Title: Cause for Elimination
Author: Marla A. White
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Romance
Book Blurb:
Reclaiming her life after a devastating riding accident, equestrian Emily Conners’ world shatters again when she discovers her friend and boss laying in a stall with a smashed skull. Now jobless and with a handsome cop underfoot investigating the case, she's torn between wanting the killer found and keeping her own secrets safe.
Detective Justin Butler always gets his killer, but this victim has a stampede of enemies and few leads to go on. Stonewalled by the tight-knit equestrian world, he looks to Emily for help, but she’s strangely reluctant. Is she hiding something, or is she afraid of their growing attraction?
As the search for the murderer heats up, their hearts become entangled and their lives at risk, forcing Emily and Justin to work together to find the killer before they strike again.
My Review:
Murder in the stables…can Emily find the killer before she’s next? Emily won’t ever forget the moment she discovers her friend’s body in the stall. It’s a gruesome way to die. When the police arrive, they’re quick to blame the horse but no horse could do this. She takes the detective named Justin back to the stall and he determines it’s murder. Emily’s world goes off-kilter and she’s not sure what to do. She wants to help the police find the killer, but she’s got secrets of her own that she doesn’t want to reveal. More than that, she’s unnerved by the attraction to handsome Justin. What should she do? When she can no longer deny her feelings, things get dicey. Suddenly both of their lives are in danger. There’s a murderer on the loose and Emily knows too much. Can she fall in love without losing her life?
Cause for Elimination is a riveting romantic mystery I couldn’t put down. I’m a big horse lover so the premise of this book appealed to me right away. From the first page to the last, I was hooked. It all starts with the writing. Marla White used her experience in the horse competition arena to infuse the story with authenticity. The descriptive narration combined with the plot progression makes for a gripping whodunit. The romantic subplot was well-written with plenty of swoony moments. What I liked about the romance part was how it wasn’t heavy on romance. It was realistic but didn’t overshadow the mystery. I got invested in the story real quick and at times couldn’t stop reading. The ending was a bit of a surprise. Another brilliant romantic mystery penned by Marla White, Cause for Elimination deserves to be in the winner’s circle and enjoyed by the masses.
My Rating: 5 stars
Buy it Now:
Books2Read https://books2read.com/u/b6zjM6
Amazon https://amzn.to/3qk7XCP
Author Biography:
Marla White is a story analysis instructor at UCLA and writing coach who lives in Los Angeles. She graduated from the University of Kentucky where she took her first horseback riding lesson. After dabbling in hunters, barrel racing, and weekly trail rides, she fell hopelessly in love with the sport of eventing. She conquered Novice level before taking a break to pursue novel writing but hopes to return to the saddle someday soon. Her first novel, “The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder,” was published in 2021 followed by the first two books in her Keeper Chronicles series. When she’s not writing, she’s out in the garden, hiking, or putting together impossibly difficult puzzles.
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Reviewed by: Mrs. N