Roughstock by Laura Crum

    In her third adventure, equine veterinarian and amateur sleuth Gail McCarthy goes to Lake Tahoe to attend the annual Winter Equine Seminar.  Gail had not expected any surprises during the seminar's three days of lectures on horse health problems.  But when one of her fellow horse vets is found dead and another is accused of murder, Gail's trip takes on new urgency as she searches for a murderer.

    The trail leads back to Gail's hometown of Santa Cruz, California, and frighteningly soon, to her own back door.  Gail will need to make some harrowing choices before she can rope in the solution to this mystery.

    Fast-paced and filled with gripping action, Laura Crum's mysteries bring the worlds of James Herriot and Dick Francis to the Wild West of modern cow horses.  Even non-horse-lovers will be intrigued.

“As usual, the pace is brisk; the reader becomes involved early on and travels at a high lope throughout.  Crum obviously knows horses and the industry.”

     Western Horseman
 
 

“Crum endows Gail with an endearing love of animals, a warm appreciation of the western landscape and an affable boyfriend who lets her call the shots.  Including a thrilling, cinematic chase scene on horseback, it all adds up to a satisfying mystery with lots of heart.”

     Publisher's Weekly