Night Mare

NIGHT MARE is a mystery and adventure story. It delivers the basics a reader expects in this kind of book: a tightly woven plot, an insightful look at its somewhat esoteric topic (here, the shocking murder-for-profit of expensive show horses), and an engrossing, believable, exciting read. It also delivers a couple of less conventional elements: The first is solid descriptive writing that, without calling attention to itself, allows us to share the writer's finely developed sense of place. Both the Vermont farm where Jane Scott's adventure begins and the Montana ranch where she finds herself before it's over are depicted with an economy of telling detail. The incidents become more real, the suspense more gripping, because of these entirely convincing settings. The second is a truly three-dimensional main character. We learn to know and care about Jane gradually, as she investigates a merciless killing for which she blames herself (and very quickly gets in far over her head) and as she attempts to deal with her own demons. Jane's strengths and weaknesses both contribute to her actions in attempting to solve the mystery. And, while the book's ending is neat and satisfying, Jane's own problems aren't neatly solved. We're left with the feeling that she's made a strong move forward toward self-realization but is still not all the way there. In other words, we feel we've met and gotten to know a real person, not the paper-cut-out character that too many mystery protagonists turn out to be. And we feel that we'd like a chance to know her better. At least that's how I felt; I'm waiting for a sequel.

Franci McMahon's sophomore effort is again involving horses, only this time instead of distance riding, the story revolves around a newspaper reporter, Jane Scott, who shows championship horses as a hobby. Essentially a mystery and thriller, the story follows Jane and her friend Victoria, both of whom are upset about the bad treatment some of the horses in their area are receiving. With a little digging, Jane uncovers sleazy conspiracies to steal, transport, and re-sell prize show horses. When she sticks her nose in, all hell breaks loose and she very nearly loses her life.The novel starts a bit rocky. The side story of Anne's breakup with her girlfriend is necessary to later plot development, but doesn't endear any of the characters to the reader. But once Jane actually begins investigating, McMahon's writing skill comes to the forefront and the mid-section of the book is gripping. The last third of the book effectively mixes romance with mystery and intrigue.As with her 1994 novel, McMahon has written a colorful and engaging story, with horses as the secondary characters. The novel is entertaining and a quick read. Of particular note is the terrific-and thematically perfect-book cover by ArtByLucy which packages the book beautifully. --Lori L. Lake, Midwest Book Review