A Deadly Affair at Bobtail Ridge: A Samuel Craddock Mystery (Samuel Craddock Mysteries)

Samuel Craddock is the part-time police chief of a small Texas town. When his neighbor and friend Jenny Sandstone calls and says her mother is in the hospital, Samuel is quick to come to her aid. Even though he doesn’t like horses, he agrees to make sure hers are cared for. Jenny’s mother, Vera, tells Samuel when he visits that Jenny may be in danger. Before he can ask more, Vera slips away the next day. Someone cuts the lock on Jenny’s gate and lets her horses out. This is followed by a series of strange and dangerous happenings around Jenny and her place, including an accident that puts her in the hospital. Samuel begins to uncover some strange history around the Sandstone family, some of it quite deadly. Can he solve the mysteries before something worse happens to Jenny?

Terry Shames has a whole town of interesting characters to round out her stories in this fourth Samuel Craddock mystery. There are plenty of red herrings, and Shames moves things around as deftly as a chess master to keep the reader guessing. The writing is solid and the story a good one. Cozy mystery fans will enjoy this.