Blood Reins: A Detective Sandra Cameron Mystery

Awsome story with just enough horse to make it good. I am usually very critical of any equine errors but found none in this book. Really enjoyed.

"Blood Reins" is the follow-up in the Detective Sandra Cameron series from the starting novel, "An Animated Death in Burbank," and once again, it reflects one of the authors' passions and something he knows a great deal about. The first story featured a murder mystery within the animation industry (Michael Joens has past week in the animation field.) and in this novel, the plot revolves around people involved in horse-racing and breeding. Our heroine, Sandra Cameron is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from the events of the past story. She's having nightmares as well as breakdowns and although her relationship with Tom Rigby, as well the kitten Sylvie he gave to her, have helped, she's still pretty messed up. Things only seem to go from bad to worse when the murder case in this novel, of horse trainer Chet Gundry, ends up involving both her and her father as potential suspects. As the story unfolds, there are more deaths and more potential suspects as well. The web grows quite complicated and the strain takes its toll on both Sandra and Tom. It'll keep you guessing right up to the end. I didn't enjoy "Blood Reins" quite as much as "An Animated Death in Burbank," but overall it was still a great story. It's probably just because I have an interest in animation, but don't really care much about horses. Still, if you enjoyed the first book in the series, you'll probably like this one. And I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment in the series.

Wonderful book! I am rarely surprised at who the murderer is. But in both Blood Reins and an animated murder in Burbank I was pleasantly surprised. Mr. Joens is an excellent author and I highly recommend all of his books.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Not only were the plot and characters well-written and entertaining, the factual information regarding the horse show industry was pretty accurate. This is fairly rare in a novel. I enjoyed the main characters, Sandy and Tom, and felt that both were fleshed out well. Their relationship faced ordinary obstacles -- jealousy, mistrust, uncertainty -- amongst unusual circumstances. The support characters were consistent, which is often difficult for authors to achieve. Additionally, there were enough hazy references to the first book in the series (which I have not yet read) to pique my interest. I look forward to picking it up soon.

This is a well paced story with unexpected twists and turns that had me guessing up until the surprising conclusion. Sandra and Tom are shown to be more than just detectives, they are individuals that are complex and compelling. Like Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn of the Tony Hillerman novels, I want to see them at work, because I want to know the characters better.