Meg has finally found time to get some blacksmithing done when a call from her dad interrupts her—can she come out to Ragnar’s right away to help with the horses? Their friend Ragnar Ragnarsen, who is gradually turning the enormous house on his nearby estate into an authentic moated castle, has agreed to shelter nearly fifty horses for Hoof and Hearth, an equine rescue organization that has lost access to the farm where the horses have been living. The owner of the farm recently died without leaving a will, and while his older son Abel would be happy to let the horses stay, younger brother George wants to sell to a developer . . . and is suspected of sending a thug to harm the horses as part of his efforts to evict Hoof and Hearth.
That night, while Meg and her family are camping at one of Ragnar’s barns, to keep an eye on the horses, they discover that the thug has been murdered. Unfortunately George is alibied . . . but his horse-loving brother Abel is not. Neither are the hot-tempered founder of Hoof and Hearth or the passionately protective ex-jockey who serves as its stablemaster. Meg juggles helping keep the horses safe and doing what she can to help the chief solve the thug’s murder . . . all the while hoping that the killer won’t turn out to be one of the dedicated horse rescuers she has come to like and respect.
My Review:
This series is my absolute favourite of any series — cozy or otherwise. I’m such a huge Meg Langslow fan that I read all the books every year and I might have listened to ‘Probable Caws’ more than once just because…I’m fanatical like that about these characters and the town of Caerphilly in general. Plus, this story features one of my favourite secondary characters, Ragnar Ragnarsen, former heavy metal rock star turned benevolent benefactor with a distinctive Gothic flare!
And rescue horses! Absolutely loved the way Andrews built the entire mystery around the displaced horses and the farm setting and the way the town rallies around to help the floundering equine rescue centre. This author has a talent for combining the absurd with heartwarming all while delivering a gripping mystery and she does a brilliant job with the plot and pacing in this book. Such a fun, captivating read…
…well, listen, since I enjoyed the audio edition of ‘Probable Caws’ (love that pun-y title!) narrated by the incomparable Bernadette Dunne who has been the voice of Meg Langslow since the very beginning (that’s 39 books and counting!) She does such an incredible job bringing distinctive voices to an ever growing cast of characters. Dunne is the reason my entire Meg Langslow collection can be found in my audible library. Highly recommend the audio books to discerning listeners everywhere.
My thanks to Macmillan Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.
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