Blood Reins: A Detective Sandra Cameron Mystery

by Michael Joens

Overview

Working with her beloved quarter stallion Buster Brown at a horse show competition, Detective Sandra Cameron begins to recover from the shooting that took her partner's life, and nearly her own. Her hard-won peace of mind, however, is shattered by the death of Chet Gundry, a world-renowned "horse whisperer," ladies' man, diabetic, and dear friend. Chet was a superstar in the equestrian universe, until someone spiked his insulin vial and reined him in, permanently. When Sandy discovers that her colleague Burbank detective Tom Rigby considers her a prime suspect in Chet's murder, her emotional and spiritual recovery is shaken to the core.

A second murder of an equestrian insider forces Sandy back on track. Putting aside their now shaky relationship, Sandy and Tom must pool their resources in order to stop a killer who will kill again, and again, to cover up a federal crime that would blow the lid off the equestrian industry.

Set against a dazzling Southern California milieu of high-dollar quarter horse shows, world-class stallions, and breeders with enormous egos, Blood Reins is a fast-paced police procedural that explores a deadly arena where the crowning of champions can provoke murderous consequences.

"Joens successfully mines the world of California horse breeding." - Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466848870
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Publication date:	07/09/2013
Series:	Detective Sandra Cameron Mysteries , #2
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	382 KB

About the Author

Michael Joens is the author of six novels. Blood Reins is the second in the Detective Sandra Cameron series. He has worked in the animation industry as writer, animator, storyboard artist, producer, and director, and through his studio, the Stillwater Production Company, has produced numerous animated commercials and award-winning videos. He lives on a horse ranch in Agua Dulce, California, where he and his wife, Cathy, breed quarter horses.

Michael Joens is the author of several novels, including Blood Reins, the second in the Detective Sandra Cameron series. He has worked in the animation industry as writer, animator, storyboard artist, producer, and director, and through his studio, the Stillwater Production Company, has produced numerous animated commercials and award-winning videos. He lives on a horse ranch in Agua Dulce, California, where he and his wife, Cathy, breed quarter horses.

Table of Contents

Editorial Reviews

Joens successfully mines the world of California horse breeding in the follow-up to his debut, An Animated Death in Burbank (2004), which examined the cartoon industry. LAPD Det. Sandra Cameron is on leave, recuperating from the psychological effects of a near-fatal gun-shot wound, when her horse trainer and former lover, Chet Gundry, drops dead. Coincidentally, her current significant other, L.A. Sheriff's Department detective Tom Rigby, catches the case after the lab discovers that someone substituted a horse tranquilizer for Chet's insulin. Sandy straddles several uncomfortable roles as suspect, witness and investigator, leading to tension with Tom. Two more deaths follow, which narrow the pool of suspects and complicate the mystery. Sandy's initially passive role makes for a slow start, but the book eventually picks up steam and attains a decent fair-play resolution. Agent, Natasha Kern. (Feb. 10) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

A routine whodunit about rascally behavior among LA's equestrian set. Breathlessly beautiful Sergeant Sandy Cameron of the LA County Sheriff's Office and studly Sergeant Tom Rigby of the Burbank PD did pretty well the first time around (An Animated Death in Burbank, 2004). But they seem heavy-footed when they try to figure out who switched a lethal dose of horse tranquilizer for the insulin shot prepared for Chet Gundry, horse trainer, philanderer, closet diabetic. For a while, Sergeant Tom seems to think Sergeant Sandy might qualify as a suspect. In her off hours, Sandy's an equestrienne. The deceased wasn't just her trainer; she was briefly one of his fillies. Sergeant Sandy resents what she construes as a grilling (" ‘What's going on here, Tom?' she said, angrily placing her fists on her lovely hips"). Nor is she appeased by his protests that he's just doing his job. By and by, however, Sergeant Tom, in danger of seeing those lovely hips swivel out of his life forever, remembers that he's Sandy's boyfriend and allows that the evidence against his lady is flimsy. With his support, Sandy sniffs out a sneaky conspiracy, and after one of those endless Agatha Christie disquisitions about how whodunit did it, it's agreed she's cracked the case. A horse of the same old color. Agent: Natasha Kern/Natasha Kern Literary Agency

Kirkus Reviews