Christina Lynch's latest novel is a love letter to the pony/human bond. It's a whodunnit murder mystery. And a tribute to fables. It's also a call to respect all creatures great and small. It's told in alternating chapters from the dual perspectives of schoolteacher/mom/former equestrian Penny and her childhood pony, Yes, the pony narrates, and I found his chapters the more compelling. The novel's characters change and grow more empathetic as the truth emerges of what really happened that night twenty-five years ago when 12-year-old Penny and her beloved pony were torn from one another.
I'm a fan of Christina Lynch's. This is a very different book, waaaay more fantastical than The Italian Party, which I prefer for its espionage thriller vibes and Italian setting. What I appreciate about Pony Confidential are its humor, its empathy, and its revelations about all things pony. The author is obviously a pony fan. This book is her passionate homage, and that passion kept me reading. I will continue to seek out Lynch's books.

[Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and BookBrowse for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

3.5 Stars.

But wait! There’s more! The opening was imaginative and caught my mind, but…
There kept being one more thing, one more wrinkle, one more trip, one more bending of chronology and imagination. I got tired by the end.
I learned some things, like a pony is not just a young horse. And I was following the story of a 3rd-grade teacher in California arrested by a deputy she knew (and thought was pulling a prank) and subsequently extradited to New York for a murder she supposedly committed 25 years before when she was 12.
The story alternates voices, Penny (the woman) and the pony she had as a child. Magical conversations between different species of animals as the pony tries to find Penny. The amount of time the pony’s travels had to have taken were only one of the realities I had to forego.
Not sorry that I read it. It was a page turner until about the last 100 pages when I had to suspend many beliefs.

Wow! What a captivating blend of mystery, thriller, and women's fiction! The writing is engaging, weaving together suspense, fun and emotional depth seamlessly. The plot is intricately crafted, keeping me hooked from start to finish. It’s a stellar 5-star read for sure.

A month ago, I reviewed Paula Munier’s The Night Woods, and mentioned that the theme was related to The Odyssey. Here’s a second mystery, with an even larger connection, Christina Lynch’s unusual Pony Confidential. I’m not crazy when I say how good this mystery was, with alternating chapters narrated by a pony and the woman who owned him when she was twelve, Penny.

The pony is out for revenge. Penny was the only owner he ever loved, and he thought she loved him. But, she abruptly sold him when she was twelve, after an incident in the woods near Ithaca. Twenty-five years later, he hasn’t forgiven her, and he’s taken his anger out on humans all over the country. He doesn’t realize that it wasn’t Penny’s choice, and when her parents abruptly yanked her away to move to Chicago, she was forced to leave the pony behind. To this day, that was the happiest time of her life, although Penny is now married with her own troubled daughter, Tella.

The pony sets out on an odyssey to find Penny to make her pay. It’s a dog that tells him he abandoned his human in the woods that day, and he should be ashamed. Now, instead of anger, he feels guilty, and befriends dogs, other horses, a rat, and a goat on his journey. The pony isn’t used to making friends, but he finds he needs others, and he’s able to help a few animals along his way.

But, Penny has just been arrested. She knows she didn’t kill a man in the woods when she was twelve, but witnesses say otherwise. She’s in despair, knowing her daughter needs her. But, she also looks back at her life, dating everything from the time when she owned the pony.

It’s a dangerous journey for the pony on his way to his own Ithaca and Penny. Once he learns Penny is a murder suspect, he tracks down a person and a horse to prove his Penny isn’t a killer. And he finds a way to connect with Penny’s daughter, Tella.

Ithaca, Penelope, Telemachus, a lengthy journey. Odysseus was only gone for ten years. The pony hasn’t seen his Penny in twenty-five. But, that kind of love is deep.

Pony Confidential isn’t for everyone. But, if you’re a woman who loved horses when you were twelve, the story of the pony’s odyssey will be moving and emotional at times. Lisa Scottoline even says, “Every girl should have a pony.”

I loved this book! Critics will say it was unrealistic and it certainly was, but what a fun story about a life long bond between a girl and her pony with a little murder mystery thrown in! The characters were all charming and quirky and I fell in love with each one.. except the villains who were incredibly easy to dislike . This is a great light read for animal lovers and those who believe in the magic of having a pet who loves you 🩷

Thanks to NetGalley, BookBrowse, and Berkley Publishers for a copy of Pony Confidential in exchange for an honest review.

Pony Confidential is a thoughtful, touching, suspenseful murder mystery which uses laugh out loud humor in describing fantastical animal adventures, and the often harsh realities of human behavior. Pony and Penny alternate their stories which began 25 year earlier. Pony is curmudgeonly and vengeful due to his abandonment by Penny years ago. He has held on to his grudge and it keeps him motivated to find her. This requires stamina, luck and a bit of pony mind control. Over the course of the book he learns about himself, and Penny learns about her family, the legal system and most importantly herself. If you enjoyed Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, or Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley you will want to read this book.

After a life of being sold and serving many people, grumpy horse, Pony, realizes that he has only loved one person: a young girl named Penny. So, Pony sets off to find Penny. But now she is an adult and stands accused of murder. Pony knows she didn't do it, and sets out to prove it.

This story was delightful. You will love it if you liked Six-Thirty in Lessons in Chemistry and/or Marcellus in Remarkably Bright Creatures, or if you are looking for a well-written, feel-good story.

I thoroughly enjoyed Pony Confidential. It is promoted as a humorous mystery novel, but the novel is a lot more than that. Through the perspective of a once-beloved pony that has been passed around from owner to owner, Pony Confidential addresses the relationships humans have with animals, the disposable nature of society, environmental destruction and the need to feel safe and protected. Through the eyes of Penny, the book addresses childhood trauma, the burden of mental illness, and the classism of the penal system. In short, this book is more than meets the eye and I enjoyed the two perspectives, though the " mystery" itself was not too difficult to figure out, I still enjoyed this playful but surprisingly deep book. The prose is deft, punchy and often laugh-out-loud funny, and the supporting characters (particularly in the animal world), flesh out the narrative.

Partially told through a grumpy pony's point of view, this fun story starts with the pony seeking revenge on his young owner for selling him and later trying to prove she's been falsely accused of murder.

As a fan of offbeat murder mysteries and a bit of a horse girl, I found so many things to love about this vicious, stubborn, hilarious, heartbreaking pony detective. Come for the misanthropy and biting wit — and some actual biting — but stay for the power of love to conquer injustice. Even if it’s the love of a greedy, cynical, self-righteous quadruped, for the one human he doesn’t consider a total loss.

Wow. What a weird and delightful book. If Black Beauty and The Odyssey were to have a love child, this book might be the result.

Like Black Beauty, it's a tale told (mostly) by an equine, with important moral insights, mostly related to animals, while not coming across as preachy or didactic. Like The Odyssey, the brave hero traverses great distances and trials to reunite with the love of his life.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but it ended up being one that I stayed up well past bedtime to finish. Not that the mystery was so gripping, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable book.

Would highly recommend this unique book to animal lovers everywhere!

My favorite genre is adult books with animals as the protagonist, followed by mystery. This should have been an easy one for me to love, but sadly here we are. The biggest problem for me was it felt like the book didn't know what it wanted to be. the first 60% is mostly our belligerent pony narrator having endless adventures in his quest to find his person. It was like Benji on steroids. Pony crisscrossed the USA 6 times, if not more! Pony has a great voice, but the first person doomed it with telling and more telling and no showing. Our second lead is Penny...Penny reads like YA, nothing in her voice feels natural and her "mystery" doesn't really jump start until 60% through our tale. Pony needed to pick a lane, and have a heavier editing hand to tighten up the story, make it head in a single direction and amp up the endearing characters while shrinking the not so well drawn folks...of which...there are about 6 billion folks in this book.

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch is a delightful reading surprise with two unlikely narrators. Penny is a contented wife, mother and third grade teacher in California who is shocked to find herself suddenly arrested and extradited to New York for a murder she allegedly committed when she was 12. The second narrator is Pony, who has undoubtedly had many names with his many owners. His first owner was Penny, the alleged murderer. It's quite clear the two shared a long loving relationship. That relationship ended very abruptly and Pony has been trying to find Penny ever since. While Penny languishes in a New York prison, awaiting trial, Pony has one adventure after another trying to find her. Only Pony has the ability to clear Penny of the long ago charge. Will they be able to reunite? Can Pony help to free his one-and-only Penny from her fate? The characters and descriptions in this book, especially the ones seen through Pony's eyes, are unique and hilarious. By the time I finished this book I was pretty sure I knew exactly how a pony ( as well as a rat, goat, dog and other animals) think. I loved it!

This sounded incredibly fun, but it just wasn’t for me. I found myself skipping the Pony parts and skipping to the Penny parts. The Pony parts just got too annoying and ridiculous. I gave up about halfway through. Just not my thing but others will love it and I’ll recommend it to them.

A super cute, sweet story about friendship and love persevering over a huge span of time. I adore the dynamics and the relationships and the plot was intriguing. I did find it very confusing time-line-wise because some of it seemed not to be linear, and then about 60% in, it was obvious that it took place over different timelines and it made more sense but was still mildly confusing. Before that I was so confused thinking this pony was super fast getting from state to state in five seconds. I did enjoy it, especially the sugary ending where nobody died. Well, some people died, but not our main cast.

I am not sure if middle school students that love horses and ponies can relate to the irate vengeful pony. His life story isn't unrealistic but most younger readers won't understand the nature of children outgrowing a beloved pony. Penny's story is very well written and helps the balance of the grumbling pony.

This is the most delightful book I’ve read in a long time. Pony used to belong to Penny, and they adored each other. Then Pony is sold and Penny disappears.
Many years later Penny is arrested for a murder she allegedly committed when she was 12, and she is extradited to New York from her home in California.
Pony senses that Penny needs his help and starts a very long cross country adventure to find her. Penny, meanwhile, remains in prison, with only an intern public defender to help her.
The author’s use of anthropomorphism as well as communication between animals and a few humans keeps the story fast paced and humorous. If you’re looking for a fun, entertaining story, this is the place for you.

Saddle up and hang on for a ride you won't soon forget! Having just read Pony Confidential on Kentucky Derby Day, I must say that those thoroughbreds have nothing on Pony when it comes to stamina and going the distance for the one you love. Pony is a fierce, yet comical character who knows how to get what he wants. Having been separated from his girl, Penny, 25 years ago, Pony is at first determined to find Penny so he can take out his anger at being sold so many years ago. As he travels across the country, sold from owner to owner, Pony learns some great life wisdom from the other animals he encounters and realizes that no matter what situation tore Penny away from him, that it was ultimately his fault that they ended up parted. When Penny is tried for murder, it is up to Pony to solve the murder and finally confess to himself that this feeling he's harbored for 25 years is indeed his love for Penny.

Riders up, the gates are about to open; make sure you don't miss this ride!

I absolutely adored this book. It's so original, and hilarious, but also touches some deep emotional points. So enjoyable!

As a former horse girl, I loved this book. It felt like a modern day retelling of Black Beauty, but with more humor. I will be definitely be purchasing this for the library.