Can a woman with permanence and family stamped on her forehead find the courage to love a footloose, but irresistible, murder suspect? THE DREAMAfter Ashley Sinclair’s grandfather is murdered, she dreams about converting the old Victorian ranch house she inherited into a haven for her younger siblings; twin sisters, and a brother recently paralyzed in a football accident. Because they were raised … they were raised in different foster homes, Ashley fears they will reject her love. Other fears haunt her. Because her charming, handsome father abandoned her, she distrusts men. And she’s guilt-driven for not having kept her family together.
THE SUSPECT
Stone Hunter Price goes undercover to work for Ashley as he tries to clear himself of evidence that he killed her grandfather. A vengeful lawman vows to convict Stone. His own family believes Stone is a murderer. Alone and without funds, he’s estranged from his family.
THE TIMING
The lawman is minutes from convicting Stone. The murderer is seconds behind Ashley. When the clock strikes, who will win?
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Mystery at Dead Broke Ranch by Anne Greene is the beginning of her Texas
Rangers series and I can’t wait for the next books. It is an engaging story that reads quickly, has action-packed scenes, a murder mystery that keeps you guessing and of course, a romance! A romance between a gal who is a magnet for the walking wounded and determined to make her grandfather’s ranch the haven she remembered and bring her siblings back together and a biker who has a murder sentence suspended over his head and has no interest in family bonding. Throw in a reliable, established physician and the romantic tension rises. The story pulls you in right from the start and doesn’t let go until the end. Mystery at Dead Broke Ranch is an entertaining story of truth-finding, family, and allowing God to bring beauty from ashes. I received a complimentary copy of the book and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.
Anne Greene is as adept at writing Christian cozy mysteries as she is with romance as evidenced by Mystery at Dead Broke Ranch. This novella shows her expertise with well-rounded characters, a homey setting, and a hard-to-solve mystery with the life of at least one of the characters on the line.
Ashley is a highly-skilled physical therapist. She inherited Dead Broke Ranch from Gramps, who was recently murdered; the killer has not been found. She had lived at the ranch since she was two, after her father left and her mother took the family there. She and her siblings were taken away and separated when she was ten, after her mother left. Child Protective Services had taken Zach, only one at the time, and twin sisters Autumn and Amber. She worked hard to find her siblings and wants the ranch to be their home as well.
Ashley and Gramps had been in contact, and she spent the last two weekends of his life with him. He had become a crochety old man, different than she remembered. He was the last holdout of his neighbors, having no intention of selling his ranch to a company planning to build a tractor plant. Ashley is standing fast to that plan, as she wants to use it for therapy horses for disabled children.
Zach, now 15, is a paraplegic from something occurring during their years apart. Ashley was able to bring him to the ranch but has two weeks to get the ranch readied for Zach’s wheelchair. If the case worker is not satisfied, Zach will be returned to foster care. It is the main reason that she hires Stone, a man who knows his way around a ranch. With Stone there, Ashley can spend more time with her brother and less with ranch duties.
Someone, perhaps in conjunction with the owners of the potential tractor factory, is behind various occurrences, including an attempted kidnapping of Ashley. Unbeknownst to her, Stone is searching for various documents at the ranch. He feels that Gramps gave him his first failure, and he wants to set things in motion for payback, even though the old man is dead. Who is Stone, and why he is working at the ranch, are part of the mystery, but unless they find who is after Ashley, his plans will be useless.
I like Ashley, and I love how she stays in constant contact with the Lord! She is young and assertive, full of energy, ideas, and perseverance. Her brother Zach is a very angry young man due to being paralyzed. Dr. Brad Barber and Ashley have discussed her desire to give him equine therapy, and Brad seems to want more than a professional relationship with her. Stone has become interested in Ashley.
Ashley faces challenges every step of the way as she prepares the home for her family. I like how she continues trying to get her siblings together. Plot twists muddy up the clues and motives for who wants to cause harm to Ashley and the ranch. There are several suspects, including those who have already sold their land to the tractor company, yet it seems like the sheriff is trying to pin her grandpa’s murder on either Stone or Ashley. This is a good, solid read for those who enjoy Christian cozy mysteries and romantic suspense. The end brings surprises and the hope that the next mystery in the series will be out soon. I highly recommend this novella!
From a grateful heart: I won a copy of this book from the author and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Mystery at Dead Broke Ranch by Anne Greene
Have read other works by the author and have enjoyed the reads.
This one starts out with Ashley, a special ed therapist and she needs a man. She is strong and lives on the ranch with Zach her brother in a wheelchair.
The job is still available: work at the ranch and the man riding up on the motorcycle wants it, Stone Hunter. He’s done all kinds of jobs, interesting hearing about them all throughout the book.
She needed him to work because if they didn’t have ramps for Zach and other things he’d go back to foster homes. They still have not solved the murder of her grandfather… She just wants a Christian man.
Her twin sisters are moving in and one is to be married at Christmas. Love the work she does with the horses for handicap kids.
Stone just wants to find what he left behind and get out of there…
Past events are brought forward and she recalls why Zach is confined to the chair.
He tells the family the truth then he has to leave and he hopes to clear his past before returning… So many leads and clues as to who killed her grandfather…
There is so much more to learn about the characters and their careers, can’t wait to read more about them. Handful of characters but easy to keep them straight.
Lots of action and more mystery and the authors other works are highlighted at the end.
I was given the book by the author via Book Fun (The Book Club Network) and this is my honest review