There’s a killer in Sanctuary, and the prime suspect is a horse! Spirited Ember Burns is led back home to open her own veterinary practice, and her first client lands her in the middle of a murder mystery. When the evidence points to the horse as the cause of death, she vows to protect him. But horses don’t talk and neither do the dead, so Ember has to rely on her intelligence and instinct to … and instinct to get to the truth. A truth buried under layers of small-town secrets. Some that are big enough to get you killed.
Battling a reluctant Sheriff and pushy Mayor, Ember struggles to get her business off the ground while digging deeper. Why would anyone want to kill the local farrier? And who was plotting to stop her? As the town gears up for its centennial celebration, Ember is led from local ranches to the surrounding mountains in her quest. Can she unveil the true culprit before they get away with murder?
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I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was I picking up a funny book, a murder/mystery, or something all together different? It was a little bit of all that.
The characters were realistic, fun, and enjoyable. I found myself looking forward to finding out where the story was heading and what trouble was going to happen next. Ember Burns has returned to her hometown after losing her mother and is instantly pulled right into the drama of Sanctuary. It seems that every turn she makes, every person she meets, and every place she goes she meets someone else who has secrets to hide. There were small twists and turns throughout the book that kept me guessing at who the actual murderer was. I had many ideas on who was doing what but then something else would happen and I’d second guess myself.
You Can Lead a Horse to Murder is set in a small town. There are cute shops, noisy neighbors, amazing ranches, and a great holiday party. The neighbors were interesting. They all had their own opinions of what was going on in their town and were not afraid to share them. I laughed at how brazen some of them were, how out right rude many were, and how many had secrets.
If you are looking for a light, fun, and easy read I recommend picking up your own copy of You Can Lead a Horse to Murder.
Small Mountain Town Veterinarian
I love the premise of this book. The heroine is definitely living my ideal fantasy life. The plot is wonderful. The mystery is multifaceted with lots of suspects and motives. All of the situations are extremely believable, as are all of the characters. I am going to be reading the rest of this series and more of this author’s work. I bought this book and this is my honest opinion.
Ember Burns has just moved back to her hometown of Sanctuary and decides to plant her roots by purchasing a veterinary clinic from a retiring vet. Before she can even open her clinic doors her aunt Becky recruits her to check out an extremely stressed out horse. When Ember arrives, not only is the horse uncharacteristically acting out, but she finds a dead body in the same stable.
All signs point to the horse accidentally killing the man by trampling, but Ember notices something while attending the autopsy that leads her to believe that the man was actually murdered.
Tara Meyers has a way with her characters and writing style. Ember comes across as a very caring vet who has a passion for animals; Aunt Becky (who is not much older than Ember) runs an animal rescue and has a strong trusting relationship with Ember; Mel is the ever faithful vet assistant, and Daenery is the rescue dog that Ember has grown to love.
This is a great book in a new series by the author.
I love a new series. This one has everything I look for in a small town or cozy series.
Ember is a strong female lead, with support from her Aunt Becky, also a feisty, strong woman.
The action starts from the very beginning, before Ember is even able to construct her new desk!
Although she is from Sanctuary, having left home for college and staying away a while, many now consider her to be an outsider. I can relate. Everything she does is harshly judged.
She buys a veterinary practice, believing an established client list is to her benefit.
What she doesn’t realize is that she inherits something else from the former vet.
This was a fun read. I would love to read more about Ember and the town of Sanctuary.
I was gifted an ARC in return of an honest review.