Police inspector Alec Nichols has never in his career seen anything like this. Sixteen horses have been killed, their heads buried with one eye open to the sun. When he gets the call from one of the small farms that make up the rural community he lives in, he is shocked and appalled. Who could have done such a thing? What was their purpose?
The incident is so shocking and it makes the national news. Local police decide to bring in a veterinary forensics expert, Cooper Allen. Cooper is used to coming in to an area, helping the police solve a crime and then moving on. She expects that this time will be the same.

But it is not the same. Soon anyone who was anywhere near the farm starts to get sick and it is determined that there is an outbreak of anthrax. More abuse cases are discovered, each cruel and seeming to be targeted at the police and local residents to cause as much fear and panic as possible. Many are hospitalized and Alec is involved in a wreck, possibly from the effects of the contamination. His teenage son is with him and cannot be found afterwards. Cooper, who has developed feelings for Alec she never expected, stays on to try to solve the case without him. Can the culprits be found before more people are affected?

This is a debut novel and if Buchanan writes more this well, he should have a long, successful career. The feeling of the novel is dense, confusing as if a fog were swirling around all the characters. These are not men and women who wear their hearts on their sleeves but rather quiet and purposeful people who wrest a living from an inhospitable land. I listened to this novel and the narrator carried out the feeling of the book successfully. This novel is recommended for mystery readers.

3.5 stars

Got long and boring at some point half way. Mostly lost interest. The ending was good but it just took forever to get there.

My views of this book are ambivalent, as is the book itself, more a book I appreciated than liked. The author's frequent time shifts and constant insertions of character backstory diluted the power of the narrative for me, and it was often confusing. Despite that, a thoughtful premise, excellent prose, and promising characters help make it a strong, original, and compelling novel, well worth a read for those who don't mind stepping into the dark for a while. Good audio performance by Louise Brealey.

I absolutely loved the way it began, however it just got more boring as the time went by. I really wanted to enjoy it more but it was just meh.

Warning: there’s animal abuse in this story.

At points this was personally tough forced since I love animals but the crime aspect had me invested because I wanted to know who was doing this. Beyond the animal abuse, this was a great story with a strong story.

It is rare that I would start off a book review with a trigger warning, but this book really needs it. Please be aware that 16 dead horses are discovered immediately at the beginning of this book. The horses were found dismembered and mutilated.

Sixteen Horses is set in the English seaside town of IImarsh. Ilmarsh is a small, dreary town that has been all but forgotten in England. After the discovery of the sixteen horses by a farmer and his daughter, Detective Alec Nichols and Veterinary Forensics expert Cooper Allen are called in to investigate.

Sixteen Horses is very atmospheric and I can picture a person reading it on a dark and rainy day in the Fall. However, the story felt disjointed to me. And the characters are a bit predictable.

This is Greg Buchanan's debut novel and I plan on reading his future writing.

Thanks to Netgalley for the audiobook, the audio is still "tinny" via the netgalley app.

I enjoyed the narrator and the story was well written, but it was very dark. Also, as to be expected from the opening scene in the book, there was animal mutilation that was a bit over the top for me. Very dark.

In an English town, sixteen horse heads in a farm. The Veterinary investigator finds out that a pathogen is in the soil that is making people sick. A series of crimes start happening and sets the town in a panic. Everything is not what it seems and everyone is a suspect.
Sixteen Horses by Greg Buchanan has many points of view that can get a little confusing especially with the chapters ending in middle sentence. It still has a unique plot with unique characters. This does have trigger warnings of animal abuse, arson, and neglect.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio through NetGalley for the opportunity to read this read in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This is quite the debut. I have some images burned into the backs of my retinas which will probably never go away. Thus, I feel inclined to issue a “trigger warning” for any who find reading about animal abuse traumatizing. Buchanan has succeeded, as few do, with creating an atmosphere of despair and horror in a forgotten seaside village which has been abandoned by most commerce and tourists. It’s a sad community, with desperate people. Buchanan’s prose is mesmerizing, but perhaps a bit too choppy; short chapters that flit from one to another. Sixteen Horses demands, perhaps, a bit more attention than most thrillers. But I found I was unable to put it down, no matter how off- putting the descriptions.
I’ve always like horses better than most people, so this may not be a book for animal lovers.
Highly recommended for thrill seekers with strong stomachs.

#Netgalley
#SixteenHorses

I like this book a lot, and it has a bunch of great turns that I wasn't expecting.
The only part that bothered me was the way the narrator read out the time stamps for texts in the book. I bet that if you are reading it on the physical page it is not nearly as grating, but having the time stamps read out made me want to turn the story off. I got through it and fortunately, it's not a long part. This book is sloooooooooow, so prepare yourself for a winding road to the end.

Thank you to netgalley.com and Macmillan Audio for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book from the description but found myself struggling through. There were so many twists and turns and so many characters that I had a hard time keep track of what was happening, and I'm not sure if that was due to it being an audiobook or just because the book was just that complex.

This is not a book for animal lovers as you should know just from the synopsis but if you are able to separate fact and fiction you may want to give it a whirl. There are many different story lines in this book along with many different characters, they do all eventually come together and the ending was a surprise but I was so confused by that time I'm not sure I cared. Maybe this book would be better in print than in the audio version but I found myself having to go back several times just to figure out what was going on. Chapters seem to just end without warning and then you are onto something else I was starting to feel like I was losing my mind a bit. It was also hard for me to connect to the characters since the writing seemed to hold you at arms length most of the time. I am intrigued by the forensic veterinarian since that isn't something I've read about in the past and I do have a think for forensics. So that part was intriguing. The very end of the book was left a bit open so there is room for a sequel I'm just not sure I would go out of my way to find it.

Unfortunately, I seem to be on something of a streak of novels where animals meet horrific ends - although this one is by far the worst in terms of scale and volume. The novel opens up with the discovery of the decapitated heads of the titular 16 horses and their tails. The small seaside town of Illmarsh is already in tough times, but when those who came into contact with the animals' bodies also becomes sick, it's even worse for the town. Alec, a detective haunted by his own grief, teams up with a forensic veterinarian, Cooper, and they struggle to uncover the truth.

I listened to this one pretty quickly - eager to learn just what was going on in this town. I loved the performer's voice, but I must admit that there were a few times that I wished that I had a physical copy to help clear up some of my own confusion. The cast size is actually pretty large and often chapters end in what feels like mid-sentence. I am sure that this stylistically works better in print, but it really doesn't translate well for the audio version. I felt a bit lost in the timeline more than a few times, just who was narrating and what was really going on in key scenes.

And while it does eventually all become clear - and I was certainly surprised - I think that the audio format added to my confusion here, unfortunately. I did think the idea of a forensic vet is an interesting and unique one and the ending seems to be open enough to suggest a sequel - which I would read (but probably not listen to!) for sure!

In the early hours of the morning, while much of a quiet seaside town of Ilmarsh still slumbers, a horrifying discovery is made. Detective Alec Nichols, bleary eyed and exhausted, receives a call to investigate the discovery and makes his way to a farm. Alec meets with the farmer who walks him out to a spot with some dirt dug up. To his surprise and horror, the man explains what he has found. The sight is gruesome. Horses, sixteen in total, heads and tails only.

Where did they come from? Why? And who could do such a thing? Cooper Allen, a veterinary forensic expert, is called in to aid in the investigation. But as it is with so many other crimes of this nature, Cooper knows there is much to uncover. And she is right. A series of crimes are unearthed sending the town of Ilmarsh into panic, and leaving everyone fearful of who is responsible for it all.

Buchanan's story concept is brilliant, winding and deceitful. However, I feel it is not communicated as well as it could be. As the reader, I constantly felt as though I was kept on the fringes, not fully drawn in. I had wanted to feel the fear and the panic of the townspeople. I had wanted to equally suspect everyone from the bartender to the drifter, to even someone on the inside like an officer or veterinarian. That emotional tether was weak and, had it been stronger, I felt this story would have been more sinister and bone chilling. It fell short its potential, but was still well planned.

As a huge animal lover, I should have read the description of this and thought "maybe this one's not me" but instead I chugged along and listened to this anyway. That was a mistake. Although the descriptions aren't overly graphic, animal abuse is a major theme and made this extremely hard to listen to because my imagination was running haywire. It was a really tough listen for me, and one that only got worse the more I listened. I did somehow manage to finish, but feel I really missed the overall message the author was trying to convey. I really lost interest and found this hard to follow about halfway through. I was really interested with the premise but this was a bit too dark and convoluted for me. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a book I chose to not finish after listening to 24% of the story. The descriptions were just so graphic (gory) about the horses. It made me too sad to continue.

Great mystery/thriller with an interesting plot. Overall, I was intrigued by the story and wanted to find out the truth behind the mystery. However, I felt this book was one that would have been better as a physical read or an ebook and not an audiobook. I found the storyline a bit confusing at times on the audiobook, but despite that, I enjoyed the book.

This was a bit of a slow burn with a well-developed cast of characters and a great setting that only adds to the story. Animal lovers may have a hard time with this read since there are scenes of animal abuse. The police detective, Alec, makes for a great lead with his own personal history unfolding as he searches for answers to the horrific crime.

For a debut novel, Buchanan has delivered a strong piece of writing for fans of dark, gritty, crime novels.

This book had an interesting premise. I usually enjoy dark mysteries. I tried to enjoy this one but it just seemed like it never came all together. The story was a bit too fragmented for me.
***a huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Sixteen Horses
Author: Greg Buchanan

Narrator: Louise Brealey

Length: 9 hours and 42 minutes

ARC received: Yes

Plot

In Ilmarsh, sixteen horses are found mutilated on a farm that doesn’t raise horses. As investigators look for answers the secrets of a small town are slowly revealed.

Positives

Overall, the book is very well written. The central mystery is complex and murder isn’t the only crime on display. Buchanan manages to say a lot of profound things about suffering, death, and animal abuse.

Negatives

Occasionally it is overly descriptive and difficult to follow. The ending only works with an epilogue that says too much. However, it doesn’t explain enough nearly enough.

Narration

This is a very difficult book to narrate because a lot of it is introspective and unreliable. I think Louise Brealey did the source material justice, but at times the character voices were too similar.

Overall

It jumps around a lot, so following along is challenging. Other reviews have already touched on this, but the first half is more absorbing than the back half. I think the TV series will do well and the audiobook is worth it if you are a fan of dark crime novels with a lot of ambiguity.

Rating 3.5/5

4.25 stars
enjoyability 6/10

We follow Ilmarsh detective Nichols and Forensic Veterinarian Cooper called when a farmer finds the heads of sixteen horses buried on his property. Each head posed with a single eye facing the low winter sun. They soon discover a pathogen within the soil, and many of those at the crime scene gets ill.
The little town is sent into panic and paranoia when a series of crimes follow the murder of the horses, and the detectives find themselves in a race to uncover the truth before things get worse.

I first read Sixteen Horses as an audiobook produced by Macmillan Audio from Flatiron Books and narrated by Louise Brealey. Not only is she one of my favourite narrators, I feel that she was the absolute best choice to tell this story. She is exceptionally talented, and her voice has this comforting quality. I am not sure I would have finished the book as fast if I was reading it. It would have taken me weeks, but her voice softened some of the darkness. Sixteen Horses is triggering, and her impeccably paced narration was a perfect balance. She managed to convey the grittiness of the story but alleviated a lot of the discomfort I would have felt if I was reading it with “my eyeballs.”

I had to take a break from the book a couple of times because animal abuse is a significant part of the plot. Sixteen Horses is a heavy read. That being said, it is honest about it. I knew what I was getting into, as should anyone who reads the synopsis. I recommend readers have a strategy lined up to balance out the darkness, though. For this reason, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I could have; there are too many triggers for me. I could compartmentalize the animal abuse, but I feel the other triggers could have been avoided.

I am always fair in my reviews, so even though Sixteen Horses was too gruesome for me, Buchanan’s prose and character work were superb, as was the way he built the tension, atmosphere, and sense of foreboding. There was nothing happy in this book, but Greg's writing is so compelling, I will pick up his next book (after looking up trigger warnings, though.)

Overall, This book is freaking dark. There are so many trigger warnings, and I highly suggest you check them. With that said, Buchanan delivered an intense, tightly plotted, suspenseful thriller that reads like a horror. If you can stomach dark narratives easily, you will freaking love Sixteen Horses.

Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Greg Buchanan, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley or providing me with a copy of Sixteen Horses

After sixteen horse heads are found half buried on a farm, detective Alec Nichols and veterinary forensic expert, Cooper Allen are on the hunt to find out what happened. While investigating, a lot of other crimes come about and it makes the pair unsure of who to trust and where to turn.

This was a hard one for me to get through. I couldn't exactly pin down the time period of this - it felt a lot older (especially with the story of the horses) but there was talk of cell phones so that was a little bit confusing. I think maybe if I had read this one instead of listened to the audio it might have been bit easier to follow. Unfortunately, this story just isn't in my wheelhouse of interest and so I felt my mind glaze over while listening.

**Please note, that I have the utmost respect for authors. The time, energy, and hard work they put into creating for us readers is not lost on me and I hate giving a poor review.