Moonblind
A
Gail McCarthy Mystery
Laura
Crum
Perseverance Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-880284-90-1 (1880284901)
ISBN-13: 978-1-880284-90-1 (9781880284901)
Publication Date: September 2006
List Price: $13.95
Synopsis
(from
the publisher): Gail McCarthy, seven months pregnant, is on leave from
her work as a horse vet. Despite her firm intention to rest and prepare
for her baby, she is drawn into the odd situation surrounding her
cousin Jenny, who claims that she is being stalked. Newly relocated
from Michigan, Jenny hints at nefarious dealings in her past as a
racehorse trainer that may return to haunt her; and accidents seem to
happen with astonishing frequency at her Thoroughbred lay-up farm. As
Jenny’s only relative and friend in the area, Gail feels the
need to support and help her cousin, but can hardly sort out truth from
fiction as she tries to discover who the stalker might be.
Jenny’s ex-husband, her former lover, the lover’s
ex-wife, an unscrupulous player on the racehorse scene?
Gail finds herself confused and frustrated, while she struggles at the
same time to solve a medical mystery involving one of her own horses.
As the accidents at Jenny’s farm become more serious,
Gail’s concern becomes desperate and personal, leading her to
a dark confrontation where she must use all her wits to survive.
Review:
Laura Crum's 9th mystery featuring horse veterinarian Gail McCarthy, Moonblind, is a
simple, yet effective, story of how one's actions in the past may have
unintended, and deadly, consequences in the present.
Pregnancy has made Gail philosophical. She muses about the life she
will have with her unborn child, nicknamed Mac, and the life with her
beloved horses she fears she will leave behind. When her cousin, Jenny,
a thoroughbred race horse trainer who has recently purchased property
nearby, suddenly calls late one night, obviously distraught but
unwilling to provide any details, Gail wonders how she can help without
knowing what the problem is. As Gail learns of the circumstances of her
cousin's move to California from Michigan, she realizes Jenny's
situation is far more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
The title, Moonblind,
refers to a disease (Equine Recurrent Uveitis) that affects the
eyesight of horses, temporarily and sometimes permanently causing
blindness. The original term "moonblindness" was coined decades ago due
to the recurrent nature of the disease, and many at that time
erroneously thought the condition was related to the cycles of the
moon. It is an authentic, integral, and unexpected, component of the
story.
Crum allows the suspense of the story to build and proceed slowly,
almost mimicking how Gail, being 7 months pregnant, might move and
react. The side story about Gail's favorite horse, Danny, offers
insight into how she handles critical situations both intellectually
and emotionally, and that in the end, people and animals adapt to their
given situation in the best way they can. The concluding scenes in the
horse barn are vividly constructed and provide a shocking conclusion to
this most unusual mystery.
Special thanks to Perseverance Press for providing a copy of Moonblind for this review.
Review Copyright © 2006 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
Cutter
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), July 1994
ISBN-10: 0-312-10960-1 (0312109601)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-10960-8 (9780312109608)
Hoofprints
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), January 1996
ISBN-10: 0-312-13983-7 (0312139837)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-13983-4 (9780312139834)
Roughstock
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), August 1997
ISBN-10: 0-312-15643-X (031215643X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-15643-5 (9780312156435)
Roped
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), September 1998
ISBN-10: 0-312-19325-4 (0312193254)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-19325-6 (9780312193256)
Slickrock
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), October 1999
ISBN-10: 0-312-20910-X (031220910X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-20910-0 (9780312209100)
Breakaway
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover), July 2001
ISBN-10: 0-312-27181-6 (0312271816)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-27181-7 (9780312271817)
Hayburner
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover), January 2003
ISBN-10: 0-312-29047-0 (0312290470)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-29047-4 (9780312290474)
Forged
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover), June 2004
ISBN-10: 0-312-32327-1 (0312323271)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-32327-1 (9780312323271)
Moonblind
Perseverance Press (Trade Paperback), September 2006
ISBN-10: 1-880284-90-1 (1880284901)
ISBN-13: 978-1-880284-90-2 (9781880284902)
Chasing Cans
Perseverance Press (Trade Paperback), March 2008
ISBN-10: 1-880284-94-4 (1880284944)
ISBN-13: 978-1-880284-94-0 (9781880284940)
Omnimystery keywords for Moonblind ...
Location(s) referenced: Santa Cruz, California.
Sport(s) referenced: Horse racing.