*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Mallory Martin decided to leave here marriage and her job she does not like to go back to her hometown and start a horse rescue. She loves leading the rescue which has paddocks full of happy horses and one smart and weird donkey! Her neighbor Albert Cunningham is not a fan of the rescue as he has show horses.

So when he is found dead in his barn, Mallory becomes murder suspect number one and must do all she can to clear her name, especially since Sheriff Grady Sullivan, a long time friend of Mallory, seems to only focus on her as a suspect. Together with her best friend Lanie, rescue volunteer Tanner and even with a little help of her ex husband, Mallory dives into the investigation to find the real murderer.

I had to get into the story a little bit, but when I did I could not stop reading! I loved the horse rescue setting and the characters were very enjoyable to read. I felt so sad for Mallory that her long time friend did not believe her and I was on the edge of my seat on how it was to unfold. I kinda figured out who did it quickly, but I still very, very much enjoyed the story and I hope a second installment will come!!

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

What a fun mystery from a debut author! Camp demonstrates horse knowledge and intimacy with Northwest Arkansas in this kick-off to a new series following a horse rescue farm owner. In this book, Mallory, a forty-something divorced woman with a college-going daughter, is accused of murdering her cranky and wealthy neighbor. It grabbed me from page one and I zoomed through in about a day. Truly, this book is the epitome of cozy. Mallory is a savvy fairly savvy amateur investigator--and she needs to be, as she is the prime suspect. There's a romantic subplot with some nice twists and turns. Revelations and tension keep up a perfect pace. I correctly guessed at the guilty party about halfway through, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment one bit because there were still plenty of surprises as the climax neared. I genuinely enjoyed Mallory as a character. She's my age, curvy, and loves food without shame--hooray!

The thematic elements of the cozy were so well done, too. The author knows horses and the work it takes to maintain a property. I loved seeing Northwest Arkansas used as a setting. My in-laws live there and I have a more than passing familiarity with the place; Hillspring, the fictional Ozark small town in the book, definitely reminded me of Eureka Springs.

This is a series I would love to keep reading!

I have never experienced such disparity in viewpoints of reviews for a book as 'Canter with a Killer.' I for one enjoyed it immensely. Mallory Martin has returned to her Arkansas hometown after a divorce to start a horse rescue with the help of delightful volunteers and anonymous donors. After she is threatened by a neighbor and he ends up murdered life becomes more complicated. I just plain liked this story, and hope there are more in the works.

I received a co9mplimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Thank you NetGalley, Amber Camp and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC Canter with a Killer. This is my personal review.
This is the first book of the A Horse Rescue Mystery series. I was drawn to the book by the cover and the story based on Mallory Martin starting horse rescue. This was a different setting than other cozy mystery series I have read.
The murder has her at the main suspect. This made her determined to solve the crime and clear her name. The book had just the right combination of characters along with the twists and turns to not let me figure out who was guilty.
This is the perfect for a new series and I look forward to the next in the series.

"Canter with a Killer" is a cozy mystery. Having read hundreds of cozy mysteries, I nominate Mallory as the most annoying, childish main character that I've encountered. She's in her forties but acted like a fifteen-year-old. Her college-age rescue helpers were much more responsible and mature. Mallory occasionally had epiphanies, like realizing that she's been impatient and judgmental. But she always justified her behavior and didn't seem to realize that these were her norm. She had a terrible temper (often aimed at the undeserving), and she felt it was justified because it felt so good to go off on someone. Let's add self-centered to the list. She hated when the police searched her home legally, but then decided to break into the home of one of her suspects and snoop around. It wasn't even clear what she was looking for. She realized she would be breaking the law and even briefly felt bad about going through his closets, file cabinets, and computer, but she justified it as "he might be guilty" and therefore he deserved it. So it's okay for her, but not the cops?

From the beginning, the sheriff assured her that he didn't think her guilty but needed her cooperation to rule her out. Her response was to get a lawyer, investigate on her own, and tell everyone that she's the #1 suspect. Even though the sheriff proved that she wasn't his only or even main suspect, she yelled at him for not considering other suspects. She respected no one and blamed others for believing her the #1 suspect when, hello, she's the main one spreading that rumor.

She had a handful of suspects and looked mostly for motives. She overlooked possible suspects and focused on people she didn't like. She never found out exactly how or when the victim died. She jumped to (wrong) conclusions and acted on them. She was rude to the people who tried to help her. For example, she asked her (rather nice) ex-husband, a lawyer, to help, then blocked his texts because he didn't find her a lawyer fast enough to suit her, then mostly ignored him when he showed up to help. He concluded that she hated him, and she's shocked that he could think that. Really?! Anyway, the author made the clues very, very "look at that!" obvious, so I had whodunit figured out as soon as we met whodunit. I identified the clue that would solve the case way back at the beginning of the story. So no puzzle to distract from Mallory's appalling behavior.

Finally, I live in the very area that "Hillspring" is fictionally located. I've never met such friendly, polite, nice people anywhere else I've lived, but this book makes us seem like bitter, mean, backbiting people out to sue all of our neighbors. It's also very safe in this area. People are extremely unlikely to point a shotgun at you, especially if the public is welcomed on their land. Being a cozy mystery meant Cabot Cove had hundreds of murders, but it still came across as a nice town. Yet this author's Hillspring makes it sound like you should do everything you can to avoid the area.

There was occasional use of bad language. There were no sex scenes.

I really did enjoy this cozy mystery. The amateur sleuth, Mallory was the top suspect in the murder of her neightbor.. She is a great amateur.sleuth She was questioning everybody she suspected. I did not figure out who the murderer was and that was at the last clue. A GOOD READ

This book kept you guessing it mostly was about a murder and it was about horses well. Rescue animals that are horses. If you like any books on animals this Is a book for you.

Canter with a Killer is the debut novel by Arkansas author Amber Camp. It’s a great whodunnit featuring Mallory, owner of a new horse rescue in NW Arkansas, who is accused of murdering her meddling neighbor who seems to be a crotchety old man.

I love starting a new series and getting to know all the various characters that I just know I’ll come to love along the way as new books are released. At her rescue are Ashley and Tanner, two volunteers who are almost loyal to a fault but who share her love for horses.

Andy, the lawyer in town who helps her navigate her legal issues and of course, her best friend, Lanie, who I can totally see getting into mischief in later books.

Grady the sheriff is one I hope we’ll see more of (It’s a cozy mystery series, so that’s all but guaranteed of course) since there were a couple things that were left unresolved, but that are the makings of a longer story arc.

I’m interested in seeing what happens with Phillip and Heather as well as the jerk of a feed shop owner. Grr!

I love that this book was set in a more unusual setting - a horse rescue - making it a welcome change of scenery from restaurants and coffee shops (or pet stores) that I often see in cozies. I look forward to reading more books by Camp.

1st in the Horse Rescue mystery series

Mallory left her unhappy marriage and returns to Arkansas to pursue her dream and open a horse rescue. Her grumpy nearby neighbor Albert doesn't care for her being there and some conflict ensues. After receiving a nasty call from her neighbor Mallory is shocked to find out that Albert is dead, murdered, and she is suspect number one.
When even her friend, the local law officer, seems to suspect her Mallory realizes she must clear her own name to save both her rescue and her freedom. As potential killers are cleared however it seems apparent someone has set her up to take the fall. Can Mallory solve this before she loses everything she dreamed of?

I found this book very entertaining. I loved the main character Mallory, she is smart and fun to read about. Her history as an investigator of sorts, a forensic nurse/ legal consultant, gives her a believability in researching potential suspects and analyzing clues. I also liked her volunteers at the rescue, her best friend and her hubby, and her lawyer. I did not care for her ex or her 'friend' the local lawman. It will be interesting to see future development of those relationships.
I am looking forward to the next in this series. This was one of my favorite reads this month.
I received this book free from #netgalley for a fair and honest review.
5 stars on goodreads

CANTER WITH A KILLER by Amber Camp is an equestrian-themed cozy mystery. As an ex-horse girl myself, I admit that the horse theme is what drew me in.

When Mallory Martin leaves her unfulfilling life behind to start a horse rescue in her hometown, the last thing she expects is to become a suspect in a murder case. But after her unpleasant neighbor is found murdered in his barn, that's just what happens, causing Mallory to dive into amateur sleuthing in an attempt to clear her good name.

As far as cozies go, this one is pretty standard. There's a good amount of suspects and clues to keep you guessing, and animal lovers will enjoy the horse theme (and Biscuit the donkey!). There's also a little romance.

It's a decent cozy mystery that I'd rec to readers of the genre.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great concept for a mystery book, the cover is what drew me in and I couldn't put the book down when I started. For a debut novel Ms. Amber Camp's writing style is very mature and I felt like the people in this world weren't cartoon characters. I was invested in what was going to happen to them and the mystery that was going on in this world. One of the lines that I enjoyed was "And Mal apparently has a trained attack donkey if he decides to violate the order.” it just made me laugh.

A decent story. interesting characters, cozy setting, I wish there was a nice more subtle ways to gently get the story going. But a lot of the story felt too hard to follow. But still couldn't have guessed the culprit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

The main character, Mallory Martin, has recently moved back home to Arkansas to run a horse rescue after ending her marriage, and quitting her job. She and a couple volunteers are trying to keep the rescue running when her next door neighbor turns up dead, and Mallory is the prime suspect.

The author did a wonderful job with all the characters, and it was a solid cozy mystery with plenty of suspense.

I really enjoyed this book, and am hoping the author will turn this into a new series!

DNF at 50%. I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My experience with this book is one that shows me a book can have all of the plot elements I love but if it isn't executed well, the story will still not work for me. I'm an equestrian and generally enjoy cozy mysteries, but I struggled to be invested in this particular story. I think the crux of the issue for me was the large amount of info-dumping and "telling rather than showing" that happened through the 50% mark where I decided to put it down. The setting was fine. The characters were fine. The plot was fine. But the info-dumping and pacing left me so bored I started skimming through instead of being absorbed by the story. I do think this was a solid "try" from the author, and the potential for better books in the future is there, but this particular book wasn't the book for me.

Canter with a Killer is the debut of the Horse Rescue Mystery series set in Hillspring, Arkansas and featuring Hillspring Horse Rescue owner and retired forensic nurse consultant, Mallory Martin. With ten horses and a donkey, her dog and two young volunteers, things are busy at the farm but Mallory needs to bring in more money to support the rescue so she decides to start offering riding lessons to members of the community.

Unfortunately, neighbor Albert Cunningham, owner of Cunningham Performance Horses which breeds champion quarter horses is not happy with Mallory. He feels her "eyesore" of a rescue is lowering his property value and calls to verbally harass her. The next morning Albert is found dead in his barn and despite their close friendship, Sheriff Grady Sullivan is forced to point the finger at Mal since Albert was holding her riding flyer and a farmhand had overheard the phone call between the two the previous day.

Determined to clear her name and save the rescue, Mal sets out to wrangle a killer alongside her ex-husband Ethan, local lawyer Andy Hannigan and her best friend Lanie. Plenty of suspects including other disgruntled neighbors, Philip Atwood and Heather Rogers and Albert's girlfriend, Kathleen raise flags but the police seem to be focused on Mal.

A fun afternoon read, a few strings are left hanging at the conclusion including a developing romance, so I anticipate further adventures with Mallory and her friends. I just hope we get to interact more with the horses (and Biscuit, the donkey) and learn a little more about the rescue employees.

I received an advanced copy of Canter With a Killer from NetGalley via Crooked Lane Books. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

This was a treat and a must read if you enjoy the more animal and pet centric cozies. I really liked Mallory and the folks of Hillspring and loved the various horses and other animals… especially Biscuit the donkey. The mystery had plenty of suspects, red-herrings and clues to keep you scratching your head to the end. This is the Horse Rescue Mystery series debut and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Canter With a Killer is one of the best Cozy Mysteries I’ve read in a long time. I was completely swept in from the book’s beginning. It was a page turner and an easy read. The book was witty at times and I really enjoyed the Author’s writing style. The main character, Mallory Martin was a strong protagonist and a good Sleuth. There were four strong suspects but only one killer. This was the author’s debut book into this genre and the first book in her Horse Rescue Mystery series. I look forward to reading more of her books as they are added to this series.


Mallory Martin was a successful forensic nurse but after her divorce to successful lawyer Ethan Martin she decides to return to Hillspring Arkansas and try something she has always wanted to do. She opens a Horse Rescue Center and enjoys working with the animals. But a few of her neighbors aren’t happy to have the rescue center near by. One such neighbor would be the cranky Albert Cunningham who owns Cunningham Performance Horses. After a heated phone call with her disgruntled rich neighbor he is found dead in his barn the next morning. His death is ruled as murder and a witness who overheard one side of the phone conversation causes Sheriff Grady Sullivan to make Mallory his main suspect for Albert’s murder. Everyone else has a strong alibi for where they where’s doing the time of the murder except Mallory . Since the Sheriff is determined she is guilty Mallory must rely on her forensic training to find the real killer. Can she get to the bottom of this and find out who killed Albert before Grady arrests her on charges of murdering her neighbor?

I recommend this book to readers of Cozy Mystery . This book is scheduled to be released on 10/11/22.

I voluntarily read a advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

#CanterWithaKiller#NetGalley

A refreshing new cozy mystery featuring a new amateur sleuth Mallory. Mallory's determination seemed to be her downfall, she had the right smarts for an amateur sleuth, but she was a lousy judge of character. It was intriguing, captivating, and entertaining.

As a horse crazy gal from way back, I felt an immediate connection to Mallory Martin. Kudos to new author Amber Camp for having her associated with a horse rescue. I found myself liking not just Mallory but friends like Lanie and Bill and workers at the rescue, Ashley and Tanner, as well as legal eagles Ethan and Andy It was interesting to watch the various relationships as they emerged and developed, even as hurtful small town gossip created additional problems.

And, oh, the horses. I loved that the author described each horse, its history, and strengths and weaknesses, even explaining the names given them. That was a real plus for me as a former horse owner/lover. Her lovable dog, Bingo, who has never met a stranger, reminding me of one I once owned, and Biscuit, an absolutely adorable donkey with a personality that wouldn't allow him to be ignored, round out the rescue critters.

Mallory is shocked to discover Albert Cunningham has been killed. Even worse, she finds herself a suspect. Why? Wouldn't the girlfriend be a more likely suspect? Or, could the environmental activist have done it? What does a lost glove have to do with anything? Maybe the neighbor angry at Albert for blocking him off from his own property? Could the photos Mallory took early on reveal a clue? Why is everyone so convinced Mallory is guilty? Why is Andy's receptionist so cool toward Mallory? What will Mallory's father have to say about all this when he gets home from his cruise? For that matter, how will her daughter react about being kept in the dark about the situation? And, oh, so many questions but, nope, not telling you the answers. If you're a horse lover, you'll thoroughly enjoy this one. If your simply a mystery fan, you will, too. I'm looking forward to more from this author.

Thanks #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for introducing me to Mallory's Hillspring Horse Rescue story. And, hey, give Biscuit a couple extra virtual treats!

Canter with a Killer was a fun read. Mallory Martin is the main character who owns a horse rescue called Hillspring Horse Rescue in Hillspring, Arkansas. The supporting characters add to the story. She has a problem with her next door neighbor, Albert Cunningham who owns show horses. He calls her about her rescue operation. which he feels is an eyesore. The day after the call she sees police at his farm and finds out that he has been murdered. The police think that she killed him due to the phone call. This is where the story takes off with accusations, deceit, imminent arrest. and potential romance. Mallory feels that the only way that she has to prove that she did not kill him is to find out who the killer is. There are lots of twists and turns that takes the reader on an adventure to an exciting end.

I look forward to the next story of this series.

Thankyou NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.