Getting Serious at the Cozy Corner with Murder on the Horizon by M.L. Rowland

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!

About MURDER ON THE HORIZON

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.

About M.L. Rowland

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

About Kym Roberts

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