Murder, She Rode by Holly Menino, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Leticia "Tink" Eldridge is playing the role of spectator during the Brandywine International Three-Day Event, with young Alejandra "Alex" Delgado taking her place on her horse Exit Laughing. Tink is still recovering from an accident that left her with some minor neurological problems, not enough to interfere with her day-to-day life but enough to keep her from riding. Just before the event is scheduled to begin, a roadside accident involving a competitor's horse takes the life of both trainer and horse though the groom, Alex's roommate Patty McLaren escapes with only minor injuries. But when Patty disappears and Tink discovers that someone had been rifling through her office, she begins to think that possibly, just possibly, that roadside accident was anything but, in Murder, She Rode, the first mystery in this series by Holly Menino.

The storyline here basically takes place over three days, with each day representing a section of narrative and titled after the days in the Three-Day Event: "The Test of Brilliant Obedience", "The Test of Speed and Endurance", and finally "The Test of Agility". One might infer that the content of each section is subtly related to its title, in this case the "setup", the "execution", and the "resolution". The primary investigation as it unfolds is frequently sidelined to the actions involving the Brandywine itself. Indeed, it's often hard to separate the two, or maybe it just seems that way because the mystery plot really isn't all that interesting, at least in comparison to the rather more dynamically written event activities. The most solid element of the story, however, is Tink's relationship with her third husband Charlie. How it develops and strengthens over the course of three days seems remarkably unlikely given the time frame involved, and yet it is the most compelling aspect of the story. Kind of a mixed take on Murder, She Rode: good characters, ones that readers will want to get to know better, participating in a rather lackluster mystery that takes its time getting started, though admittedly ends on an exciting note.

Acknowledgment: Minotaur Books provided a copy of Murder, She Rode for this review.

A Distance To Death
Minotaur Books (Hardcover), August 2014
ISBN-13: 9781250046499; ISBN-10: 1250046491

Murder, She Rode

A Tink Elledge Mystery by Holly Menino