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slferg's review against another edition
3.0
Did not realize until I read the notes about the author that Claudia Bishop also writes as Mary Stanton. I like several of Mary Stanton's books, so I should have known. This isn't written quite the same way, but still...
Austin McKenzie is a vet in upper New York state. He and his wife Madeline live on a small farm with a few animals. He has retired from teaching, so he's getting older but he still tries to handle the practise himself. Madeline is concerned about him. The he learns from a friend that another vet has been shot - found dead at the side of the road. Larky Schumaker was to have been one of the vets at the 3-day event at Earlsdown. They need 4 to be rated. So, McKenzie is contacted. He and his wife both begin to smell a rat when a second vet, Benny Grazley is also shot. Brewster McClellan, an extremely wealthy man who buys finished horses for his obnoxious daughter to compete on and also has bought his way on to the committee for Earlsdown, comes by to bring McKenzie the agreement to vet the Earlsdown show. McClellan invites them to a dinner party for the vets and the other committee members of the show. McKenzie has called and asked for his old colleague Victor Berg from Cornell to find an assistant to help while he has to be at the show. Joe and Ally both show up badly needing the job. Joe has quite a bit of experience in the small animals department and Ally is experienced with horses. In the end, a compromise is reached - they will share the job. And the job will include room and board. Madeline and Austin have no children, tho they would have like to so they more or less adopt these. Austin also has an amazing sable collie named Lincoln who is very good at herding and running errands, etc.
But all these deaths make Joe furious and he is determined to find who is doing the killing and why. And it seems to be linked to Brewster McClellan in some way. Then their house is ransacked and their dog knocked out and Madeline is furious! So she sets about carefully planning her revenge - Bombs 1, 2 and 3....
Between Madeline and Joe, they get the case wrapped up.
Austin McKenzie is a vet in upper New York state. He and his wife Madeline live on a small farm with a few animals. He has retired from teaching, so he's getting older but he still tries to handle the practise himself. Madeline is concerned about him. The he learns from a friend that another vet has been shot - found dead at the side of the road. Larky Schumaker was to have been one of the vets at the 3-day event at Earlsdown. They need 4 to be rated. So, McKenzie is contacted. He and his wife both begin to smell a rat when a second vet, Benny Grazley is also shot. Brewster McClellan, an extremely wealthy man who buys finished horses for his obnoxious daughter to compete on and also has bought his way on to the committee for Earlsdown, comes by to bring McKenzie the agreement to vet the Earlsdown show. McClellan invites them to a dinner party for the vets and the other committee members of the show. McKenzie has called and asked for his old colleague Victor Berg from Cornell to find an assistant to help while he has to be at the show. Joe and Ally both show up badly needing the job. Joe has quite a bit of experience in the small animals department and Ally is experienced with horses. In the end, a compromise is reached - they will share the job. And the job will include room and board. Madeline and Austin have no children, tho they would have like to so they more or less adopt these. Austin also has an amazing sable collie named Lincoln who is very good at herding and running errands, etc.
But all these deaths make Joe furious and he is determined to find who is doing the killing and why. And it seems to be linked to Brewster McClellan in some way. Then their house is ransacked and their dog knocked out and Madeline is furious! So she sets about carefully planning her revenge - Bombs 1, 2 and 3....
Between Madeline and Joe, they get the case wrapped up.
carolsnotebook's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know much about horses, but I liked the characters in this book. The plot was also good, with twist and turns and several suspects.
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