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The Clincher: A Horseshoer Mystery (Horseshoer Mystery Series) by [Lisa Preston]

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Lisa Preston

The Clincher: A Horseshoer Mystery (Horseshoer Mystery Series) Kindle Edition

by Lisa Preston (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

274 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Horseshoer Mystery

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The first book in the Horseshoer Mystery series by bestselling novelist Lisa Preston featuring farrier and amateur detective Rainy Dale, for fans of William Kent Kruger and Craig Johnson.

Rainy Dale is The Clincher, a twenty-something high school-dropout turned farrier (horseshoer) who is haunted by a secret she carries. Estranged from her California D-list actress momma and her ranch hand Texas daddy, she tracked down her childhood horse in small-town Oregon—a land full of cowboys and their horses—then stayed to build a life with her tools, steel, and forge. She's sleeping in a garage and trying not to fall for her landlord, the hapless and hopeful chef, Guy, who is determined to create the perfect soufflé while Rainy would prefer to just stuff her mouth with fuel for her physically demanding job.

As the new kid in town, Rainy has an uphill battle to prove herself in order to make a living by her trade, especially to her male clients who look down their noses at a female farrier. She finds herself in over her head, however, when one of her clients turns up dead, setting her up as both a suspect and a seeker of the truth. If she plans on setting down roots in her new town, Rainy will have to find the killer and clear her name. But it a country as wild as the mustangs that used to run free, finding the truth just might get her killed.

Print length

266 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Skyhorse
Publication date

November 6, 2018
File size

1184 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"An exuberantly quirky series opener … The tough and irascible but innately good-hearted Rainy, determined to rise above her past, is brought to vivid life by Preston, whose effortless prose immerses readers in rural Cowdry, populated by horses that are just as interesting as its human residents. ... The exciting, crowd-pleasing finale will leave readers breathless and eagerly awaiting Rainy’s next adventure."—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"For those who enjoy both mysteries and horses, it’s a must." —Library Journal

"Can a woman whose life is all about horses and a man whose life is all about food make a go of it? A rousing novel. The mystery leaves plenty of open questions for the tough but needy heroine while immersing the reader in all things equine." —Kirkus Reviews

"Lisa Peston's The Clincher hits like a nailing hammer and won’t let go—her horseshoeing sleuth, Rainy Dale, is a new and distinctive voice in crime fiction."—Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire series

"Fast-paced, absorbing and fun to boot, The Clincher grabs your attention from the first paragraph and never loosens its grip. Rainy Dale—horseshoer with sass—is one of the freshest and most original sleuths to come along in mystery fiction. May she live on and on!"—Margaret Coel, New York Times bestselling author of Winter’s Child

"The Clincher runs at full gallop from first page to last with sharp-eyed Rainy Dale leading the charge. Lisa Preston's writing is so vivid you'll think you're sitting in the saddle and you'll finish knowing you need to see Rainy Dale ride again."—Mark Stevens

"Rainy Dale—an engaging character with a unique voice who can shoe horses like nobody’s business!"—J.A.Jance

"Preston creates a riveting tale in her first thriller, intertwining the past with the present for an exciting ride that will keep readers hanging on until the very end." –Booklist (for Orchids and Stones)

In Praise of The Horseshoer Mystery Series: "Rainy Dale—an engaging character with a unique voice who can shoe horses like nobody’s business!" -- New York Times best-selling author JA Jance

"An exuberantly quirky series opener … The tough and irascible but innately good-hearted Rainy, determined to rise above her past, is brought to vivid life by Preston, whose effortless prose immerses readers in rural Cowdry, populated by horses that are just as interesting as its human residents. ... The exciting, crowd-pleasing finale will leave readers breathless and eagerly awaiting Rainy’s next adventure."—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"For those who enjoy both mysteries and horses, it’s a must." —Library Journal

"Can a woman whose life is all about horses and a man whose life is all about food make a go of it? A rousing novel. The mystery leaves plenty of open questions for the tough but needy heroine while immersing the reader in all things equine." —Kirkus Reviews

"Lisa Peston's The Clincher hits like a nailing hammer and won’t let go—her horseshoeing sleuth, Rainy Dale, is a new and distinctive voice in crime fiction."—Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire series

"Fast-paced, absorbing and fun to boot, The Clincher grabs your attention from the first paragraph and never loosens its grip. Rainy Dale—horseshoer with sass—is one of the freshest and most original sleuths to come along in mystery fiction. May she live on and on!"—Margaret Coel, New York Times bestselling author of Winter’s Child

"The Clincher runs at full gallop from first page to last with sharp-eyed Rainy Dale leading the charge. Lisa Preston's writing is so vivid you'll think you're sitting in the saddle and you'll finish knowing you need to see Rainy Dale ride again."—Mark Stevens

"Rainy Dale—an engaging character with a unique voice who can shoe horses like nobody’s business!"—J.A.Jance

"Preston creates a riveting tale in her first thriller, intertwining the past with the present for an exciting ride that will keep readers hanging on until the very end." –Booklist (for Orchids and Stones)

In Praise of The Horseshoer Mystery Series: "Rainy Dale—an engaging character with a unique voice who can shoe horses like nobody’s business!" -- New York Times best-selling author JA Jance

From the Author

Lisa Preston turned to writing after careers as a fire department paramedic and a city police officer. She is the author of the highly acclaimed, best-selling novels, Orchids and Stone and Measure of the Moon. She is also the author of several non-fiction books and articles on the care and training of dogs and horses. Away from her desk, she spends hours on backcountry trails as a runner and rider, sometimes combining her two outdoor pursuits via the obscure sport of Ride and Tie. She lives with her husband, their Malinois, and two Akhal Tekes on Washington State's vast Olympic Peninsula. Visit her website at lisapreston.com --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B075X332BD
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Skyhorse (November 6, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 6, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1184 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 266 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1950691136
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #794,583 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #3,245 in Women's Detective Fiction
- #3,251 in Comedic Dramas & Plays
- #4,054 in Women's Humorous Fiction

Customer Reviews:
274 ratings

About the author

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Lisa Preston

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Lisa Preston (1964- ) turned to writing after careers as a fire department paramedic and a city police officer. Experience in her earlier professions enhance the medical and legal passages of her fiction and non-fiction.

Her debut novel, Orchids and Stone, was released by Thomas & Mercer in April 2016, and has been described both as a thriller and as domestic noir. Reviews include praise from the best-selling novelists Jo-Ann Mapson, Laura Moriarty, Kate Moretti and Carol Cassella.

Her psychological suspense novel, The Measure of the Moon, will be released April 2017.

Her published work includes non-fiction books and articles on animals, particularly the care and training of dogs and horses.

Away from her desk, she spends hours on backcountry trails as a runner and rider, sometimes combining her two outdoor pursuits via the obscure sport of Ride and Tie.

She lives with her husband and Malinois on Washington State's vast Olympic Peninsula.

Website: lisapreston.com

Customer reviews

5 star		58%
4 star		25%
3 star		12%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Amazon Customer

Great premise but fatal flaws

Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2018

(Full disclosure: I only read a few chapters before giving up. In disgust, mostly with Rainey, the protagonist.)

I'm Oregon born and bred, have spent time with horses, and am something of a foodie (Rainey's sidekick/boyfriend is a chef) so I was really ready to like this book. However, there were two fatal flaws for me, capped by an utterly ridiculous scene.

Fatal flaw #1 was the repetition, over and over and over (you get my drift), of Rainey's miserable growing up experiences. Enough already - we got the third time around. No need to mention it almost every page. And I didn't get, as another reviewer has mentioned, why it has to make her so nasty to other people. (It would have been easier to stomach if her nastiness was just because she's an intrinsically not-nice person.) Fatal flaw #2, for me, was her over-the-top Texas talk (or what the author thinks is Texas talk - I've lived there and Texans I've met don't talk "Texas" unless they are making a comic point). Especially grating for someone who has attended a tony prep school - Rainey comes across as fake.

And lastly, there's the utterly ridiculous scene: After hearing over and over again how Rainey is (what we called in the old days) a tomboy...tough as nails, proudly eschewing all feminine wiles, owning only one skirt (and a denim one at that), she shaves her legs! In fact, we read about her shaving her legs for a full two paragraphs. Puh-lease!

Two stars because the writing is decent and the author came up with a good premise. Otherwise, can't recommend.

68 people found this helpful

Helpful

Sarah R

This lady knows her stuff!

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2019

Verified Purchase

This review needs a little background to put it in perspective. As someone who used to own and train horses and did a lot of rescue, I trimmed more than my share of hooves, too. I know the horse world inside out and can shoe a horse properly without help or Youtube, and I'd still be neck deep in it all if my health would let me.

So, all that said, when I read a 'horsey' book, mostly I'm setting myself up for a lot of eye-rolling and muttering that people should write what they really know. Too many people try to write horse-themed books while knowing only what they learned by reading 'The Black Stallion'. It drives me crazy and has made me give up on more than one book in the first few chapters.

The author of this book is NOTHING like that. This lady knows her horses and farrier work, knows the ins and outs of trimming a sweet pampered pet and then having to deal with a grouchy mustang before riding out to work with a horse that knows better but is just plain sour.

The author captured the one day at a time life of someone trying to make ends meet doing what they love, trying to deal with the past - or run from it - and maybe work for a future of some kind along the way. Add in an excellent mystery, memorable characters, and a very well done slow reveal of the lead character's past and what made her the woman she is, what made her react like she does and see the world like she does, and you get an excellent story.

If I could give this ten stars, I would.

Bravo, Lisa!

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kindle Customer

I could listen to Rainy Dale all day long

Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2020

Verified Purchase

Picking up a mystery with a female horseshoer may sound like an odd choice, but when you love horses like I do and when a man from your little hometown was a farrier for one of the teams of Budweiser Clydesdales, the choice suddenly doesn't seem strange at all. I often say that I am a character-driven reader-- and I am-- but I also read for "voice." If the main character speaks in a way that draws me right into the heart of the story, 90% of the battle is won as far as I'm concerned. Rainy Dale has that voice. She's a Texan with a colorful way of speaking-- and I'm not talking swear words here. Rainy has sworn off using bad language; it's a part of her Turning Over A New Leaf. She's made some really bad decisions in her short life, but she's got the gumption to change all that. In The Clincher, she begins to realize that the hardest thing she's going to have to do is to change her (very low) opinion of herself.

Anyone who loves horses is bound to love this book for the equine lore alone. Even if you don't love horses, if you like learning about new things, chances are good that you'll find this book a winner, too. Horseshoeing, a sport called Ride & Tie, learning to get along with a talented chef who wants more from Rainy than she wants to give... all these things and more play parts in a strong, fast-paced mystery. Character, mystery, and setting are the winning trifecta here.

I'd barely begun reading when I knew I needed more, so I already have the second book in the series, Dead Blow, on hand, and I see that the third is scheduled to be released in September. If you love characterization and that elusive "voice" as much as I do, please give Lisa Preston's The Clincher a try.

3 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Jimbobby

A great horseshoe yarn!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2019

Verified Purchase

A good read especially if you are interested in horses. Story ending was a bit predictable so I won’t say much here, but a good yarn despite this. Good also to have a love relationship without explicit sexual references. Give it a try, you will not be disappointed.

Limousinlass.

Not for Me

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 11, 2019

Verified Purchase

I have to say I found this particular book extremely hard going, but I did finish it - by the time I got to the end I did wonder why I'd bothered though.

Mr Anthony P R Eden

Learn,t a lot about shoeing horses.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 7, 2019

Verified Purchase

Actually quite enjoyed it. Very different heroine from normal run of the mill. Next time one of her books is free I,ll download it.