Did not realize that Dead Blow was book 2 of a series. However, I found myself able to follow the plot without feeling frustrated. Great characters and a great mystery made this one of my favorite stories so far, and I can't wait to read more from this author.

I really liked this book and would like to go back and read the first one in the series. I love the characters, animals as well as human. It is well written and I look forward to the next installment.
Many thanks to Skyhorse Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Lisa Preston, and the publisher, Skyhorse. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this modern western novel of my own volition and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend Lisa Preston as an author to follow to friends and family. This is the second book of the series - I can't wait to get the first (The Clincher) and more... Following the ARC is a peek into the third novel in this series, Forging Fire.

Dead Blow is a murder mystery - police procedural - modern western novel peopled with honest souls, soulless souls, good cops, bad cops, and some excellent dogs and horses. It doesn't take long to sort the protagonists out, but the mystery remains hidden until the last possible moment. The story itself is full of hoots and giggles when appropriate, and most of the protagonists are exactly not what you expect.

Rainy Dale is a mid-twenties, new to the neighborhood loner - or she was when she blew into Cowdry, Oregon in her diesel pickup, 'Old Blue', along with her old dog Charley, her horse Red, and her horse-shoeing equipment. But perhaps loner gives the wrong impression - Rainy is alone, as in without family, without backup, without friends. All she is looking for is enough folks in need of a good, reliable horseshoer to keep her and her sidekicks in food and shelter. Cowdry is a nice little town, enough shops to keep you from having to hit a bigger city most of the time, a small but aging police force, a good vet, a decent restaurant and some fast food on offer. It fits the Dale crew very well, and before long there is Guy, and the attraction is mutual with weddings discussed for down the road. Co-habitation is nice for both of them. For Rainy and Charley, the plus is Guy is an excellent professional chef who loves to cook, which works in nicely with the fact that Rainy has never learned how. The only minus is Guy's bossy cat - and the fact that Rainy seems to uncover lots of murderous clues and the occasional dead body...

Dead Blow by Lisa Preston
Horseshoer Mystery #2

Rainy Dale, female horseshoer, returns to solve another murder in this tale of love turned to hate and then murder.

What I liked:
* Rainy: what an interesting character she is!
* Guy: cook extraordinaire who truly loves Rainy
* Melinda: a friend in the making for Rainy
* The supporting characters – equine and human
* The plot and way the story played out
* The secondary romance
* The love of animals exhibited by more than one person in the story
* Learning more about the life of a horseshoer
* Learning more about horses and dogs
* The catching of the truly bad person who killed more than one person

What I did not like:
* The murderer...what a horrible person!
* Having to say goodbye to Rainy and her friends
* Having to wait for the next book to be published

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing – Arcade CrimeWise for the ARC- This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Not the easiest book to read, with a lot of cowboy-speak, but it fits the setting real good. The setting and the characters are very interesting, and the last part is very good, so it's well worth reading through the slow middle part.

Rainy has a new client. She's a widow whose husband died in a tractor accident. But the more she learns about him, the more she wonders if it was an accident. He had a lot of girlfriends. Was his wife jealous?

Arcade Crimewise and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published November 5th.

While Rainy is is shoeing her horses, she learns of a mean bull in the near field is warned to be careful around him. What adds to the mystery is when the farm dog drags a glove up around them and they discover there is a hand in it...

While the cops are happy to let the tractor accident stand, Rainy finds a bullet in the tractor tire that may be why he had the accident. She also wonders why the dead woman they found was so far from where search and rescue was sent out. She does her own checking, angering some people. When she gets to close to the truth, she's in danger herself.

This is a mixed up mystery with lots of characters involved. I had no idea who the killer was. The final showdown is exciting and dangerous. This was a good read.

I enjoyed this 2nd in a series. I think it did help to have read the 1st in the series, but I'd guess that you could begin the series here without much issue. The main character shoes horses for a living, so there is a lot of country/farrier jargon, which I liked. Being from a country/farm background, it's obvious that the writer is well versed, comfortable & accurate in the setting she's chosen. It's an easy, quick & homey, wholesome read. I'd think people from rural areas might especially like this cozy mystery. I'll definitely keep up with the series.
I received this e-ARC from Skyhorse Publishing via NetGalley, in exchange for reading it & posting my own fair/honest review.

This is a new-to-me series, focusing on a young woman who makes a living shoeing horses in rural Oregon. Because of that, there was a lot of "horse talk", which I wound up skimming. Horse-lovers wouldn't skim, I assume. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, with a likable main character, and nice descriptions of the countryside. I read this one without reading the first in the series, and I think it can be read as a standalone, although there are quite a few references to something that happened in the first book (presumably the main mystery of that novel) that didn't affect the current story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for an Advance Reader Copy for my review.

Second in the "horseshoer mystery" story series, featuring Rainy Dale, the daughter of a rancher and a narcissistic actress who has worked through personal problems to become a skilled farrier, and who now lives and works in Oregon, where she's engaged to chef and foodie Guy. In Dead Blow, Rainy is hoping to get a new account at the ranch of Donna Chevigny, who has just become a widow; her husband Cameron (who had a roving eye) died recently after his tractor tilted and then rolled over him, an event originally considered an accident. As she helps Donna get her horses shod, Rainy finds an odd aluminum shoe on the land where Cameron died, and then Donna's goofy dog turns up a riding glove with a human hand in it. Soon a police officer named Melinda Kellan is sniffing outside Rainy and Guy's door, wondering if Rainy was one of Cameron Chevigny's conquests, and if she had anything to do with Cam's death. And then there's the crazy bull, Dragoon, who's on rangeland bordering the ranch. If Cam's death wasn't an accident, how did someone get past the bull?

I still like Rainy and her unorthodox narration and ways, but I have to admit this was not as compelling as the first book, where her history is peeled back little by little to show you why she is as she is. So while I still enjoyed the mystery, there was a little less meat to the characterization. In fact, she seems to have become more "country" since the original book. The mystery is reasonably perplexing, and you get a lot of the feel for ranching people rather than the urban Oregon denizens you usually see in the media, and of course there's Rainy's wry, often amusing commentary, which is a big plus to the narrative.

A very different heroine has come to town. A farrier by trade, an observer of humans by choice and a sometimes investigator only when she chooses, Rainey sets a new precedent for an entertaining woman whose next step may be the one that lands her trouble. Lisa Preston has developed a very memorable character and set her into a community of characters that will keep her busy for many books. I'd not heard of her before, but I'm very glad I have now.

Dead Blow is the second book of the Horseshoer series featuring Rainey Dale. Rainey is a great character, she is no nonsense and down home. Rainey is the only female farrier in the area. Once again, Rainey becomes involved in a murder. Her client's husband dies in a tractor "accident". The wife is the main suspect since her husband was known by the town as being unfaithful. I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to more Rainey adventures. Rainey is supposed to be working on her wedding plans, marrying the adorable chef, Guy. The book can be read without having heard the first, but I would recommend beginning with The Clincher.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

What a great book, loved it so much I had to get the first book and reread this again. Rainy and Guy are a great couple, looking forward to more of them.😍😍😍😍

This is book 2, and the first I've read by this author in this series. Interesting cozy mystery set in Oregon's Cascade country (a beautiful area). This one has a western flair, with Rainey Dale as the main character. She is farrier, so a lot of language and tools of that trade discussed. I did like this story overall, although must admit there were parts I skimmed. Still though, would recommend, and look forward to the next in the series.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Rainey is gaining a good reputation as a horseshoer who not only knows what she doing but is also very knowledgeable and loves what she does.

When Rainey goes to a new client home she stumbles on to a mystery when she finds evidence that suggest her client Donna husband was murder. When she hears that the town people believe Donna killed her husband Cameron because he was unfaithful and they believe she knew Rainey has a feeling that something more is going on.

I like Rainey that she opening herself up more love her inner dialogue and they way she talks she reminds me of Kyra Sedgwick character on tv show The Closer.

A well written, engrossing and fascinating book. I loved the style of writing and found the plot engaging and entertaining.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

If you appreciate a cracking good yarn with a western flavor I can highly recommend “Dead Blow”. This second in the Horseshoer series is set in Oregon’s Cascade country and Rainey Dale is making her reputation as a first-rate horseshoer who is not just good at her trade, she also shows up as promised and on time. As the only female horseshoer in the area, Rainey is still considered somewhat of an oddity, partly because of her gender, but also because she knows horses and their feet and legs. When she goes up into the high country to shoe a new client’s herd, she stumbles across some evidence that suggests the death of her client’s husband might have been more sinister than a tractor “accident”. Everyone in town knew the dead man wasn’t faithful to his wife but did she know and do something about it? Or did someone else have reason to want him out of the picture? 

Rainey is a colorful character with a droll, down home sense of humor that had me grinning snd laughing at her running internal dialogue and her combination words that have now been added to my lexicon, e.g. “confussed” (confused + fussy). Makes perfect sense doesn’t it? Here are some samplings of Rainey’s musings:
Referring to the old style tricycle tractors with two small wheels centered in front: “It's real clear the plans for these were drawn up by none other than Lucifer.” And thinking about the odd bits of knowledge stored in her brain; “It was like Monopoly money, can’t keep it, might as well shell it out.” And descriptions such as “the floor scrapings in my brain.” and “flies buzzed an out of tune, out of time symphony.” Or talking about a neighbor, “If Jean Thurmond doesn’t boil that youngest boy-child of hers in oil before he makes ten, it’ll be news.” These are but a few of the abundant gems of pithy dialogue in this tale of intrigue.

Author Lisa Preston is a skilled wordsmith who conveys her message with the clarity of a keen-eyed observer and a sharp wit. Her descriptive phrasing is delivered with such grace and style that you feel as if you’re right there with the characters. It’s easy to picture yourself sitting astride a horse as it picks its way down a rocky ravine. The scene is so authentic you catch your breath when the horse’s hooves slide on a patch of loose gravel and then the tension in your shoulders magically disappears as your mount clambers up out of the arroyo and back onto level ground.

Anyone who appreciates the written word will be impressed with this beautifully written work. I’m looking forward to reading more books by Lisa Preston. Five stars.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Skyhorse Publishing for furnishing an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) in exchange for an honest review. The publication date for "Dead Blow" is November 5, 2019.
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