Thursday, April 25, 2013

Review - Full Mortality

Title - Full Mortality
Author - Sasscer Hill 
Series - Nikki Latrelle Racing Mystery #1
Genre - Horse Mysteries 
Published - August 1st 2010

Synopsis

Jockey Nikki Latrelle gets the chance of a lifetime -- to ride the favorite in a stakes race -- only to have her dream destroyed when a mysterious intruder kills her mount the night before the race. Evil people are working at Maryland's Laurel Park race track, and when Nikki stumbles over the body of a gunshot victim, she quickly becomes the prime suspect in a murder case. Framed and facing a possible murder rap, Nikki is ruled-off the track. Even deprived of job and income, she cannot abandon a mistreated, ill-tempered racehorse doomed to the slaughter house. Nikki and the filly wind up at a seedy stable with a motley group of felons, drunks, and drug-addicts. With unexpected help from a fashion-conscious wholesale meat-seller, a recovering addict, and an ancient groom, Nicky follows a crooked trail of insurance scam and betting fraud. But with the odds against her, can she clear her name -- and put the real criminals behind bars?

Review

I received Full Mortality in return for an honest review from the publisher. Nikki Latrelle has been working with race horses since she was thirteen years old. Right after her mother passed away in a fatal accident. She’s finally getting her big chance to prove herself as a jockey when she wakes up early and decides to head to the track to check on her horse for the race. Upon arrival at the stable she see’s someone run from Gildys stall and finds her dead. When she learns that the shady trainer in the barn next door is going to sell a filly to slaughter Nikki heads off after her intent on buying her before and she does. 

However fate is not on her side when she decides to check on her new horse and finds the body of a fellow jockey she’s had altercations with as well as another dead horse. The police are looking at her as a suspect next thing she knows she’s the prime suspect in a murder as well as the death of two horses. Nikki is suspended pending how the police case works out. When she arrives at a rundown track to stable her horse and look for work riding the race horses until the police can solve the case. Nikki starts piecing the case together herself as the cop continue to keep her as their prime suspect. Will Nikki solve the case or will it be too late?


I’ve always loved books with horses so of course I couldn't pass up the chance to read a jockey series. Full Mortality incorporates the life of Nikki who’s not had the easiest live but knows what she loves and is willing to do what it takes to work with horses. She’s a fun character to connect with she’s smart, and really good at getting herself in a mess but unlike some she solves her own mystery. The story has a great cast of character from her fellow jockeys, the people she works with even the new friends she makes along the way they all enhance Nikki’s adventure. Plus it has horses what else can I say. I really enjoyed the fun mystery and the insight into Nikki’s world I look forward to checking out the rest of the series. 
5 out of 5 stars

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