Set against the backdrop of a working horse rescue, Trotting into Trouble, the second book in Amber Camp’s Horse Rescue Mystery series is a well-plotted and highly entertaining read.

When Mallory Martin receives word that a horse is running wild in the woods, she immediately springs into action. While attempting to retrieve the frightened animal, she literally stumbles over a dead body. Her consternation grows as she realizes the victim is Doug Griggs, the beloved coach of the basketball team who recently had been making waves with school politicians. The police want to rule his death an accident, but Mallory has her doubts. When she stops by Griggs’s widow’s house to pay her respects and return the horse, the woman says she wants nothing to do with the horse but is interested in having Mallory look into her husband’s death. Believing the police are not investigating it thoroughly, she offers to help, not realizing that she has now placed herself directly in the killer’s sights.

I am really enjoying this series. The horse rescue setting is a fresh idea and one that easily lends itself to the cozy mystery genre. Horses are magnificent and loveable creatures. It is easy to see Mallory’s love for the animals, especially in her care of an emaciated horse who has been mistreated. Mallory’s immense empathy for the horses is combined with a keen business mind, a quick wit, and a dose of curiosity that serves her well in her chosen profession and in her investigation. The mystery is a strong one, with questionable motives, ample suspects, and potential danger at every turn.

The more I read this series, the more I like it. The rescue’s employees are a close-knit bunch akin to a family. Even Biscuit, the donkey, seems to fit in beautifully. I enjoy Mallory’s relationship with Andy, the attorney, who understandably doesn’t want her to risk her life in the investigation. Sheriff Grady, too, is a good character, who at times listens to Mallory while trying to dissuade her from further investigation.

All in all, Trotting into Trouble is a strong follow-up to Canter with a Killer, one that deepens the reader’s connection with the characters (and the horses) and provides an engaging and clever mystery that will keep you guessing.

Note: I received an ARC of Trotting into Trouble from NetGalley, and Crooked Lane Books. The above is my honest review.

I read the first of the series and reviewed it earlier. I enjoyed this book even more than the last and am glad I took the chance to continue reading this series.

The point that stuck out the most with this book was that the people and most of the circumstances seemed genuinely feasible. The interactions between the primary protagonist and everyone around her is tumultuous this time around for several different reasons and she learns and grows over the course of the story.

Mallory is in a relationship, whether she admits it or not. It's not something she planned, but now that it's here, she's finding it hard to share the information.  Calls on her time are more as well. Her Horse rescue efforts are ongoing and her entire enterprise needs something more to keep it going. To top it all, someone she once admired is found dead and she can't stop investigating, given her previous job and interest in the people involved.

Some of the investigating is sloppily done with appropriate repercussions. It was interesting and kept me hooked till the very end. I would recommend this series to people who are tired of other cozy mystery series.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I love a good cozy mystery! One that incorporates all of my favorite topics (i.e. genealogy, bookstores, libraries, cooking, painting, inn keeping, animals, etc.), throwing in some action-suspense, a who-done-it, interesting characters, and a plot that keeps me guessing, then you’ve got me hooked. I will say, I am one of those people who like to read a series from the beginning, but I often find you don’t have to… either way I highly recommend reading Trotting into Trouble by Amber Camp.

*I received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.*

Trotting into Trouble is the second installment in the Horse Rescue Mystery series set in Hillspring, Arkansas and featuring Hillspring Horse Rescue owner and retired forensic nurse consultant, Mallory Martin. Things have calmed down at the ranch since her neighbor was murdered (Canter with a Killer) and Mallory and her two assistants, Tanner and Ashley have settled into a routine rescuing and rehabilitating horses and giving riding lessons.

Sheriff Grady Sullivan reaches out to Mal to come and rescue a severely emaciated mare that was being kept by owners of a meth lab. As they work to settle the new arrival, Mal and Tanner struggle with the mares bout of colic. A couple of days later Grady reaches out again to say that there is a horse running loose in the Deadwood Lake Wildlife Management area and there are concerns that something has happened to it's rider. Mal and Tanner are able to locate the horse but each time they get close to a capture he runs away. Mal pursues the horse through the woods and it seems that he leads her to his owner. The partially buried body belongs to Douglas Griggs, Mal's high school math teacher and mentor, and retired basketball coach. It's hunting season so all signs point to an accident, especially when a drunk man stumbles out of the woods.

Mal ends up taking in the horse because Coach Griggs widow blames the horse for his death. Mal isn't convinced the shooting was an accident and quickly finds herself in the midst of a murder investigation with the killer setting his sight on her. Vandalism at the rescue and to her truck, have her boyfriend Andy Harrigan and the Sheriff warning her to mind her own business.

A fun, afternoon read that will tug at your heartstrings. A delightful cast of humans and animals (I want my very own Biscuit). I can't wait to see what develops next for Mal, her family, friends and animals.

I received an advanced copy of Trotting into Trouble from NetGalley via Crooked Lane Books. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Trotting Into Trouble
Horse Rescue Mystery, Book #2
Amber Camp
5 Stars

Synopsis:

An investigation goes from an easy trot to a full-on gallop into danger in the second Horse Rescue mystery, perfect for fans of Amanda Flower and Mollie Cox Bryan.

It’s business as usual when horse rescue owner Mallory Martin gets a call from Sheriff Grady Sullivan that a loose horse has been found in a popular hunting area. While trying to catch the horse, Mallory stumbles upon the body of his unfortunate rider, Hillspring’s star basketball coach, Douglas Griggs. All signs point to a tragic hunting accident.

Despite her better instincts, Mallory finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation when the coach’s widow begs her to look into the case. Mrs. Griggs believes the sheriff is ignoring any evidence that doesn’t point to an accident.

But Mallory’s troubles are only beginning. As she juggles a blossoming romance, tensions with her best friend Lanie, and responsibilities at the rescue, she discovers that Coach Griggs’s enemies had ample motive to murder him. And now, Mallory may be in the killer’s sights.

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Mallory is busy running her horse rescue and trying to live her best life. When she gets a call about a loose horse that is running around, she goes to rescue him. Not only does she capture the horse, she also finds his dead rider. Now she has to figure out who the killer is and why.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning and took me on an incredible journey. The mystery was well plotted and there were enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. If you like horses and a well crafted cozy mystery, give the book a try.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Dollycas's Thoughts

Mallory Martin owns and operates a horse rescue and has received a call from Sheriff Grady Sullivan telling her there is a loose horse in the Deadwood Lake Wildlife Management Area and he needs her help to catch it. It is hunting season so she and her volunteer turned employee Tanner don their orange vests and head up the trail. They find the horse and further up the trail, they find a dead body, Douglas Griggs, Hillspring’s star basketball coach. His death appears to be a hunting accident.

The coach's wife wants nothing to do with the horse. She tells Mallory to keep it. She does want Mallory's help though. She is sure the sheriff is overlooking vital evidence. She wants Mallory to investigate to find out who killed her husband and why. Mallory's life is busy but Mr. Griggs was her favorite high school teacher, so she agrees not realizing the danger she is putting herself in.

____

I was happy to be back at Hillspring Horse Rescue to get caught up with Mallory, Tanner, Ashley, and resident donkey, Biscuit. Tanner is no longer a volunteer and has some exciting ideas to discuss with Mallory. Ashley is still a volunteer as college takes up most of her time. She makes her hours at the rescue count and has some ideas to discuss with Mallory as well. Mallory and attorney Andy Hannigan's relationship is moving along nicely but he doesn't like her putting her life in danger. Mallory and Lanie's friendship hits a big bump and Sheriff Grady has his hands full with the case and all the tangential incidents. I enjoy the way these characters are written. They feel true to life. Biscuit is quite the donkey and alarm system when anyone arrives on the farm or one of the horses needs help. It takes talent to make an animal character resonant and Ms. Camp does a great job.

Mallory's rescue is so important. She has several horses in residence. Some are used for riding lessons while others are recovering and will soon be ready for adoption. Before she went to look for the loose horse she and Tanner rescued a near skeletal mare that was found during an investigation into a meth lab. My heart just broke for this several hundred pounds underweight horse, found without any water or hay. By its state, it hadn't been fed in a long time. Then when it finally had food it came down with colic. The care Mallory and Tanner took of her was amazing. Ms. Camp's knowledge and love of animals shine throughout the story.

Coach Griggs was Mallory's favorite teacher but he had changed since she was in school. Rumors were circulating and he was pushing to make changes at the school that many were not in favor of, but did that warrant killing the man? Amber became more immersed in the case as she tried to help the deceased widow. She did inform Sheriff Grady of anything she learned or her thoughts about the case. I did my best to follow along and had what I thought was a good theory but when all was revealed I was only partially right. What Ms. Camp came up with was so much better than what I was thinking.

Trotting into Trouble is an entertaining cozy mystery with genuine characters and a mystery filled with twists and turns set in a close-knit small town in Arkansas. I do not see the next book in the series available yet for pre-order. I hope this is not the last we see of these characters. So many good things were yet to come.

Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent  

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Mallory runs a horse rescue and rehabilitates abused horses. Some can be rehomed, some can be used for riding lessons, and some just need time to recover. Ruby, the newest resident, was starved and dehydrated—then she came down with colic which can be life-threatening.

In the midst of that situation, a man stops by to adopt a horse and Mallory recognizes him as her old high school coach. Since none of her horses are available, he leaves, griping all the way to his truck.

When there’s a report of a horse running loose, the Sheriff asks for Mallory’s help in the capture before it gets into traffic and is injured or worse. It’s also hunting season which adds another layer of danger. Before she can catch the horse, a drunken hunter crashes through the bushes, runs into her, and mumbles about a dead body before passing out.

Mallory calls for help and goes after the spooked horse. She finds both the horse and the dead body in question. It’s Coach Griggs.

She’s just helped the Sheriff solve the murder of her next-door neighbor and so is understandably curious about Coach’s killer. She receives threats, her tires are punctured, a message is scratched into the paint, and her fences are cut. It’s time to figure out who killed Coach and why to be done with threats, harassment, and danger.

This is the second book in the series. I like Mallory. She is a risk taker but not the type to put herself into harm’s way on purpose. Her helper, Tanner, is always ready to do whatever it takes with the horses and now the murder too. Mallory’s almost-romance with Andy has its problems but also has potential. Of course, the star of the book is Biscuit, the resident donkey. In this case, he has competition with Timmy, a little dog with a big personality and bigger voice. He has teeth and isn’t afraid to use them. Luckily for Mallory, he’s just visiting but readers will hope to see him again in future books.

Love animals, horses in particular? Camp knows horses. Love a good mystery? She knows mysteries too. Her books are a thoroughly good read. Canter With a Killer is the first in the series and was reviewed in KRL.

This was a good cozy mystery but took a little while to get into the mystery. For me that made it hard to stay connected and push through. I did love the setting though. So unique for cozies.

I really enjoyed this installment and the characters started to feel like old friends. I just love Mal’s dad and it’d be awesome if he ever agreed to stay there with her.

I do think I should point out that if anyone hasn’t read the first book, and you want all the details, read it first if you don’t want spoilers because this book does name the killer from the first book quite a few times. This could work as a standalone if you had no intention of reading the first book though. Just a friendly tip there.

I sure hadn’t suspected whodunit until it became obvious, and wow what an exciting showdown running from a crazed killer! But Mal came out not unscathed but as Grady pointed out, she was at least alive. I really hope there’ll be more books in the series since the ending to this book was so sweet!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Crooked Lane via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

This is a good book, the second in a series that must be read in order due to some spoilers in this one.
Well plotted and a solid mystery
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the second book in this series. This book can be read as a standalone, but if you like to read a series from the beginning and haven’t yet read the first book, you really need to read ‘Canter With A Killer’ first. Unfortunately there are major spoilers from book one revealed in this book. The storyline is interesting and the murderer is kept well hidden. The horse rescue adds a unique element to this cozy mystery series. This is an entertaining series and it’s just unfortunate that there’s too much information about events from the previous book.

Trotting Into Trouble is the second book in the A Horse Rescue Mystery series by Amber Camp.

Mallory Martin runs a horse rescue farm with two volunteers, Tanner and Ashley. Mallory first gets a call from her old friend, Sheriff Grady Sullivan, telling her they had investigated a possible meth lab and found an emaciated hose and asked if she could come and get it and bring it to her farm.

A few days later, Mallory gets another call from the sheriff saying a horse is loose in a wildlife area and asks if she would come and capture it. They arrive and quickly track the runaway horse, but the horse takes off every time they get close. As Mallory is looking for the horse, she trips over something and quickly realizes it is a body. Looking closer, Mallory realizes it is the body of her former high school math teacher and retired basketball coach, Doug Griggs. Sheriff Sullivan is quick to rule that it was a hunting accident. But Mallory doesn’t believe so, as she found an encrypted flash drive attached to the horse’s gear. When Mallory stops by his widow to offer her condolences and to offer to return Grigg’s horse, his widow asks Mallory to look into her late husband’s murder.

Tanner has developed a business plan for the rescue that will make people more aware of the rescue, which will help generate more donations so that they can rescue more horses. Mallory has a romantic interest, starting up with Andy, her lawyer. But will all her time spent on the investigation cause a breakup?

The story is well-written and plotted, giving great insight into the running of a horse rescue farm. The cast of characters are well-developed, engaging, and believable. There were plenty of twists and turns that I was kept guessing until the final reveal. The book reads at a nice pace. The book was hard for me to put down.

I am looking forward to the next book in this exciting series.

I took a chance on this one even though I thought the first one was just so-so. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters in that one and unfortunately, it’s the same with this one. Mallory is so dull and wishy-washy. And the mystery itself: it takes a while to get going and even then, there’s no real action; none of it is very exciting. Didn’t read the first one? That’s okay; the author tells you no less than three times what happens and who the guilty party was. Why?!! Don’t you want to sell books?!!! I doubt I’ll pick up the next in the series despite really enjoying the horses and the setting.

You can lead a horse to water, and did you know, a horse can lead you to a murder? This is what happens to Molly Martin. Molly owns a horse rescue farm and she is called to help corral a "runaway horse" What she finds is the dead body of Coach Griggs, a teacher she had in school. Coincidentally, Coach Griggs had been at her farm looking at a horse tye day before. Sheriff Grady Sullivan is ready to call it a tragic accident. Molly doesn't think that is the case, she found a flash drive hidden on the horse. She talks to the coach's wife who asks her to look into the death.

Molly begins her own investigation. Someone doesn't want her finding the truth, she is warned to stop twice. She must be on the right track.

This is an enjoyable cozy mystery. My favorite character, Biscuit, the donkey is a delight! This can be read without having read the first, Canter with a Killer. The characters are well developed and the story moves along at a good pace.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for an ARC. The review is my own.

When Mallory Martin's horse rescue is called to retrieve a horse that was found wandering alone in a hunting area, she stumbles across the rider's body and gets tangled up in the murder investigation. I enjoyed the mystery and the chance to vicariously spend some time with Mallory's rescue animals, which are a major part of the book. If you haven't read the first book in the series (I hadn't) be aware that this book will let you know who the killer was. I'm going to be watching for the third book so I can spend more time with Mallory and her animals.

I thought this was a good cosy little mystery.
It grabbed my attention from the first page and kept me guessing to the end. I liked the setting in a horse rescue. I did think Mallory made a few bad decisions.
Overall it was good

Another fantastic and completely captivating mystery by Amber Camp. I loved the first book in this series and was eagerly looking forward to read the second installment. I am impressed! From character development to plot-to-story development to storytelling, Trotting into Trouble by Amber Camp had me glued to the book till the end.

Plenty of red herrings made it impossible for me to not only to guess the killer's identity but also the motive for murder. This was purely a case of wolf in sheep's clothing. But how was Mallory to know of their evil intentions when they seemed so... nice!

Also, Biscuit - Mallory's rescue Donkey. He steals the spotlight. Every. Single. Time

Trotting into Trouble by Amber Camp is a completely captivating, entertaining, and absolutely brilliant mystery. If you love pet-themed mysteries, I recommend Amber Camp's Horse Rescue Mysteries.

Horse rescue owner, Mallory Martin was settling a malnourished horse that she and her manager, Tanner, had picked up from a farm, when Sheriff Grady Sullivan called her to say there was a horse running wild in a popular hunting area within the nearby woods. She and Tanner headed there, finding the horse but being unable to catch him. Mallory also found the horse's owner - her old school teacher, Coach Doug Griggs - dead. When the police determined Griggs had been murdered, somehow Mallory found herself in the middle of the investigation - again.

As Mallory began her research - against the Sheriff's wishes - the amount of secrets she uncovered saw her being targeted. She was in danger, and it made her angry. With Tanner and Ashley looking after the rescue, Mallory, with Andy by her side, and her dad supporting her, came closer to the answers. But Mallory also came closer to the killer...

Trotting into Trouble is the 2nd in A Horse Rescue Mystery by Amber Camp and I loved it. The first in the series - Canter With a Killer - was the author's debut, and I can see I'll be continuing with this series, plus anything else Ms Camp writes. It was great to catch up with the characters again, and wonderful to be in among the horses as well. A thoroughtly enjoyable read, Trotting into Trouble is one I recommend highly.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

A nice second installment in a series about horses (and a donkey) with a mature protagonist who is struggling a bit with a change in focus. Someone killed Coach Griggs. But why and what about the flashdrive Mallory found on the saddle of his horse- a horse that kicks her (rats!). She's determined to investigate even though the Sheriff has waved her off. She's also dealing with her relationships with Andy and her BFF Lanie. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. While many of the elements of the mystery and the novel itself are cozy tropes, I'm a fan because of the animals, especially Biscuit.

A nice easy cozy read with a touch of romance but it’s also a good mystery as I didn't guess the villain before hand, It was nice to see a horse rescue in this as it makes a change from dogs or cats, Can be read as a stand alone as I haven't read the first book but will now. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.