Average customer rating:
- The Best Tami Hoag Thriller Yet
- Bring back Elena Estes!
- Tami Hoag canters into the limelight with her suspense thriller, Dark Horse.
- The opposite reaction Jana had...
- Thank god...a real horsewoman writing about horses!
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Dark Horse
Tami Hoag
Manufacturer: Bantam
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ASIN: 0553583573
Release Date: 2004-06-01 |
Book Description
In her latest thriller, New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag takes readers on a suspense-filled ride of shocks and twists leading to an explosive finish. It is the story of an ex-cop, a missing girl, and a killer locked in a race where there can be only one winner--and the losers die trying.
In a trailer in a Florida swamp, time is running out for eighteen year-old Erin Seabright. A pawn in a kidnapper's terrifying game for a ransom no one can pay, her last hope is a washed-up ex-cop who has already lost it all-not once, but twice.
The wealthy world of the Palm Beach horse set seems a long way from a cop's world in the narcotics division. A lifetime ago, undercover sheriff's detective Elena Estes worked the mean streets and BackTop alleys, living by her wits and playing the long odds until she took one risk too many. Now Estes lives on the ragged edge of lost hope and self-hatred, hiding from the past and believing she doesn't deserve to have a future. But the past is about to come back with a vengeance, and the future is about to become a race between life and death.
A young woman is missing and her twelve year-old stepsister comes to Estes for help. No one but serious, studious Molly Seabright seems concerned about what's happened to her troubled older sister. But Molly is convinced Erin is in danger. Estes has no P.I. license, no interest in a new career, and no desire to break her self-imposed exile. But the more she learns about the people Erin Seabright was involved with, the more her long-dormant cop instincts come back to life.
One trip to the show grounds where Erin worked as a groom, and Estes is quickly pulled to the dark side of a glamorous sport. Behind the glittering, ultra-rich facade is an ultra-ruthless world of drugs, payoffs, and dirty deals. A world of dissolute playboys and crooked horse-dealers, of royalty and rabble, of rivals and enemies. An obscenely wealthy world where anything can be had for a price--including a life.
And in that world stalks a killer who will lead Estes down a dark, twisted trail of decadence and deceit, mayhem and murder--from the gilded life of Palm Beach to the darkest corners of the Florida swamps, to a final show-down that could cost her everything. A race against time and evil. A race in which Estes is the dark horse--and no one is betting on her to win.
From the Hardcover edition.
Download Description
In her latest thriller, New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag takes readers on a suspense-filled ride of shocks and twists leading to an explosive finish. It is the story of an ex-cop, a missing girl, and a killer locked in a race where there can be only one winner—and the losers die trying.
In a trailer in a Florida swamp, time is running out for eighteen year-old Erin Seabright. A pawn in a kidnapper's terrifying game for a ransom no one can pay, her last hope is a washed-up ex-cop who has already lost it all—not once, but twice.
The wealthy world of the Palm Beach horse set seems a long way from a cop's world in the narcotics division. A lifetime ago, undercover sheriff's detective Elena Estes worked the mean streets and back alleys, living by her wits and playing the long odds until she took one risk too many. Now Estes lives on the ragged edge of lost hope and self-hatred, hiding from the past and believing she doesn't deserve to have a future. But the past is about to come back with a vengeance, and the future is about to become a race between life and death.
A young woman is missing and her twelve year-old stepsister comes to Estes for help. No one but serious, studious Molly Seabright seems concerned about what's happened to her troubled older sister. But Molly is convinced Erin is in danger. Estes has no P.I. license, no interest in a new career, and no desire to break her self-imposed exile. But the more she learns about the people Erin Seabright was involved with, the more her long-dormant cop instincts come back to life.
One trip to the show grounds where Erin worked as a groom, and Estes is quickly pulled to the dark side of a glamorous sport. Behind the glittering, ultra-rich facade is an ultra-ruthless world of drugs, payoffs, and dirty deals. A world of dissolute playboys and crooked horse-dealers, of royalty and rabble, of rivals and enemies. An obscenely wealthy world where anything can be had for a price—including a life.
And in that world stalks a killer who will lead Estes down a dark, twisted trail of decadence and deceit, mayhem and murder—from the gilded life of Palm Beach to the darkest corners of the Florida swamps, to a final show-down that could cost her everything. A race against time and evil. A race in which Estes is the dark horse—and no one is betting on her to win.
"With its hard-boiled view of equine society, Dark Horse helps fill the gap made in crime fiction by the retirement of jockey-turned-author Dick Francis."
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Customer Reviews:
The Best Tami Hoag Thriller Yet.......2007-07-23
Elena Estes is a strong female character that is a good role model for all of us. This book is definitely a page-turning thriller that will keep you guessing about the kidnapper/murderer until the end. Estes such a well developed character that I believe Hoag will be crazy not to write another story about her and Landry! Great Book!
Bring back Elena Estes!.......2006-10-05
Cleaver story and writing! Elena Estes is a wonderful witty character, I hope Tami Hoag brings her back--maybe as a PI officially? From what I've heard, Tami Hoag is an accomplished rider and I loved her descriptions of horses and the circle that follows them. A very quick read and you will fall in love with her client Molly.
Tami Hoag canters into the limelight with her suspense thriller, Dark Horse. .......2006-09-13
The title itself both refers to the main character, ex-cop Elena Estes, and the main plot that revolves around the exciting and sometimes deadly world of equestrian dressage--a sport of precision, skill and mastery.
Drawing from Hoag's own skills and training as a competitive equestrian, and occasionally using the names of real people and horses, Hoag manages to propel you into the dark and often deadly world of professional equestrian sports. Step into a world of the ''ultra rich and the very poor'', where horses are exploited, misused, abused, drugged and even killed--all for the 'love' of the sport.
Protagonist Elena Estes is a 'dark horse', herself. Living in self-imposed exile after a life-shattering decision ruins her career, Elena finds herself drawn to the plight of a young girl, Molly Seabright. Molly's older sister, Erin, is missing, and the twelve-year-old has come to hire Elena as a private investigator to find Erin and bring her home.
Masquerading as a spoiled socialite, Elena enters the lavish, decadent world of equestrian sport and encounters deception and murder along the way. Filled with rich, powerful men this novel will throw you into Elena's past and present at a galloping speed...and if you don't hold on for the ride, you may just be thrown off.
Tami Hoag has consistently and persistently come up with unique storylines, fast-paced plots and intriguing characters. She is one of the most talented female suspense thriller writers there is, and once you read one of her novels, you'll be begging to read more.
This is perhaps one of my favorites! I found it truly interesting and very unique in plot.
Tami Hoag's Dark Horse is an intense read...one you won't WANT to put down!
~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of Whale Song (2007 Kunati Books)
The opposite reaction Jana had..........2006-08-26
Curiously, as another long time reader of Tami Hoag, including Night Sins, Guilty as Sin, Cry Wolf, and Still Waters, I had the exact opposite reaction from Jana Perskie to this book.
Jana said the plot plods, but compared to Hoag's other works, the plot actually moved more quickly. Compare this to Night Sins, for example, where the middle 70% of the novel could have been cut out entirely. Although Hoag can't resist some useless filler in Act 2, both Act 1 and 3 move at normal, linear paces of plot development, which is much more than I would usually expect from this author.
Instead of the kidnapper periodically sending meaningless and repetitive notes with the words SIN capitalized, here each new contact from the kidnapper is at least somewhat revelatory, and the resolution more complicated.
In most Hoag works, the so-called mystery or suspense plot is often just a cover or ends up being dressing for the central story of romance-- always predictable, always with similiar lines. Here, the romance didn't begin to develop until approximately page 250, and it was kept definitively in the background.
In most Hoag works, the romance is central to breaking down the characters' emotional barriers as they fundamentally struggle with failure. In Dark Horse, the budding relationship between the protagonist and the police officer is representative of redemption, not breakdown.
This is the only Hoag novel as far as I know told in the first person. It's the only one with a preface from the author where she speaks to us directly (I believe she did mention that she believed the equestrian world to be no worse than the real one). It's the only one where the title is set up to actually mean something symbolic. It's the only one where she shows specialized knowledge of something which is neither law enforcement nor a locale (Minnesota/Louisiana).
Of course, it is certainly recognizable as a Hoag work, and there are many of the same formulaic personalities involved. Nonetheless, I thought it was somewhat more personal, complex, and gratifying than I'd been led to expect, from what is essentially a guilty pleasure author. That was refreshing.
Thank god...a real horsewoman writing about horses!.......2006-08-26
I don't enjoy mysteries, but this book was passed on to me by a fellow boarder at my barn, so I gave it a go. While the plot was slow, (*cough* all mysteries *cough*) I loved the many references to my home State and home equestrian turf. She based a couple of these characters on real people, too, which gave it added grit in my book- good for you, Ms. Hoag.
Its refreshing to have a real horse person write a horse related novel; if you're seriously involved in the equestrian world, I recommend it if only for the horse action. Now, if only more people would write realistically about horses, and the horse world!
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Book.......2005-12-03
Healed by Horses is a wonderful book that gives hope and encouragement to anyone who reads it! It reaffirms the fact that life is a gift, and, if you allow it, struggle can make you better. As Carole states on page 230: "It's working with horses that heals, by developing discipline, courage, patience, and perseverance. You may come to horses -- as I did -- unable to walk, unable to cope, disfigured and in despair, but what I learned is that horses do not judge by looks or class or reputation. Still, you must earn their trust and cooperation, and out of that comes self-esteem."
The True Story of Carole Fletcher.......2005-07-17
Healed by Horses is a must-read; a fantastic book that leaves readers entertained, educated and... changed.
Page by page, this memoir delicately, and sometimes dramatically, shows the true story of Carole Fletcher. Its inspiring message touches readers of all interests, ages and spectrums.
The book, on the surface, is about a burn victim whose life is turned upside down after a near-death experience in a gasoline explosion.
Underneath, the storyline is even stronger and deeper, as Carole Fletcher delves into the meanings of inner and outer beauty, self-worth, "a never give up mentality," inspiration and other life lessons.
Carole shows us how horses, who never judge our outer appearances, dragged her out of a near suicidal state and, ultimately, launched her career as an internationally respected trick horse trainer and author.
I've had the pleasure of meeting Carole Fletcher at her Reddick, Florida, home. She is a true gem; a delightful, strong woman who sees each day as a gift. Her book -- and her story -- are a gift to us.
Healed by Horses gets TWO THUMBS UP!
Summer Best
Ocala, Florida
Fanning the Flames.......2005-07-13
As a fan and student of Carole Fletcher's Trick Training techniques, I was familiar with the bio behind this book before reading it. So it was with a literary mindset that I opened the cover, expecting to view the entire book with a critical eye; curious, mostly, to learn just what did Larry Scanlan do to bring the ashes of Carole's past back to life.
My resolve to be largely unmoved lasted maybe two pages. I was totally captivated. Through Larry Scanlan's ability to weave pertinent and insightful personal details through the charred remains of Carole's past, Carole emerges as she truly is: human, rather than a string of incredible facts. People everywhere can relate some situation in their life to what Carole has endured and draw courage from her story. Her hospital ordeal was gut-wrenching; the stories about her horses have the same effect on your heart. There were plenty of details to whet the appetites of horse people, but there is message and metaphor for every one, everywhere; lessons for all of us on overcoming obstacles, achieving goals, healing relationships, feeling real compassion, looking for the true beauty in every one and everything around you, finding meaning in life.
Through 'Healed by Horses', Fletcher and Scanlan have made a tremendous contribution to society.
Carole has many lessons for us to hear.......2005-07-13
I have had the privilege of meeting Carole through a neighbor. Just in meeting her I feel blessed. Her book speaks honestly of her accident. Naturally, I wish that it never happened, but she is so positive and continually reaching for new goals. Her attitude throughout the book illustrates how she appreciated the people and animals around her. The relationships in her own family were exposed and then nurtured. Her blessings are many and suddenly, I could see how she not only turned her life into a survival story but a platform to help others. Anyone that reads this book will understand how Carole found the strength to go on and love deeper. This book truly is the way Carole is everyday. Read and enjoy how horses can be so much more than an animal to ride. I know that I will see horses differently now and think of how they kept Carole being a person who lives from "within" her heart and soul, instead of one who lives "without".
Lou Petty
Quarter Horse competitor and breeder
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS GEM!!!!.......2005-07-06
Carole's book Healed By Horses is absolutely awesome!! It touches many areas of all our lives!!! You don't have to love horses to enjoy and to be inspired by Carole's book!!! And if you do love horses you will be totally in awe of this woman's courage and will relate with the deep heartfelt draw to the beautiful four legged friends that she talks about!!! Carole Fletcher is a true inspiration and I am very thankful she shared her story with all of us!!!
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
The Tao of Equus, which literally translates as "the way of the horse," explores the possibility that horses are highly evolved, spiritual beings who offer humans opportunities for healing and personal growth. Linda Kohanov is the owner of Epona Equestrian Services, an Arizona-based collective of trainers and counselors that explore the therapeutic potential of equestrian pursuits. Although she does discuss horse training and horse behavior, Kohanov is most interested in what horses can teach us. Moving beyond the realm of horse whispering, Kohanov studies how horses awaken intuition in humans while also mirroring our unspoken feelings and fears. At its core, this book reminds us to be mindful as we approach the horse-human relationship. Like human-to-human relationships, we have to do our own personal and spiritual work before we can expect to create a meaningful and cooperative interspecies connection. Kohanov is a steadfast writer who isn't shy about claiming a strong feminine approach, showing how mythology and history are filled with examples of powerful woman-horse connections. She also has the courage to reveal her paranormal experiences with these intensely emotional and intuitive animals--stories that may sound familiar to anyone who has ever loved and dreamed of horses. --Gail Hudson
Book Description
The Tao of Equus considers the mystical nature of horses and the magical connection between horses and humans. Equine therapist Linda Kohanov tells of an extraordinary spiritual awakening she experienced with her black mare, Rasa. This incident led her to investigate the apparent metaphysical as well as scientific aspects of the human-horse bond. Using neurological research, cultural history, mythology, and firsthand anecdotes from years of teaching and facilitating equine therapy, Kohanov examines the profound communion that people, and women in particular, often experience with horses. Some of the areas Kohanov explores are how the equine mind compares with the human mind, and what horses can teach humanity.
Customer Reviews:
If Horses Could Write..........2007-09-19
If horses could write, what a tale they would tell. Would we want to hear it? If all the horses throughout time massed together, to reach out and draft an author, Linda Kohanov would be their choice, and The Tao of Equus would be their book.
By the second page of the Introduction I was in tears. Only two other books have ever had that effect on me: Les Miserables, and A Tale of Two Cities, and I had to get to the end to have the same reaction. The introduction describes a high-performing dressage horse who cannot find a rider worthy of him, until an animal therapist writes him an ad that draws his perfect rider to him. These kinds of unions have always gotten to me, and I never really understood why. Reading this book has helped. If you can believe the author, that horses have souls and emotions, it's easier to understand.
This is not an easy read. Much of it seems like research designed to mount a defense of a new academic discipline, to lend weight to what might be perceived as a frivolous pursuit. The therapy involved is far from frivolous, and I wonder if the author could have made her case with a few less words, and not quite so many reviews and references.
It's worth slogging through, however, to get to the jewels, the rapturous descriptions of all things equine. The wonderful case studies. The joy the author has in life. Reading this book makes you glad there are such people in this world, and such horses, and that they have taken the time to write. Well done, horse ancestors!
Your horse and you.........2007-09-17
Just a quick note to say this book is so insightfull for anyone who has an open mind and truly wants to understand himself and his horse as well. Many of us can't help but see ourselves in this text somewhere. It will be read often, in part or as a whole. A must read for any serious horse person.
Into the Horse's Mind.......2007-04-12
Learn how your horse thinks in this spiritual guide to horse training. You'll have a greater understanding of horse psychology and thus, a deeper relationship with your horse.
A Magnificent Journey.......2007-04-09
I was astounded and amazed at this really brilliant book which was written by Linda Kohanov. From the description of the book, I just had a feeling that it would be a unique and fascinating one.
My kudos go to the author. I learned so much about horse training and beyond, and had the opportunity to look into my being as I related to her transparent and vulnerable account of her journey. BRAVO! It is a must read for those who work with and love horses.
Interesting Insights on How the Horse's Mind Works.......2007-03-19
This book, packed with excellent scientific references and provides an interesting prospective on how a Horse's Mind works, how it has been designed to work. Depending on personal beliefs, readers may / may be moved by more ethereal references to "ancestoral horse spirits", the concept of "universal history" or stories that seemingly demonstrate special "horse - human" connections.
As a long-time horse lover, and as a horse breeder, I found the more fundamentally-based segments of the book beneficial in a relatively unique way, compared with the plethora of other horse books I've also enjoyed and found useful. In addition to providing insight that has positively influenced daily work of my own horses, information from this book has put forward some fresh ideas in helping them through individual problems / quirks.
While the more philospophical segments of the book did not especially take with me, these offered ideas and concepts that were otherwise unfamiliar, and were therefore interesting, much of the time. I can understand how others who are less practically-driven than myself might find these soulful references touching. The commercial horse breeder who initially shared this book with me (admittedly a fellow female) remarked that it was one of the most influential books she had read in the past decade, in terms of how it rested with her from a personal prospective.
I agree with several other reviewers, that this book should not be regarded as a guide on horse training, or horse training concepts. Nor is it a ready-read for someone not into horses. But I believe that its title adequately depicts what the book sets out put forward: A Woman's Journey of Healing and Transformation Through the Way of the Horse. I enjoyed most it.
Product Description
Laugh-out-loud funny and completely true, this is the story of how the author purchased a scruffy pony of unknown origins and abilities whose main attraction was her price tag. That alone would be funny enough, but then she sets the goal for herslef and the pony of showing in competition within one year. And while that would also be funny enough, she undertakes this task after being out of the saddle for several years while becoming a wife and the mother of two children under the age of three. Add to the mix a falling-down farm with no fencing, 100 free-range chickens and a "fixer-upper" home, and you have the makings of a very funny story.
Customer Reviews:
A very funny book.......2007-09-15
I first read these stories on the Chronicle forums, and I was thrilled when I found out Ellen had published them into a book. Excellent book for any horse-owner or -lover, regardless of discipline, many of you will relate to whats in here!
Hilarious Page Turner.......2007-04-07
This is a must read book for any horse owner or anyone who loves to laugh.
No One Has Chronicled a $700 Pony Better.......2006-12-10
Every other sentence in "The Chronicles of the $700 Pony" by Ellen Broadhurst made me stop and wonder (often aloud) "did she really just say that?". Broadhurst's writing is intelligent, witty and completely down to earth.
And here's the interesting thing- it's suspenseful. I'm not about to give it away, but leave it to an "Unbroke, Chestnut, Pony, Mare" to render you useless for a bit of time while you read the entire book, because you will not want to put it down. As the title aptly states, Broadhurst hysterically narrates her journey from pony purchase to a pony pinnacle, with dutiful husband and two "wee" children in tow.
This book is not about preparing a pony for showing or racing or some other type of equestrian event. It's not about pony care or pony training. It's about real life and how a pony just happened to get caught up in it. And it's fantastic.
wonderful reading!.......2006-11-21
I don't know Ellen, nor do I know her pony, but I can assure you I wish I did! This book had me laughing out loud, and thinking how lucky I am to have horses in my life.
Thru out, you are carried into the life of Ellen and her pony, (Oh, of course, the psyco mutt and wee ones, too!) as they progress (used loosely of course!) towards a partnership. The path is somewhat rocky at times, and there are the errant rogue deer and cows, but overall the story, while being funny, is also touching.
Ellen is a fantastic observer of animals and life, and this book is a lovely story which takes everything and puts it into a lovely package.
Great reading, great gift for someone- I am ordering 4 more as gifts for those special people in my life!
Thanks to Ellen and the Pony!~
Ellen must write more books for us.......2006-11-20
Knowing Ellen and having read and treasured all the articles she used to write for the ESDCTA newsletter I couldn't wait to get the book. Bought 8 copies before even reading it for the other horse people in my life. Opened it and read it the same night even tho it's very hard to read when you are laughing so hard your eyes are tearing and won't focus. This is a must have book. She has so many more stories for a book - like how to start your pick-up with hedge clippers, yep and the time she and my husband were settleing port a johns at a horse show.....Anyway - buy a copy for every horse person you know.
Book Description
"Proof that love for another animal can alone make one human and humane: wit and crushing sadness chasing each other all across the page; intelligence and bravery and perfect literary pitch... Damn great."-Melissa Holbrook Pierson, author of Dark Horses and Black Beauties: Animals; Women, a Passion
"A bold and sensitive memoir of what it means to open one's heart to love... A magnificent read."-Adele von Rust McCormick, Ph.D and Marlena Deborah McCormick, PhD, authors of Horses and the Mystical Path; Horse Sense and the Human Heart
"A triumph for all spirits."-Laura Shaine Cunningham, author of A Place in the Country
"Should rank with the great animal stories."-Ann Arensberg, author of Incubus
"Two kindred spirits find each other in this beautifully written memoir about the human-animal bond."-Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation
When she agrees to take on the care of one of the abused horses just rescued by the local SPCA, a new chapter opens in Susan Richards's difficult life. She lost her mother at the age of five and was raised by uncaring relatives; married unhappily and divorced; and suffered from alcoholism. While Susan is trying to capture the horse assigned to her, Lay Me Down, a skeletal mare, walks into Susan's horse trailer of her own volition. Susan already owns one mare and two geldings-the diva-like Georgia, boyish Tempo and hopelessly romantic Hotshot-but it is with Lay Me Down that she forges a special, healing relationship that alters her life.
Poignant and evocative, this is a book for anyone who has ever loved a horse, and for everyone who has ever lost a loved one.
Customer Reviews:
Too Beautiful To Describe.......2007-09-30
For anyone who has ever had an animal as part of their life and who deeply cared for them will cherish this book and want to read it many times. I laughed and cried and did not want it to end! Beautifully written.
Lay Me Down deserved no less.......2007-09-29
A horse person, and one who was faced with exactly the same decision Susan Richards had to face, I wish I would be able to find the words she found in her beautifully written Memoir for Lay Me Down. Two troubled souls found each other, really they must have been meant to find each other, and even though their time together here on earth was clearly much too short, it was quality time, full of awareness, love, respect, devotion, and the little joys only people close to animals will ever experience. Many of the previous reviews captured what I feel too: did she trace "the foal" down, or any offspring of Lay Me Down, will she share another (horse-)story with us? I want to know, but then again do I? Susan Richards grew with Lay Me Down - she was good in loving her, her heaven and haven for some precious time together, and Lay Me Down got this wonderful book out off her too, something Susan always wanted to achieve, so even giving after she herself was gone. But she is safe - she is in Susans heart and now she is in our, and we must be grateful that this book has been written and published. It is reassuring that in our hectic and cold world there still are people like Susan, and surely all the nameless people who fight to rescue animals day in, day out.
I only needed two days to finish it, and even though I too cried often this is a book to treasure and to read again and again. I was wary when I got it as the glowing reviews made me worry I would expect too much and would ultimately be disappoined, but all I can say is - get it quick, this is a rare story that does exceed all expections and really goes right into the heart.
A story of hope and making good choices.......2007-09-25
Opening your heart can be a risky decision ....
Sometimes you do things on the spur of the moment, and then wonder later if it was the right choice. Taking on a starving, mistreated mare and her foal seemed a crazy idea to Susan-and yet it seemed the natural thing to do. However, she didn't think it would be this hard. In fact, it was down right overwhelming!
Living alone with her three horses was a physical and mental stretch for Susan. But an advocate for those in need, she had willingly opened her barn and her heart. The mare, Lay Me Down, was at high risk. Her lungs were bad, she was malnourished, and she looked like walking death. It would be surprising if she made it through the night. Yet there was something else. Something Susan couldn't understand. Lay Me Down had been abused and neglected for nearly a year and yet she showed a gentle and trusting attitude. It didn't make sense.
Lay Me Down's presence brought uncertain changes to the ranch. Normal routines were knocked out of kilter and the other horses were deeply affected. Often their reactions were predictable, and at other times unexpected. Horrific days ahead for Lay Me Down. Could she face the challenges? Would she find a new home and acceptance or would the demons of the past return?
When life has been less than kind, we often quit taking risks and withdraw from the real world. We close ourselves off from others to shut out the hurt. But sometimes, just at the right moment, we open up. We reach out with a single, selfless act, and reignite our desire to love anew.
Susan and Lay Me Down become intertwined in a fight for life. The journey they share has far-reaching effects, beyond what the eyes can see. There is healing and growth, trust and risk as each life is forever changed.
Chosen by a Horse is a story of hope and a reminder that it's today's choices that make the real difference.
Armchair Interviews says: If you love horses or just a well-told story, pick up this 5-star read.
Chosen by a horse a great choice.......2007-09-16
This book was given to me as a gift from a fellow horselover and childhood friend, a childhood spent in smelly barns and dusty haylofts. Susan Richard's descriptions of those everyday moments with horses went straight to my soul. She writes as only a true horseperson can. I immediately googled her in attempts to seek her out and visit her farm! No luck! But I am having more luck in my attempts to locate and work with abused or rescued horses close to my home, a direct resultofhaving just finished this lovely book. This book was a gift in every sense of the word. If Susan reads this email and feels madly motivated to invite me to her barn to meet Georgia and Tempo and the lovable Hotshot I will jump in the car AND HIT THE ROAD!
Captivating!.......2007-09-16
I am a horse lover, read this book in a week, and it drew tears out of me. I offer him to all my "horsy" friends.
Book Description
Two years ago author and horse trainer Linda Kohanov wrote The Tao of Equus — a daring multidisciplinary exploration of the powerful spiritual, emotional, and psychological connections between people and horses. Its provocative narrative, blending her story of prescient dreams and ancestral communication with a wide-ranging exploration of equine-facilitated therapy practices, created a worldwide demand for her workshops and lectures. She also received more than 1,000 letters from readers around the world describing their own strange and wonderful experiences with horses. In Riding Between the Worlds, Kohanov continues sharing the story of her own journey of healing and transformation and further develops the ideas introduced in The Tao of Equus, bolstering her groundbreaking theories with anecdotal evidence. Where her previous book laid the theoretical groundwork for expanding our emotional, mental, and spiritual view of horses, Riding Between the Worlds concentrates on the extraordinary stories that support this view.
Customer Reviews:
Riding Between Worlds.......2007-10-09
Though overall this book is too "new age" for my taste, I believe Ms. Kohanov probably does a tremendous amount of good pairing horses with people and solving inner or repressed emotional conflicts at her ranch in Tucson, and in the clinics she presents. I found the examples she sited very believable for both horse and person, and truly believe horses can heal emotional wounds. I very much agree "it is never JUST a horse!" Horses reveal our deepest secrets and conflicts, they sense these before we even can give them words. I liked, and I promptly employed, the technique of telling my horses things about my life that I believe make me similar to each one. The horse always listens, and the verbalization is good for both. This book adds understanding to our relationship with horses by making the reader more aware of what the horse "knows" or senses immediately about us, and thus makes us more open to the horse.
A Ride You Won't Forget.......2007-09-18
When I saw the beautiful cover of this book, and the intriguing title, I couldn't wait to read it. It promised mysteries and a wild ride into the unknown. Actually, the riding is transformative. The author overcomes a destructive marriage to find her way back to life through her interactions with some very wonderful, talented, compassionate and truly honest animals. A lifetime of fascination with, and interaction with horses leads her into an astonishing field of work, using members of her herd as therapy animals, in the treatment of trauma victims and people with emotional problems.
There is so much to this book that resonates, for anyone who has ever ridden a horse, or wanted to, or just enjoys watching them. Some of the stories are just inspirational. There is a wonderful section in which her beloved mare, Rasa, prematurely foals, and a community of helpers keep the young horse warm with body heat and take turns milking his dam so he can nurse. What a fantastic story.
Some of the horses are stories themselves. There's Noche, the abused horse, who is tender and kind with abuse victims. There is Merlin, a disturbed stallion, who finds love. There is Rasa, a powerful empath and spiritual guide.
I kept waiting for the book to turn New Age-y, but it's not preachy at all. This is one woman's journey that touches and heals. I won't look at horses the same way again.
Better than her first book.......2007-01-11
Linda's second book is easier to read and has more examples of horse-human interaction. I have recommended it even to my non-horsey friends. It has definitely changed my own approach to my equine friends.
A very important book for anyone who loves horses. Empath energy........2007-01-06
This book changed how I relate to my horse, even after a lifetime of being around horses. One of the best horse books I've ever read, yet it goes far beyond just relating to horses. Give this book to all your best friends.
Captivating.......2006-09-20
"Riding Between The Worlds" is an excellent account of the physical, spiritual, metaphysical and emotional connection between humans and horses. I found the metaphysical explanations to be the most helpful and know that I'll keep this book close to me as an inspiration and a reference guide.
Linda's writing style is understandable and captivating. She's able to succinctly put into words what so many other writers in her field have alluded -- yet been unable to describe. Linda's book is a great achievement -- the best book that I've read in the field of understanding horse - human relationships.
Book Description
When it comes to sleuthing, she's not horsing around...
When full-time vet and part-time sleuth Jessica Popper is asked to treat a billionaire's ailing horse, she gets a deadly glimpse into the lifestyles of the rich and felonious….
Murder gallops after Jessie when an emergency call sends the traveling vet to a posh Long Island estate with her one-eyed Dalmatian, Lou, and her tailless Westie, Max. A prized Arabian steed needs minor medical care–but it’s the rider who grabs Jess’s attention. The handsome young horseman exudes plenty of animal magnetism as he canters across the field…and then takes an inexplicable, fatal fall.
The dead man was one of the finest polo players in the world, but it was no accident that killed him. The culprit was poison. And as Jess soon discovers, a number of people had the means, motive, and opportunity for foul play, from the hostile barn manager to the businessman’s disgruntled wife. But Jess will have to temper her feline instinct with good old-fashioned horse sense if she’s going to stop a killer from leading a certain sleuth to her death.
“Five paws up for Cynthia Baxter’s Reigning Cats & Dogs series!”—Carolyn Hart
Customer Reviews:
Very entertaining!.......2005-09-26
Being a dog lover, and ex-vet tech, I really enjoy the Reigning Cats & Dogs series and hope there will be more to come! The characters are entertaining and it's fun to try to figure out who the killer is - and this time it was a little surprising. Have fun reading this latest book.
Jessica Popper Returns for Another Round of 'Cat and Mouse'.......2005-08-13
Dr. Jessica Popper, DVM, is out on a house call treating Andrew MacKinnon's ailing horse in a posh area of Long Island, when she becomes witness to the fall of Eduardo Garcia, a handsome young polo player, who seems to be one with the stallion he is riding, until he just keels over...dead. With a bare minimum of sleuthing, Jessie quickly learns that Eduardo was one of the finest polo players in the world, being offered million dollar contracts left and right, so it's no wonder that the police categorize his death as murder, instead of an accident. The culprit? Poison. Now, with the persistence of an ace reporter known as Forrester Sloan on her tail, and an inquisitive mind of her own, Jessica must dive head-first into the sea of rich New Yorker's, many of whom have motive, means, and opportunity for wanting the young star dead, to figure out just who was angry enough to do the evil deed, while protecting herself from becoming the next victim.
It's hard to find a book series that gets better with each release, but Cynthia Baxter has managed to pen just that. Jessica Popper and her crew of wild canines, crazy cats, talking birds, and a staring Jackson's chameleon, have returned with two new housemates - one of the four-legged variety, and one of the human persuasion. With a menagerie of suspects - any of whom could be the killer - as well as a marvelous array of facts about the history of polo, and Long Island's upper-class communities, LEAD A HORSE TO MURDER is given an extra dimension that will leave readers begging for more.
Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper
fabulous veterinarian amateur sleuth .......2005-06-01
On Long Island's Gold Coast, veterinarian Dr. Jessica Popper goes to Heatherfield Estates to tend to an injured polo horse Braveheart. Though the barn manager, Johnny Ray is nasty, Jessica checks the leg and concludes the steed suffers from inflammation. Jessica explains this to owner Andrew Mac Mackinnon when they hear a scream. They look outside to see a rider on the ground near a horse. Everyone races outside to find polo star Eduardo Garcia from Argentina dead.
Though she goes about her business tending to ailing animals, Jessica has concerns over the death of one of the "Argies" as he was too good a horseman to fall like that especially since she saw how Eduardo and his horse seemed like one creature. She begins to make inquiries not realizing that a vet can get into deep trouble when they play sleuth.
Jessica is a terrific lead character and fans will appreciate the descriptions of her work with animals, for instance helping King the dog with bloat or getting her two canines to heel (this reviewer is envious as my two dogs get me to heel). However, on the other hand, readers will question her lack of horse sense by getting involved in the homicide though the aesthetic seamless perfection of steed and rider she witnessed before Eduardo fell motivates her. Still LEAD A HORSE TO MURDER is a fabulous veterinarian amateur sleuth tale that the sub-genre audience will immensely enjoy while seeking out Cynthia Baxter's delightful previous works (see PUTTING ON THE DOG and DEAD CANARIES CAN'T SING) as this is a pure gold mystery.
Harriet Klausner
Average customer rating:
- Realistic horse scenes a must!
- A good mystery that happens to be about horses
- A couple of plot holes, but a very fun read
- This book is disappointing.
- A Light Mystery
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A Horse of a Different Killer
Jody Jaffe
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0449909972
Release Date: 1995-09-05 |
Book Description
When a quarter-million-dollar show horse and a top trainer are found brutally murdered side by side, Natalie Gold, a reporter for the Charlotte Commercial Appeal, seizes the chance to get out of the fashion beat she so detests. Though Henry Goode is the paper's star investigative reporter, it's Nattie who knows the rich, competitive, and devious world of the show horse circuit. After all, she scrimped and saved to buy her own hunter, Brenda Starr. In Horse of a Different Killer, Jody Jaffe, herself a former journalist and an enthusiastic equestrienne, takes off on a dazzling new career as a first-class mystery writer.
Moving between the emerald green paddocks of the Southern gentry and the raunchy newsroom of Charlotte's bustling daily, Nattie (a Yankee from Philadelphia) has gotten a crash course in the manners and morals of old Carolina society. She's discovered the dirty little secrets of families who mingle with the super-rich but are not above partaking in dark, shameful scams. She knows that Wally Hempstead, the stiff in the stable, was not only a talented trainer, but also an A-one cheat, skilled in blackmail and extortion. And she knows at least a dozen people who wanted to see Wally very dead, including her best friend Gail. The question is--which one of them actually did it?
Teamed with Henry and watched over by Detective Odom, who stars in her dreams, Nattie makes the rounds of the Carolina show horse circuit, pumping society matrons for scandals, tracking down trainers and braiders, chatting up the slim, blond girls who paid Wally Hempstead major bucks to make them winners.
But as she closes in on the truth, Nattie becomes the target for a series of increasingly savage death threats, not only to herself, but to her beloved horse, Brenda Starr....
As sleek and stylish as a thoroughbred, Horse of a Different Killer races to a climax that will leave readers gasping in surprise. Dick Francis and Bill Shoemaker, step aside. With Horse of a Different Killer, Jaffe has a big winner on her hands her first time out.
Customer Reviews:
Realistic horse scenes a must!.......2006-07-10
I loved this book. It is very rare to find mysteries (or any type of novel) that present knowledgeable writing with regard to the 'horsey' end of the story. This book has great descriptions of A circuit shows, people, horses, equipment, etc. I especially like the jumping play-by-play. I eagerly bought Jody Jaffe's next two books after reading this one and was disappointed that she's drifted away from the horse and riding scenes that appear in this first try. Still, I highly recommend this particular book and I hope she'll continue writing in this vein sometime in the future.
A good mystery that happens to be about horses.......2004-05-11
So many horsey mysteries and pretty weak on plot and character but Jody Jaffe's debut novel covers all the bases. I found it had to put down, and even my un-horsey mom enjoyed it. Can't wait to pick up the next one.
A couple of plot holes, but a very fun read.......2000-01-01
Overall "Horse of a Different Killer" is great fun, and I really enjoyed it. I found it hard to put it down, and raced to the end. Maybe that was the problem..after it was finished, I still had several questions about some of the motivations behind the murders. For instance, who would have really stood to profit from Ruskie's death? As a mystery, it may be a little flawed, but as a rollicking good fun horse story for grownups, it is a winner. I would particularly recommend it to equestriennes. I really look forward to the continuing adventures of Nattie and Brenda.
This book is disappointing........1999-09-01
Nattie Gold is a fun character but the book is not very absorbing and the writing not engaging enough to support a so-so plot.
A Light Mystery.......1999-01-05
I thought that this mystery, in regards to the dirty buisness of the horse show world was not very deep, but I still enjoyed it. To write a book that appeals to a horse person, like myself, It takes one to write it and do a great job- like Ms Jaffe. This novel catered directly to my knowledge and love for horses.
Book Description
GaWaNi Pony Boy gathers an impressive array of known and unknown horsewomen, who in touching prose describe the unique relationships they have with their horses.
Customer Reviews:
Of Women and Horses.......2007-09-23
I bought this book for my wife and daughter's and they enjoyed it very much, the way it was written and layed out.
Of Women and Horses.......2005-10-26
Fabulous book, I've bought it several times, makes a great gift for my horse loving friends and for myself.
For the love of horses........2005-08-09
I bought this book as a gift for my youngest daughter who shares the love of horses with me. The photos are gorgeous. The essays of these horse women are beautifully written, full of imagery and delve into the spirit of women's connection with these magnificent animals. I highly recommend this book to collect and cherish.
This book was amazing!.......2005-05-27
This book is a great book! The best one I have ever read. It makes you laugh, cry, everything. It was just an all around great book! I am really happy that GaWaNi Pony Boy made this amazing book about the connection of women and horses. Its nice to finally find a book and be able to read it and see that finally their are other women out there that understand the same relationships and love for horses as I do, I couldnt put it down. I HIGHLY reccomend this book to an one who LOVES horses!!
A man doing a book on horse women?.......2005-05-21
It's about time, GaWaNi has done it again. I laughed, I cried and felt deeply for many of the women in this incredible book. I first heard about it when I saw him on Larry King Live with Bo Derek, Terry Ventura and Chaia King (the latter two are actually in the book) and thought it might be an interesting read.....I have this on my coffee table and come back to it time and time again. What's nice about the format of this book is you can read one or two of the essays, and come back to it later - a very convenient read, and nice to go with whatever mood I happen to be in - (and ladies, we know we have many) you will find a story to go with every one!
I've had several friends try to make off with it - but told them to get their own! Beautiful artwork and a gorgeous layout make this pleasing to the eye, and the thoughts and words will move your heart.
I heard a rumor that he's put out another one, can't wait!
Amazon.com
One of the most beautifully crafted books I have ever read, with some of the most poetic prose passages I could imagine, such as the following, resonating with a stately and timeless quality so absent in our modern life:
There are all kinds of silences and each of them means a different thing. There is the silence that comes with morning in a forest, and this is different from the silence of a sleeping city. There is silence after a rainstorm, and before a rainstorm, and these are not the same. There is the silence of emptiness, the silence of fear, the silence of doubt. There is a certain silence that can emanate from a lifeless object as from a chair lately used, or from a piano with old dust upon its keys, or from anything that has answered to the need of a man, for pleasure or for work. This kind of silence can speak. Its voice may be melancholy, but it is not always so; for the chair may have been left by a laughing child or the last notes of the piano may have been raucous and gay. Whatever the mood or the circumstance, the essence of its quality may linger in the silence that follows. It is a soundless echo.
Born in England in 1902, Markham was taken by her father to East Africa in 1906. She spent her childhood playing with native Maruni children and apprenticing with her father as a trainer and breeder of racehorses. In the 1930s, she became an African bush pilot, and in September 1936, became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west.
Book Description
West with the Night is the story of Beryl Markham--aviator, racehorse trainer, beauty--and her life in the Kenya of the 1920s and '30s.
Customer Reviews:
Must read for anyone who considers themselves a writer.......2007-10-11
This book is a hidden treasure. Markham offers a rich history of her life and the western influence upon east Africa, the land where she grew into a woman. Her writing style takes descriptive to a new level. This is an excellent book for readers of thirteen to ninety years of age. Enjoy!
A Classic..........2007-07-27
Quite simply one of the best books I've ever read. West with the Night transports readers to a real life era of adventure (the 1930's in particular) in an Eastern Africa that scarcely resembles the region today. Markham's beautifully described tales of her adventures as a bush pilot make this one of those books that is hard to put down at the end of the day. As for her writing style, Ernest Hemingway's comment that she "Can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves writers" sums it up. I highly recommend this novel.
VERY INSPIRING!.......2007-07-05
This is one of the best books I have ever read! The writing is superb and colorful. The author takes you on a journey through Africa. Also, I found this book to be very spiritual. Beryl Markham was an accomplished pilot and very courageous and ahead of her times. I savored every word!
An adventurous life.......2007-07-02
Wonderfully written story of Beryl Markham's life growing up in Kenya East Africa and her career as an aviator. You can almost picture Markham sitting on the veranda at the Muthaiga Country Club telling tales of high adventure. It has been questioned whether she actually wrote the book or whether it was written by her third husband Raoul Schumacher. Either way it is a great story of a fascinating woman. Well worth the read.
MY FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME.......2007-06-30
AFTER READING THIS BOOK THE FIRST TIME, IT WAS SO GOOD I READ IT AGAIN 5 WEEKS LATER. THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME. I READ MORE THAN A BOOK A WEEK PLUS SEVERAL EVERY WEEK ON CD. I HAVE NEVER FOUND ONE TO COMPARE TO THIS.
GREAT
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