Make no mistake about it, the very first page of MURDER ON
THE HORIZON by M.L. Rowland sets the tone for this book. For me, the
serious content grounded it solidly in the mainstream mystery category.
Set in the mountains of California, leading lady Gracie Kincaid is a search
and rescue volunteer who has another murder on her hands, no pun intended.
Gracie is as complex a heroine as you will come across. She’s tough, aloof,
and bonds with few people. Her relationship with her dog Minnie however, is
a different story—even to the point where Gracie considered risking another.
There are reasons for Gracie’s inability to bond with people, her lack of
trust stems from abandonment, abuse and betrayal. Trapped in her own
personal conflicts, Gracie finds herself the most unlikely confidant to a
young boy named Baxter with a propensity to run away from home—for exactly
the same reasons Gracie found herself alone and working as a camp manager
and volunteering for the sheriff’s office search and rescue team.
You’ll love these two damaged characters as they struggle to trust one
another and look for hope for the future. But the boy’s family poses the
biggest threat of all, not just to Gracie and Bax, but to their community as
well. With wild fires burning out of control in the mountains, time is
running out and racial tensions in the resort town of Timber Creek are
heating up when a new resident is targeted because of the color of her skin.
The issues are current, the topics aren’t funny, and the violence is real.
MURDER
ON THE HORIZON is a serious mystery for everyone who loves a good
contemporary who-dun-it.
Until next time, get cozy and read on!
The Search and
Rescue
mystery series returns readers to Timber Creek, where the hot, dry
Santa Ana winds
are blowing.
But more than just the threat of wildfire endangers the tiny mountain
community...
Gracie and her Search and Rescue teammates are searching along the
highway in the
middle of the
blisteringly hot Mojave Desert when they make a grisly discovery—a trash bag
containing
human body
parts. Not long after, Gracie's growing friendship with a ten-year-old
runaway draws her
unwittingly
into the secretive, hate-filled world of the boy's family—a group of gun-
toting
extremists. As a
wildfire roars into Timber Creek, Gracie finds herself caught up in an
explosive plot
that, unless
she stops it, will destroy countless innocent lives.
How far would you go to save the life of a stranger? Dangle on a rope over
the edge of a
cliff? Sleep
outside in the winter with only a sleeping bag? Jump out of a helicopter
into four feet of
snow on
the side of a mountain?
M.L. Rowland has done all of these things and more, all in the line of
service as a
mountain Search
and Rescue volunteer.
Born, raised and, except for one year of high school in Hawaii, schooled
kindergarten
through college
in the Midwest, Rowland comes by her adventurous spirit honestly. Her mother
pioneered for
women's
rights in the early 1960's. Her father--a neurosurgeon and marine scientist-
-was a world
traveler and
member of The Explorer's Club. After college, Rowland lived and worked in
Florida,
Missouri,
Connecticut and New York City, finally settling in the mountains of southern
California
where she
joined the local Search and Rescue (SAR) team.
During her almost twelve years on Search and Rescue, Rowland participated in
hundreds of
search and
rescue missions and trainings, including technical ropes rescues, helicopter
insertions
and
evacuations, and searches for lost children, hikers, snowboarders, mountain
bikers and
criminal
evidence, in mountain, desert and urban environments. She served as the
team's Training
Officer and
participated in community events and public speaking engagements. Trained in
land
navigation, and
desert and winter survival, including avalanche awareness and self-arrest,
she holds a
certification
in tracking from the State of California.
Rowland is an avid political activist, naturalist and environmentalist. She
is an
accomplished
painter and loves to snorkel. She has traveled to all fifty United States
and throughout
the world,
including a camping safari in Kenya. As often as possible, she hikes and
explores the slot
canyons of
Utah.
Rowland lives with her husband and their chocolate lab at the base of the
Sangre de Cristo
Mountains
in south-central Colorado.
Website | Blog
Kym Roberts is a
retired detective sergeant who looks for passion, mystery and suspense in
every
book she reads and writes. She can be found on the web at kymroberts.com, on
Facebook at Kym Roberts (author) and on Twitter @kymroberts911. Look for her
latest release, FLIRTING WITH THE DEVIL, A Noble Pass Affaire!
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
1 comment posted.
I'm looking forward to reading this book. One reason is because it sounds like a great read!! The Author also comes from my home State. Any books that you recommend, turn out to be winners, so they always go on my TBR list. This book will be no exception, and will go near the top!! Thank you for letting us know about it!!
(Peggy Roberson 8:36am August 18, 2015)