Murder in Mind

I love a good mystery novel and have been a long time fan of such authors as Dick Francis and Tony Hillerman. Now they must make room at the top of my favorite list to include Lyndon Stacy! I have a number of the books by Stacy and look forward with great anticipation to purchasing more.

Horse racing, murder and mayhem in the English countryside - what more could a person ask for.

This book is exceptionally well written, but could use a little editing, as it plods along at first. I would've given this five stars if the first chapters were pruned and tightened, and you got to the meat of the story faster. The second half picks up the pace and dives into a creative mystery that will capture and entertain far better than the first half. Undoubtedly future books will be crisper, and I have a feeling Stacey will develop into a top notch mystery writer. I guess with this one, you just need to relax and park your mind for a visit as the author weaves you in and out of the fabric of the story; characters, dogs, horses, farms, etc. It helps if you are a big fan of steeplechasing and jump jockeys. Stacey puts you right in the thick of it, square on the back of the horse as it negotiates terrifying jumps; describing falls in second-by-second hair raising descriptions. Only Dick Francis describes the back-of-the-racehorse experience quite this well. The mystery itself is intriguing, not to mention convoluted, and it's wise to keep careful track of everything, right up to the eerie, chase-in-the-dark ending. Not for the lazy minded!