Review: A Basket of Trouble by Beth Groundwater

A Mysterious Review of A Basket of Trouble by Beth Groundwater. A Claire Hanover Mystery.

Review summary: This is a well-structured murder mystery set on the grounds of a stable and involves, indeed requires, a horse to help solve the crime, relegating the presumed theme of the series, gift baskets, far in the background. A generally enjoyable if not exactly memorable entry in this cozy series. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

A Basket of Trouble
Beth Groundwater
A Claire Hanover Mystery
Midnight Ink (November 2013)

Publisher synopsis: When gift basket designer Claire Hanover saddles up for the opening event at her brother Charley’s new riding stable, the last thing she expects is for Kyle Mendoza, one of the stable hands, to be found dead. Everyone assumes a horse trampled him, until it’s discovered that someone murdered Kyle before dragging him into a stall.

Charley’s troubles worsen when a rival stable owner steals his clients and Kyle’s family decides to sue him for negligence. Claire is determined to corral the killer and save her brother’s business. However, solving the mystery could be more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack … and maybe even deadly.