Review: Horse of a Different Killer by Laura Morrigan and Giveaway - March 3, 2015

Horse of a Different Killer
Author:  Laura Morrigan
Series:  A Call of the Wilde Mystery 3
Publisher:  Berkley, March 3, 2015
Format:  Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 304 pages
List Price:  $7.99 (print)
ISBN:  9780425257210 (print)
Review Copy:  Provided by the Publisher

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…

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Qwill Thoughts

Horse of a Different Killer is the 3rd novel in the Call of the Wilde Mysteries by Laura Morrigan. Grace Wilde's sister, Emma, is in trouble after her ex-husband is killed and Emma is suspected of being the murderer. To help her sister Grace has to track down an murderer and find a missing horse.

Grace can communicate with animals - she can sense their emotions and speak with them. This is incredibly useful since Grace is an animal behaviorist. What I like about this aspect of the stories is that Grace's ability never overwhelms the story. It's just part of who Grace is and is works seamlessly with what is happening. Of course Grace struggles with letting others know about this ability. Who wouldn't? She often relates to animals better than humans. Gracie tends to be straightforward and her snark is pitch perfect and never annoying (at least to the reader!).

Morrigan is adept at writing relationships - Grace and her sister, Emma; Grace and her budding romantic interest, Kai. The relationships feel unforced and are realistic (i.e., not perfect). Kai is a police officer which does create some tension since Emma is suspected of murder. There is a wonderful supporting cast in Horse of Different Killer - some familiar if you've read the prior novels and some new. In addition, the animal characters are superb. I'm especially fond of Gracie's wolf-dog, Moss. There are some truly fun animal interactions in the story.

Both the interconnected murder mystery and the missing horse mystery are well done with spot-on pacing. I have only praise for Horse of a Different Color. It's an engaging story with wonderful characters, well done mysteries, laugh out loud moments, and a terrific lead - Grace Wilde.

Previously

Woof at the Door
A Call of the Wilde Mystery 1
Berkley, July 2, 2013
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 304 pages

Animal behaviorist Grace Wilde keeps her ability to psychically communicate with furry and feathered critters under wraps. But when a Doberman turns out to be the only witness to a crime, Grace will have to let the cat out of the bag in order to catch a killer.

Grace Wilde’s job is anything but normal. When she’s not helping out at the zoo by comforting agitated lemurs, she’s listening to the woes of annoyed house pets. Grace’s life gets even more complicated, though, when the cops summon her to a crime scene to help deal with the murder victim’s terrified Doberman.

The pooch turns out to be the only one who saw what happened the night of the shooting—and only Grace can get the information out of him. The problem is, how will Grace tell the distractingly gorgeous Sergeant Kai Duncan that it’s the dog who’s giving her the intel without spilling her big secret or sounding crazy? Left on her own, Grace will have to follow the pup’s lead to track down the killer. But she’ll have to be careful—or curiosity may end up killing the cat whisperer.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

A Tiger's Tale
A Call of the Wilde Mystery 2
Berkley, May 6, 2014
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 336 pages

When a normally mellow tiger at a rescue facility trees a terrified vet, animal behaviorist Grace Wilde needs to use her psychic ability to get to the root of the problem…

A tiger can’t change his stripes—but if his behavior changes suddenly, there’s a reason. So when even-tempered Boris the Siberian tiger goes into attack mode, Grace knows there’s more to the story. Something is agitating the big cat. As she uses her telepathic ability to calm the tiger, she realizes he has witnessed a theft—not of something but of someone. A teenaged volunteer at the animal rescue facility has been taken…kidnapped.

The problem is Brooke Ligner’s parents believe their troubled daughter ran away and Grace can’t exactly reveal her source. Even though sexy cop Kai Duncan is aware of Grace’s secret ability, he can’t initiate an investigation based on the word of a tiger. Now, as Grace searches for solid clues to rescue the missing teen, it’s the human predators she’ll need to watch out for…

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

The Giveaway

What:  One entrant will win a Mass Market Paperback copy of Horse of a Different Killer by Laura Morrigan from the publisher. US ONLY

How:  Log into and follow the directions in the Rafflecopter below.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a US mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59 PM US Eastern Time on March 19, 2015. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules and duration are subject to change.*

a Rafflecopter giveaway