Friday, March 27, 2015

Review and Givaway: A Horse of a Different Killer

Horse of a Different Killer (Call of the Wilde - Book 30 by Laura Morrigan

Publication Date: 03/03/2015
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 304
ISBN-100425257215
ISBN-13978-0425257210

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, itunes

Laura Morrigan on the WEB: websitetwitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series:

Call of the Wilde

1. Woof at the Door
2. A Tiger's Tale
3. Horse of a Different Killer

Coverart:




Excerpt from Horse of a Different Color, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature

Synopsis:

Animal behaviorist Grace Wilde’s psychic ability gives her insight into the minds of all kinds of creatures. If only humans were as easy to read…

Dead men may tell no tales, but they can screw up your life with a few phone calls. Grace’s abusive ex-brother-in-law, Anthony Ortega, needs her help—at least that’s what he said on the messages he left before his sudden death. Grace is inclined to let the matter rest in peace, but when her sister is named a suspect, Grace decides to get to the bottom of the cryptic calls.

Her only lead is Ortega’s fiancée, who believes that he had arranged to surprise her with the purchase of a Frisian gelding named Heart. The horse was being stabled at the R-n-R Ranch—but was taken in the middle of the night. Now, with her sister in trouble and a missing horse on her hands, Grace hopes the information harnessed from her psychic skills will be enough to rein in the killer…


Thoughts:

Ever wonder what your dog or cat is thinking? Laura Morrigan's heroine, Grace doesn't need to, she's an animal psychic who can communicate with her clients. Horse of a Different Killer, the latest book in the Call of the Wilde series, and readers will not only love the animal/human interactions, as well as, the mystery surrounding the death of Grace's ex-brother-in-law. If you love animals and mysteries this series has got it going on. A good addition to the series!

I always love seeing a new book in this series come out. Laura Morrigan gives the series a hint of the paranormal as the heroine can telepathically talk to animals, but she doesn't go overboard with it. If you think about it, this was a really risky idea for the author. There was the chance that Grace's abilities could come off as cheesy or unbelievable, but Morrigan is really able to ride that fine line between a good theme and a bad joke. Grace's interactions with the animals put into her path are not always informative, but they do seem necessary to the story and not what I would call filler. It wasn't just a scheme to add something new to a cozy series, it was well thought out and planned. Well done!

This time Grace's sister is fingered for the crime of killing her ex. What better reason can a sleuth have to investigate than proving a loved one's innocence. Grace and her sister are light night and day. So very different from each other, that they compliment each other. There interactions are fun to read and endearing. If I lived with my sister I would probably pull my hair out.. but these two make it work and Grace has to find the real killer to get her sister out of hot water here and it all worked well. I thought Morrigan not only gave readers a good mystery but a great story of family love as well.

Bottom Line:

The mystery in this one was strong. Morrigan had me in the dark for much of the book. I didn't figure it out as quickly as I would have liked, but that made it all the more satisfying when I did. I love Grace and her unique way of investigating. If anyone really knows what happened it's probably the furry friends who nobody thinks about. The missing horse from which the name is taken was a big part of the story, but the fainting goat... stole the show! A good addition to a unique and different series.

Horse of a different killer is available NOW from your favorite bookseller. 

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!



About the Author:


Laura Morrigan is a Florida Native whose work at a local zoo, helping out with everything from “waste management” to teaching an elephant how to paint, served as inspiration for her Call of the Wilde Mysteries. She still lives in Florida and is working on the third book in the seires.



Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Horse of a Different Killer by Laura Morrigan.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, April 10th.

1. Please leave a comment. If you could talk to any type of animal what would you talk to and what would you talk about?

2. Please fill out the FORM.

21 comments:

traveler said...

I would talk to my dog who is smart and a sage. I would discuss the world, life and how we are always striving and hoping. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I was just talking to my dog this morning, are you saying she doesn't actually understand me??!!
:)
Other than that, would love to have the ability to have a stern talking to with the chipmunks that are bent on ruining my gardens. Thanks!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

I would talk to chickens and find out what it is they think about.

Theresa N. said...

I would talk to the cats and ask them is they dream when they take all those naps.
Theresa N
weceno(at)yahoo.com

Angela - Bookaunt said...

I think I would like to be able to talk to cats since I have so many of them.

Robin Coxon said...

In our household we have two cats. One is mine, Romeo Luigi, and one is my daughter's, Ralphie Lee. I would love to be able to talk to both of them. They cohabit with each other but not on friendly terms sometimes. I would love to know why? Also my daughter's cat isn't very cuddly and I'd like to know what his problem is.

Robin Coxon said...

In our household we have two cats. One is mine, Romeo Luigi, and one is my daughter's, Ralphie Lee. I would love to be able to talk to both of them. They cohabit with each other but not on friendly terms sometimes. I would love to know why? Also my daughter's cat isn't very cuddly and I'd like to know what his problem is.

Rita Wray said...

I would talk to a dog and ask if it gets bored taking naps all day.

Carol N Wong said...

I would talk to my older cockatiel for a long time. He has been with me through rough times and good times, currently we have spent 26 years together.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Grandma Cootie said...

I would talk to our Pug. We are half expecting that some day he will just say, "Hey, I'm talking to you here." and look forward to his insights ;-).
sallycootie@gmail.com

Sharon Braswell said...

I would talk to my cat Bella! She is older, still very frisky for her age though!I would like to know how she is really feeling physically and why she tortures my two dogs so!! :)

Linda said...

As a kid, I dreamed of being the scientist that would discover how to talk with dolphins in their language. Nowadays, I'd like to be able to talk to lost pets to find their owners. Especially cats who seem to be lost more without tags or chips.

Nancy said...

I would talk to my cats and get to the bottom of some issues we have

Debbie S said...

I would love to be able to talk to either my dog or cats, just so I know what they are saying when they make all these noises at me.

lag123 said...

I would talk to cats about their nine lives. I think cats have it made. I would enjoy their lifestyle and they own their humans.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

Sue Farrell said...

I would talk to my beagles about what they want out of life.

Linda Kish said...

We have seven dogs and I'd like to know what they really think of each other.

Brooke Showalter said...

I would talk to dolphins about life under the sea.

bn100 said...

fish and ask them if they're bored in a fishbowl

cyn209 said...

I would ask penguins if it is fair that they are always perceived as 'cute'........

Anita Yancey said...

I would talk to the deer that come in our yard, and I would ask them if they are as afraid of me as they seem to be, and why since I have never hurt them. Thanks for having the giveaway.

ayancey1974(at)gmail(dot)com