Dead Blow: A Horseshoer Mystery

By Lisa Preston

“[A] fast-moving contemporary western thriller . . . Rainy proves that cold steel and hot iron are for deadlier deeds than shoeing horses.” —Bart Paul, author of the Tommy Smith High Country Noir series

A dead blow hammer leaves little to no mark on the surface it strikes. It’s not a horseshoer’s tool, but farrier Rainy Dale knows them and knows there are more questions than answers about how her new client became a widow. The old woman says there was hardly a bruise on her dead husband. Why was he driving his tractor so dangerously near the killer bull? How long did it take him to die after the machine rolled and pinned him? The whole town seems aware of the dead man’s wandering eye. Did the widow know? It all happened just before Rainy came to town, about the time that her fiancé, Guy, volunteered with his buddy to help search for a young woman who went missing from Cowdry, Oregon. Rainy is supposed to be making wedding plans and friends, but she can’t help being drawn into the town’s old intrigues.

Once again, Rainy will have to dig deep and use all the tools in her box to both defend herself and the people she’s just learning to love.

“Dead Blow is great fun to read, partly because of the clever, quirky, twisty plot, but even more so because of the frequent peeks into Rainy’s clever, quirky, twisty mind. May the series long continue.” —Aaron Elkins, Edgar Award–winning author

“A tough yet vulnerable farrier tracks a killer, makes new friends, and commits to marriage . . . A gritty tale with a complex mystery and an unusual heroine.” —Kirkus Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Nov 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781510749122

Lisa Preston

Lisa Preston turned to writing after careers as a fire department paramedic and a city police officer. She is the author of the highly acclaimed, best-selling novels, Orchids and Stone and Measure of the Moon. She is also the author of several non-fiction books and articles on the care and training of dogs and horses. Away from her desk, she spends hours on backcountry trails as a runner and rider, sometimes combining her two outdoor pursuits via the obscure sport of Ride and Tie. She lives with her husband, their Malinois, and two Akhal Tekes on Washington State's vast Olympic Peninsula. lisapreston.com

Reviews for Dead Blow

[cathygeha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dead Blow by Lisa PrestonHorseshoer Mystery #2Rainy 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 personWhat 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 publishedThank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing – Arcade CrimeWise for the ARC- This is my honest review. 5 Stars