Review by Tracy Condie
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase it.
Mares and Murder, book number 39 in the Merry Wrath mystery series, is every bit as good as the 38 that came before. Do not worry if this is the first time you’ve heard about Merry Wrath, a former CIA operative who was forced into early retirement and returned to her hometown of Who’s There, Iowa. You don’t have to have read the earlier books to understand what’s happening.
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| Image Source Gemma Halliday |
Usually, the series mysteries are local, but this time the troop has an opportunity to help Merry’s old college friend Jodie by being the first guests at the Demon’s Point Dude Ranch located in the beautiful Colorado mountains. A unique aspect to this “dude” ranch is that the only dude is the chef, Jodie’s brother Tyler, whose cooking is worthy of a Michelin star. All the highly experienced ranch hands are female; even the horses are female. Speaking of the horses, girl scout Lauren, the Dr. Dolittle of the troop, is quick to point out that not all the horses are happy with their names, but they do like the ranch and the ranch hands. Well, they like all the ranch hands except for Marlene of the grumpy disposition. Apparently, Marlene “came” with the property which belonged to her family before Jodie and Kyle purchased it. So, we know right away who is going to end up on Boot Hill, but I wasn’t expecting the extra challenging circumstances.
I couldn’t decide which of the suspects was most suspect. The four ladies were all smart, sweet, congenial ranch hands, and Merry just couldn’t imagine that Kyle had changed that much since she had last seen him. Alas, it was obvious that Marlene was not responsible for her own demise.
In addition to not being able to pick a suspect, I also was coming up short on the motive. In fact, I was way off when it came to motive.
The amount of humor and mystery with a touch of thriller was as well put together as a gourmet s’more. The story layers made sense, even the silly ones. Yes, there are a few silly items, but it is all in good fun. From Lauren talking to the horses about their names to “seeing” Betty fashion a knife from paper and successfully throw it into a wall. I believe that Merry summed it up best by noting that they had bickering birds, booby-trapping squirrels, and a deranged mountain lion named Percy.”
I was thoroughly entertained, as always, and cannot wait for the next installment.
To enter to win an ebook copy of Mares and Murder, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "mares,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen May 23, 2026. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors!
You can click here to purchase this book.
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.Tracy Condie is a paralegal by day and cozy armchair sleuth by night. When she is not working or reading, she enjoys preparing the recipes found in culinary cozies or researching recipes of meal items described therein and sharing reviews of both books and food on Instagram and on KRL. She lives in Corona, California with her husband and dog Zoolie, and looks forward to visiting with their grown sons when their time permits.
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