.
  • Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods (Review, July 15) -- Contemporary romance with some Dungeon & Dragons fantasy included. My review will be posted on July 10.
Currently
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Review:
Bought:
What was your week like?

Saturday, June 28, 2025

Audiobook Review: Her First Mistake by Kendra Elliot

Her First Mistake

Author:
Kendra Elliot
Narrator: Stephanie Nemeth-Parker
Series: Noelle Marshall (Book 1)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (June 10, 2025)
Length: 10 hours and 7 minutes

Description: When a very personal cold case murder is reopened, a detective’s secrets come to light in a novel of shocking twists and suspense by a Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

Thirteen years ago, Assemblyman Derrick Bell was murdered in his home by an intruder. His wife, Noelle Marshall, was left for dead. The crime was unsolved, but it wasn’t forgotten.

Today the FBI is tackling a fresh perspective on the case and looking to Noelle, now a detective for the Deschutes County sheriff’s office, for new clues. It is reopening everything Noelle thought was behind her. Memories of her escape from a traumatic childhood. A marriage that wasn’t the perfect love story she’d been promised. And a husband whose charm and privilege hid a dark side. But Noelle has been hiding something too: a secret about the night Derrick died that she has never told anyone.

As past and present and leads and misleads collide, one thing is frighteningly clear. Derrick’s murder wasn’t just unsolved. It’s unfinished. And only the truth—no matter the risk—can save the next victim.

My Thoughts: A side character from the author's Mercy Kilpatrick series gets her own story in this new series starter. Noelle Marshall is a Deschutes County sheriff's detective who has a hidden past that is now being revealed.

Thirteen years earlier, Noelle was the wife of politician Derrick Bell. Bell was murdered in his home and Noelle severely injured. She doesn't remember what happened when her husband was killed and she was attacked. She still has memory issues to the present day. Those past memories have never surfaced. 

Now the FBI is reinvestigating the case in the hopes of finally being able to solve it. FBI special agent Max Rhodes and his partner have come to reinterview Noelle, her sisters, her brother-in-law, and her great aunt who had all moved to the area from Sacramento where the crime was committed. 

Much of the story is told in flashbacks from the time of the murder of Derrick Bell and for the five years preceding it charting the relationship between Noelle and Derrick. It's a story of a hardworking, poor woman who meets a rich man with political ambitions. They fall in love and Noelle finds herself in a relationship where she can never be accepted by her in-laws and Derrick's siblings and where she finds herself compromising herself for her husband's sake. It was sad watching the hopeful new romance devolve into a situation where Noelle becomes an emotionally abused wife. 

These flashbacks are in direct contrast to Noelle's present life where she is a successful woman and detective even though she is wary about any new relationship. 

I enjoyed this story very much and look forward to more in the series. 

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, June 27, 2025

Friday Memes: Her First Mistake by Kendra Elliot

 Happy Friday!


Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 
Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:
"Did you vote for him?"

"I don't remember." FBI special agent Alice Patmore paused outside the impressive country home, studying the huge porch with its columns and heavy beams.
Friday 56:
"That's just temporary," he said. "You've got the presence of a queen and the intelligence of a rocket scientist. You're perfect."

She snorted. "More like model rockets."
This week I am spotlighting Her First Mistake by Kendra Elliot. I just bought this new book by a favorite author. It stars a new character. Here is the description from Amazon;

When a very personal cold case murder is reopened, a detective’s secrets come to light in a novel of shocking twists and suspense by a Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

Thirteen years ago, Assemblyman Derrick Bell was murdered in his home by an intruder. His wife, Noelle Marshall, was left for dead. The crime was unsolved, but it wasn’t forgotten.

Today the FBI is tackling a fresh perspective on the case and looking to Noelle, now a detective for the Deschutes County sheriff’s office, for new clues. It is reopening everything Noelle thought was behind her. Memories of her escape from a traumatic childhood. A marriage that wasn’t the perfect love story she’d been promised. And a husband whose charm and privilege hid a dark side. But Noelle has been hiding something too: a secret about the night Derrick died that she has never told anyone.

As past and present and leads and misleads collide, one thing is frighteningly clear. Derrick’s murder wasn’t just unsolved. It’s unfinished. And only the truth—no matter the risk—can save the next victim.

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Audiobook Review: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Hidden Figures

Author:
Margot Lee Shetterly
Narrator: Robin Miles
Publication: HarperAudio (September 6, 2016)
Length: 10 hours and 47 minutes

Description: The phenomenal true story of the Black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America's greatest achievements in space. Now a major motion picture starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, and Kevin Costner.

Before John Glenn orbited the Earth or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as "human computers" used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets and astronauts into space.

Among these problem solvers were a group of exceptionally talented African American women, some of the brightest minds of their generation. Originally relegated to teaching math in the South's segregated public schools, they were called into service during the labor shortages of World War II, when America's aeronautics industry was in dire need of anyone who had the right stuff. Suddenly these overlooked math whizzes had shots at jobs worthy of their skills, and they answered Uncle Sam's call, moving to Hampton, Virginia, and the fascinating, high-energy world of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory.

Even as Virginia's Jim Crow laws required them to be segregated from their white counterparts, the women of Langley's all-Black West Computing group helped America achieve one of the things it desired most: a decisive victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War and complete domination of the heavens.

Starting in World War II and moving through to the Cold War, the civil rights movement, and the space race, Hidden Figures follows the interwoven accounts of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, four African American women who participated in some of NASA's greatest successes. It chronicles their careers over nearly three decades as they faced challenges, forged alliances, and used their intellects to change their own lives - and their country's future.

My Thoughts: HIDDEN FIGURES was a compelling listen. I was swept into the early days of NASA and the lives of some of the Black women who labored diligently and mostly in the background to bring the United States into the space age. 

Starting with World War II and the labor shortage that provided openings for bright Black women to work in the aerospace industry in Hampton, Virginia, and ending some forty years later, the accounts of the Black mathematicians who dealt with all the issues of segregation when they weren't at work was a story woven between the developments of flight and spaceflight and the gradual social changes of Black-White interactions. 

I enjoyed the author's thoughts in both the Prologue and Epilogue that illuminates her journey to learn about the times and these extraordinary women who accomplishments were mainly hidden in the background of a burgeoning industry. 

I was reminded over and over again that the adage of having to work twice as hard to get half as far was a reality for women of the time and even more so for Black women. 

I bought this one May 23, 2021. You can buy your copy here.