Reviewer: Sharon Brunner
Terri Martin’s Top Horse offers a compelling tale of murder, theft, danger, and intrigue. It’s book three in the Kat Wilde Upper Peninsula of Michigan (U.P.) mysteries. The story starts with the rescue of a stray horse stuck in deep mud. The horse, a dead woman, and contaminated horse feed are all connected in a bizarre fashion. Some of the main characters in the story are Kat, Nikko, Brianna, Clay, Carlene, Aunt Lin, Rose, Tori, Sheriff Olsen, Willow (horse), Rusty (horse), Jupiter (cat), Tobey (dog), and other desirable and undesirable characters. Kat is the main character and narrator. With a vet’s help, she struggles to find the horse’s owner. Kat named the horse “Willow”. Willow has unusual markings and is a special breed. The dead woman found in the lake on Kat’s property happens to be one of the previous owners of Willow. Her soon-to-be ex-husband is found at the bottom of an empty pool, and his hands are duct-taped behind his back. Male deer are acting stranger than normal during rutting season. A bait pile reveals tainted horse feed, a feed containing fentanyl. The horse feed is found on a stolen horse trailer. The mysterious happenings and Kat’s curiosity almost lead to her demise.
Some of the main themes that surface are personal responsibility for animal welfare and criminal behavior. Kat ran a service for horses who need to be rescued from terrible situations. She takes great care of the horses in her charge. It is clear how much she cares about them when she carefully and diligently works to save a horse stuck in the mud with other caring individuals. Kat works with another woman who rescues horses. Some of the characters are completely upset when Tobey fights for his life after ingesting a harmful substance. Two people lost their lives under mysterious circumstances and Kat and Carlene are kidnapped by a corrupt man who pretended to have a legal business. Kat discovers Carlene in a precarious situation and manages to rescue her. In order to sneak in fentanyl into the country, a horse feed is laced with the harmful substance.
I can relate to this book in several ways. When I was in junior high my family owned a palomino horse and a Shetland pony. A palomino features a golden or yellow body paired with a white or light-silver mane and they are tall horses. A Shetland pony is a small, exceptionally strong breed of pony originating from the Shetland Isles of Scotland. Part of my learning process concerning the care of horse was I participated in 4H. 4H is a part of this story. I volunteered at the Chippewa County Animal Control Shelter for approximately ten years, walking dogs and preparing cat bios. My husband and I have always been pet guardians. Currently we have a cat and a dog. At one point we were guardians to six cats and three dogs. I felt blessed with all the animals in my life. Martin did a very good job of introducing animals such as her cat, Jupiter, and Nikko’s dog, Tobey, into the story in an entertaining and endearing fashion.
The delightful and endearing movie that came to mind when reading this book is ‘Flicka.” Katy, the main character in the movie, is sent to a boarding school and when home for the summer she discovers a wild mustang who saves her and her horse’s life from a mountain lion. The 16-year-old girl works at her family’s mountainside horse ranch that is going through some financial difficulties. Especially high vet bills cause the family angst financially. Kat from this book struggles to pay high vet bills. Katy from the movie strives to tame the wild horse and prove she can take care of the struggling ranch. Kat works part time at her father’s company so she can have health insurance. Doing what she can to make ends meet and provide excellent care for the horses in her care. Katy in the movie strives to care for Flicka and went to great lengths to rescue the horse.
I recommend Top Horse for its suspense filled narrative, because of its heartwarming tale of love and a questionable relationship and for its realistic and tenacious approach to solving mysteries. The author provides a page-turning journey into the life of Kat and her entourage. I could not put the book down when Kat and Carlene are in a dangerous situation with a man who pretends to love and care about Kat’s police office friend. Kat discovers why she has a distaste for him when her life is in danger. Kat struggles to understand her relationship with Nikko. Not the most romantic of men perhaps, but they are drawn to each other. Kat and Nikko do not leave a stone unturned when they try to get to the bottom of the strange occurrences. Martin provides a collection of suspense, humor, romance, and mystery in her delightful story.
Title: Top Horse
Author: Terri Martin
