Talk about a killer ride!
Cody Costin tries, she really tries, to stay away from dead bodies. To enjoy the summer while the Colorado skies are blue and outdoors adventures abound.
But when a leisurely horseback ride with a friend turns into anything but relaxing, she starts to wonder if her mojo is completely askew. Upon returning to the stables to put up their horses, Cody discovers the stablehand has been murdered.
And she and her friend, Carla McCooley, are considered suspects in the killing!
It will take all of Codyâs sleuthing skills to find the needle in this haystackâthe one precious bit of information that will break the whole case wide open, allowing justice to prevail.
Horses and Corpses is the final book in a captivating cozy mystery trilogy set in and around the beautiful state of Colorado. If youâre young at heart and enjoy contemporary mysteries with a twist that you wonât see coming, then youâll love this unique whodunit.
Talk about a killer ride!
Cody Costin tries, she really tries, to stay away from dead bodies. To enjoy the summer while the Colorado skies are blue and outdoors adventures abound.
But when a leisurely horseback ride with a friend turns into anything but relaxing, she starts to wonder if her mojo is completely askew. Upon returning to the stables to put up their horses, Cody discovers the stablehand has been murdered.
And she and her friend, Carla McCooley, are considered suspects in the killing!
It will take all of Codyâs sleuthing skills to find the needle in this haystackâthe one precious bit of information that will break the whole case wide open, allowing justice to prevail.
Horses and Corpses is the final book in a captivating cozy mystery trilogy set in and around the beautiful state of Colorado. If youâre young at heart and enjoy contemporary mysteries with a twist that you wonât see coming, then youâll love this unique whodunit.
We cantered up the hill and drew to a stop under an expansive blue sky to admire the magnificent view of the Front Range and its pine-covered surrounds. I was enjoying the last days of summer break, and my newest BFF, Carla McCooley, had taken a well-deserved day off from her ice cream and catering business to join me on a dayâs horseback ride in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Conifer, Colorado. My chocolate Labrador, Snickers, and Carlaâs yellow Labrador, Goldilocks, accompanied us, either bounding ahead or trailing behind when some irresistible smell captured their attention. The pair had become great buddiesâjust like Carla and me.Â
âThis is gorgeous,â Carla said as she took in the mountains and their foreground of tree-covered slopes leading down to a small stream.
âI knew youâd like it. Worth the ride up, huh?â
âDefinitely. I could stay here and enjoy this view for hours.â
I grinned. âHow about we take a break, water the animals, and eat some lunch? Then weâll head across to that stream.â
âSounds good to me.âÂ
I swung down from the saddle and led my mount, a bay gelding named Galahad, off the path, where he immediately began munching on a tuft of green grass. Carla did likewise. Because she wasnât an experienced rider, sheâd chosen to ride Xena, a smaller, more docile, chestnut mare, who exhibited none of the feisty attributes of her namesake from the TV series. The mare happily ambled along beside Carla, keen to join Galahad under the shade of the tall pines. After tethering the horses to nearby smaller trees, we retrieved our water bottles and packed lunches from our respective saddle packs. I poured water into the collapsible silicone bowl I always carried when Snickers I were out and gave both dogs a drink of water before they ventured off to explore the area. The animals taken care of, Carla and I finally settled ourselves on a fallen log to munch and enjoy the surroundings.
âSo youâve definitely decided you wonât be returning to South Carolina this fall?â Carla asked before taking a swig from her red water bottle.
âAh-huh,â I said. âIt wasnât an easy decision, given Iâve only just finished my freshman year at USC, made new friends, and have a boyfriend of sorts there to consider, but to be honest, Iâd much rather be in Colorado. Itâs my home. And how can I say no to this?â I gestured toward the scene before us with my half-eaten cheese and mustard sandwich.
âComing from Boston, I totally get that. Have you told Adam yet?â
I took another bite of my sandwich and shook my head. âIâm kinda dreading it. I told you how possessive he is.â
âYou did,â Carla said, her gaze on the mountains. âBut itâll get harder the longer you put it off.â
âI know. I need to swallow that frog and just do it.â I took a sip of water and let out a long breath.Â
âWhat? Swallow that frog?â Carla giggled. âHavenât heard that one before.âÂ
âYeah, it is a strange saying, isnât it? Blame it on Gran. She sometimes says that, and it stuck in my head, I guess.â I paused. âAnyway, I agree the sooner I tell him the better, but Iâd like to get confirmation from the University of Denver firstâthat I can continue my journalism studies thereâbefore I drop the bomb. What if Iâm not accepted? Iâll probably need to go back to South Carolina in that case. Either way, Iâm done with Adam.â
âWhen will you know for sure?â
âIâm hoping to hear any day now.â
Carla finished her sandwich, shoved the wrapper in her pocket, and brushed her hands free of crumbs. âWell, itâs good youâve reached a decision. You need that clarity to move ahead.â
âI totally agree. Iâve been indecisive for far too long.â I washed down my sandwich with the rest of my water and stood, turning to check on the horses who were still happily munching on the vegetation. We untied them, swung into our saddles, and proceeded down the hill at a slow, swaggering clip.
* * *
Roughly an hour later, after leaving the track and meandering our way through the woods, we were at the babbling stream. Galahad and Xena were happy to gorge themselves on the cool, clean water, and Snickers and Goldilocks frolicked and explored in and around the stream. After weâd filled our water bottles, Carla removed her boots and socks, rolled up her jeans, and paddled in the shallows. âOoh,â she giggled, trying to maintain her balance on slippery rocks. âItâs colder than I would have thought, but it feels so good. You coming in?â
I hadnât planned on it, but seeing how Carla and the dogs were enjoying themselves, I wished Iâd brought my bathing suit so I could have a good long dip in the pristine waters. Iâd just have to be satisfied with wading. âSure,â I said, perching on a large rock to remove my boots. I then entered the water up to ankles. âYouâre right. Itâs biting, but still divine.â That good long dip Iâd been thinking about wouldnât have been such a great idea after allâtoo darn cold for swimming.
The dogs soon tired of their water sports and bounded away for drier exploratory pursuits while I allowed the horses to prance and splash around in the shallows for a short while before returning them to the bank. I was securing them to a shady tree when I heard a loud squeal, accompanied by a huge splash behind me. I turned, expecting to see Carla playing with the dogs near the bank, but instead discovered that she was waist-deep in the water. Apparently, not her planâmust have been a quick drop at the streamâs bottom that she hadnât anticipated. By the time I finished with the horses, sheâd clambered to her feet and was tentatively slip-sliding her way toward the bank.
âBetter get those off,â I said, pointing to her soaked jeans. âYou canât be riding all wet. Itâll be murder on your skin.â
The corners of Carlaâs mouth went down as she momentarily hesitated before peeling down the offending garment. She stood shivering in her underwear and half-wet yellow tank top while we each took one end of her jeans and proceeded to twist as much moisture from the fabric as we could. I then spread the jeans over a small bush in full sunlight so they could dry while Carla hurried toward Xena to retrieve her hoodie. âThank goodness I thought to bring this along,â she said, lifting her yellow top over her head and slipping into the fleeceâs warmth, which was long enough to reach her thighs. The tank top joined the jeans on the bush while we squatted on the rock ledge waiting for the sun to do its job.
âYou starting to warm up?â I asked, giving her back a solid rub.
Carla, her knees tucked high inside her hoodie, nodded. âAt least my teeth have stopped chattering.â
âItâll be at least an hour before your jeans will be dry enough to wear, so we might as well make ourselves comfortable. I packed two protein bars. Want one?â
âPlease.â
By the time weâd downed the snack, Carla was warm enough to release her legs from their cocoon and stretch them out across the rock. âI wonder if this place is anywhere near where that murder happened years ago.â
Well, that came out of nowhere. I looked at her blankly. âWhat murder?â
âYou donât know about it?â
I shook my head. âFill me in.â
âI only heard about it recently when I bumped into an acquaintance at a kidâs party I catered. She was one of the grandmothers there. Iâd met her months ago through my ex-husbandâs construction businessâsomething about adding on a new room or patio or something. Anyway, we got talking while the kids were playing hide-and-seek at the end of the field near an old barnââ
Holding up a hand, I interjected with, âCarla, I know weâve got all afternoon, but can you get to the point?â I giggled.Â
âOh, yeah. Right,â she said, looking sheepish. âIt happened around thirty years ago âŚâ
âThirty years?â I gasped. âThatâs before either of us were born. I thought you were going to tell me a gruesome tale about some recent murder.â
âNope, sorry. It was thirty years ago, or thereabouts.â
âSo what happened?â
âFour college friends, two girls and two boys, came out here camping one weekend. Theyâd apparently known each other for years, like since junior high, so were good friends, but some scuffle took place and one guy ended up killing the other one. The girls found him facedown in a stream, probably one just like this, which reminded me of the story.â
âWhy did he murder him? I mean, if they were friends, why would he do that?â
âThe story was there was a squabble over a girl,â Carla said. âAnd there was alcohol involved.â
The scenario immediately brought me back to what happened to my other BFFâs little sister a few weeks back. Different players, but similar circumstances. âSounds like more than just a squabble.â
âYeah, definitely a full-on fight. The victim was stabbed and left in the creek to die while the killer tried to disappear into the mountains. The girls called the cops, and about a week later, the guy was caught.âÂ
âThatâs a tragic story. Do you know the names of these people?â
âIâm sure they were mentioned when I heard the story, but I donât remember them now. What I remember is one of the girlsâ family moved out of town while the other changed her name, married, and is still living in the area. The killer went to prison for years but was recently released. Thatâs why the murder was a topic of conversation at the party.â
I snorted out a laugh, despite the grim tale. âInteresting choice of subject matter for a kidsâ party.âÂ
âI canât argue that.â Carla shrugged and then tilted her head back to warm her face in the sun.
Cozy mysteries are great stories. I love the fact that there is not too much info in them while enough to keep the mystery going and creating interesting characters. In cozy mysteries, I honestly think characters are key.
On that note, this story has some interesting character. There is humor and everyday antics which brings the characters to life. The story is told in first person which helps to add to the humor as the narrator gives personal insight and opinions on people and events.
The action is slow in coming. In other words, the murder doesn't occur for a few chapters in. I found that very slow as I waited on the events that would get the ball rolling with the plot. Most of the time before the murder the reader is taken through background and scenes that could easily have been summed up quicker.
The main character has a good sense of humor. Really enjoyed her views on the people around her and how her mind jumped around a bit. I could relate with her on that. She put into words what most of us might be thinking.
The plot was interesting. I picked up on a few clues very early on that helped me lead to the final conclusion. If you are a big mystery reader, you might get the answers early as well, but it doesn't detract from the story by knowing too soon.
The writing tended to be very wordy. Several sentences were nearly run on with quite a bit of action told in a short space. I felt that the writing could have been a bit smoother and sentence structure a little more varied at times.
A quick read. Interesting plotline. Enjoyable main character. You don't need to have read the other books in the series to get the characters and plot.