Candy Carter, a former park ranger, gives us an exciting outdoor mystery featuring a new sleuth. Handy with a six-shooter, Henry “Whispering” Smith is a range detective for the Colorado Plateau Cattlemen’s Association. The action begins when he apprehends an old acquaintance moving cows that belong to someone else. Shots ring out from the bushes and bullets fly. In the aftermath Henry is faced … with arresting an old friend who’d just saved his life. We travel with Whispering Smith from Colorado Plateau to the North Carolina mountains in this fresh, new mystery from an “author of great promise.”
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This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Muddy Waters
Author: Candace J. Carter
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 17
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 6/10
Of the 17 readers:
13 would read another book by this author.
10 thought the cover was good or excellent.
17 felt it was easy to follow.
13 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
13 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
13 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“A solidly-written whodunit with plenty of twists and a host of interesting characters to follow. The author’s writing style is good for the genre; simple, getting the job done. Enjoyed it.” Female reader, aged 43
“I liked Henry, the protagonist. I thought he was very likable, and determined to discover the truth. The plot was cleverly put together, and I was often surprised by what happened next. Although I felt the ending wasn’t as strong as it could have been, overall this is a well-told detective story.” Male reader, aged 52
“The protagonist is an excellent tracker, which I thought made this book original. It was a little slow to get going, but once it did it was a great read. It has an atmospheric setting and a number of compelling characters.” Female reader, aged 69
“I loved the North Carolina setting. I felt it was almost a character in the story. There’s a sort of Western feel to this novel which I also liked. If you enjoy craftily-plotted detective novels (and cowboys), you’ll probably enjoy this.” Male reader, aged 29
To Sum It Up:
‘A cleverly-crafted murder mystery with a twisting plot and an awe-inspiring setting.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
I received a free electronic ARC of this modern western novel from Netgalley, Candace J. Carter, and BooksGoSocial. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.
Muddy Waters is a compelling, tightly paced modern western, the protagonists well defined, the mystery well hidden. Candace J. Carter brings us a believable tale with personable characters, a story that is easy to follow, folks who feel like friends. And perhaps most importantly, the setting is the essence of ‘western’. Candace J. Carter knows that which she writes and is willing to share it with us all. I would love to see more of Henry and Carlie.
Muddy Waters by Candace J. Carter is an invigorating mystery with a modern day western feel to it. Carter brought the scenery on the range to life in this well-written novel. Our protagonist, Henry Smith is a range detective in Colorado searching for some cattle rustlers.
Without giving away any spoilers as to what happened that day, the story continues with Henry driving to his home town in the mountains of North Carolina for his uncle’s wedding. This brings family issues into the story, as he is estranged from his father, and his step-mother’s son by her first marriage is a jerk. Then a murder occurs that disrupts Henry’s life.
The story is thought-provoking and deceptive in its depth. The characters are well defined and complex. Henry makes for a great sleuth and is very likeable. This is one time that I missed the clues and was totally surprised by the murderer. The ending was impactful and satisfying. Besides a variety of family issues, this novel incorporates murder, death, cancer, buried treasure, cattle rustling, friendships, lost love, tracking, fights, small town gossip, police procedures and even a little romance. I greatly enjoyed this novel and recommend it to those that like mysteries with a modern day western theme. I hope there will be another book in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley, BooksGoSocial and Candace J. Carter for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.