HOMICIDE ON THE RANGE by Rosalie Spielman
Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Wounded Veterans, Western
Coming in May
5*****

Blurb: US Army retiree Tessa Treslow is ready for a much-needed and romantic getaway with her boyfriend, Nick, to volunteer on a dude ranch for recovering combat veterans in Montana. What she gets instead is a whole crew from her little town of New Oslo, Idaho, tagging along. Her BFF Freddie, aka Deputy Frederickson, her aunt Edna, and the Prunn sisters are happy for a little vacation as well, but little do they realize, it’s not going to be the rustic, idyllic visit to the range that they think it will be. The other volunteers at the ranch are a variety of characters, from a jealous wife, to a multi-limb amputee, to a blast from Tessa’s past, and a combative and unpleasant ranch cook. When the cook ends up dead along with sides of beef in the walk-in freezer, Tessa realizes the one of them is also a murderer! With Freddie stranded in town, Tessa teams up with the New Osloans—the only ones she can be sure didn’t commit the crime—to take a closer look at the other volunteers. They soon learn that each and every cowboy wannabe knew the cook for more than just her buttery cooking, and each of them had a motive to want her dead. To make matters much worse, not one but two wildfires are closing in on the ranch and cutting them off from the outside. What results is a locked-room style mystery where the crew from New Oslo are unsure which will prove more dangerous—a murderer or the wildfires!

REVIEW: I love these “wounded veterans” stories by Rosalie Spielman. While the mysteries are really good, showing the issues veterans have and giving places for someone to call at the end show that she really knows what she’s talking about.
In this story, Tessa and her gang (Freddie, Aunt Edna, the Prunn sisters, and Nick) head to Montana and a “Dude” ranch built specially for wounded veterans and owned by a friend for a little working R&R. But they’re in for a lot more than they figured on. The cook at the ranch is nasty and does her best to irritate everyone she comes in contact with – so of course, she’s the body. But that’s the easy part. They need to figure out who the murderer is while trying not to get overrun with wildfires burning all around them. Tessa and her team are the designated sleuths since they have the experience. They decide to keep the death secret so they can judge who might have done the deed. In addition, wildfires are surrounding the ranch and they need to cut firebreaks, bring in the livestock, wet down the buildings and more.

There is a lot going on in this story. I knew who the body was going to be almost from the minute we meet her. As for the murderer – wow. That surprised me. With a cast of suspects, I did not figure it all out by the end. Well done. As for the wildfires, we get to feel the terror, the exhaustion, the hopelessness – and then the hope – that goes with this. The world building in this story is excellent. The emotions are realistic. And the conclusion… surprising. And satisfying. Though this is a stand alone story, I suggest you start at the beginning of this series so you understand who the people are better. And believe me, they (the stories) are worth the read.

Definitely recommended.

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” Thanks to Gemma Halliday Publishing for providing this ARC.