This third entry in the Porter Beck series finds the BLM organizing a round-up of the wild mustangs amid protests by animal rights activists. When a helicopter herding the horses into a canyon suddenly falls out of the sky, suspicion falls onto the protestors. There are almost too many background stories going on: Covid, PTSD, Outward Bound-type camp for troubled teens, and new challenges in Porter's personal life, but Borgos manages to keep the threads separate and clear. I hope this series will continue as it is one of my favorites.

The ongoing characters are added in sequentially, but the twists and amazing revelations about real and devastating problems affecting the high desert of Nevada and environs just reach out and smack the reader in the face. Set in the time of the worst of the Covid pandemic, this is a VERY complex mystery full of smoke and mirrors with convoluted issues that are real and even more relevant today. The story itself grabbed me and wouldn't let go until I finished it. Highly recommend!
I requested and received an uncorrected digital galley from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Pub Date Jul 08, 2025 *****review on #bookbub #goodreads #the.storygraph #librarythingofficial #TheBlueHorse by @authorbruceborgos #PorterBeckBk3 @minotaur_books @stmartinspress #thriller #mystery #bookstagram #porterbeck #suspense #conflict #murders #booksofthewest #triggers #retinitispigmentosa #localandfedlawenforcement

The Blue Horse is the 3rd book in the Sheriff Porter Beck series, and it’s another winner. When a helicopter pilot assisting in a controversial roundup of wild horses is shot down, followed by the federal employee who is in charge of the roundup also killed, Beck is tasked with solving the murders, teaming with his State Police girlfriend and an FBI agent. Beck is stretched thin here, with his staff suffering from the Covid virus, as well as hampered by his own eye affliction and a seriously ill father, and all these elements come into play in this well-written, briskly paced police procedural that addresses several hot button topics, with federal land management central among them. This is an interesting plot, with great characters and several twists that keep the reader fully engaged, and the story is squarely focused on the police investigation and Beck’s relationships, not on boring details or overly extended chases and technical garble. Absolutely loved this one, best of the series, and can be read as a standalone, although you won’t regret starting with the first book. Hope to see more of this outstanding series. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have just discovered a new Western mystery series that I love! I have long read Tony Hillerman, CJ Box, Peter Bowen and Craig Johnson, and Bruce Borgos is a combination of the best of all of these favorites. His latest is entitled, The Blue Horse, which deals with a controversial wild horse round-up in Nevada. Two murders around the Bureau of Land Management round-up bring in the state and federal agencies, but local Sheriff Porter Beck has the local knowledge needed to solve the crimes.

Complicating the mystery, Sheriff Beck has night blindness, a new girlfriend in Detective Charlie Blue Horse, a missing sister and a new job scheduled to begin in a few weeks! The suspects are many as the community has strong feelings both ways about the wild horses, the damage they do and the rights of the animals to the freedom they are used to.

This is the third book in the series – start with The Bitter Past, if you want to read the series in the proper timeline. Borgos lives and writes from Nevada. The Bitter Past won the Lefty Award and the Barry Award for best novel in 2024. I definitely will be going back to start with that novel, but you can start anywhere and be sure to enjoy a quality mystery with tons of setting, character and plot.

My rating: 5 of 5

This ARC title was provided by Netgalley.com at no cost, and I am providing an unbiased review. The Blue Horse will be published on July 8, 2025.

The Blue Horse is the third novel by Borgos in his series featuring Nevada Sheriff Porter Beck. Beck is an unlikely protagonist. He is slowly losing his vision and is almost completely blind at night. That is not a condition his constituents would want in their sheriff, if they were to find out about it. Beck himself is realizing he isn’t the man he once was, and it bothers him greatly. Since returning to Lincoln County and succeeding his father as sheriff, he has considered himself the protector of his family and community. Now his condition is having an impact not only on his career, but on the growing relationship he has with his girlfriend, Detective Charlie Blue Horse. While they struggle to keep their relationship intact, they must deal with the suspicious crash of a helicopter during a controversial wild horse roundup followed by a horrific death by those same stampeding horses. In another part of the county Beck’s sister Brinley goes missing in the high desert while on a team building camping trip for troubled youth. Beck’s search for his sister pulls him into a very dangerous situation at a secretive lithium mine, but luckily for him, Blue Horse and Beck’s deputies come to the rescue. I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller, and I liked the way the author wove current social and environmental topics into the novel along with Beck's personal issues. I would highly recommend it to readers who enjoy the books by C.J. Box, Craig Johnson and Anne Hillerman. I would like to thank Net Galley and the publisher, Minotaur, for an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Good mystery with a satisfying ending. Although it's the first of his books that I've read, Bruce Borgos engaged me from page one. My only quibble is that there were far too many witty metaphors. People don't really talk like that.

Fantastic! My first time reading Mr. Borgos.
I was hooked in the first few paragraphs. Fabulous story line, great writing. Bruce knows how to rope you in.
I couldn't put it down! Now to read the first two books in this series.
I highly recommend!

The Blue Horse by Bruce Brogos is the third installment in the Sheriff Porter Beck series. This one is set in the early days of covid. Beck and his deputy are supervising the round up of wild horses. When the helicopter doing the work crashes, they are close enough to find out the pilot was shot.
Plenty of suspects – the mining company, the advocates for the protection of the wild horse. As Beck investigates, the story heats up. He is also navigating his life, his girlfriend, sister, father, and his eyesight, which is fading.
I have read all the books in the series and this was particularly good. I think you can read it as a standalone, but I enjoyed it more since I had read the first two.
Recommendation

A fascinating, well-written and engaging mystery full of great characters, evocative description and a story that's heart-breaking as well as currently relevant. Even though the story takes place during Covid, it's not about that-- though Borgos uses it well to add complications to the story.

The Blue Horse (A Porter Beck Mystery) by Bruce Borgos

4 stars

368 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Mystery, Thrillers, Police Procedural, Western, Nevada

Porter Beck is the county sheriff of Lincoln County. He and his chief deputy, Tuffy Scruggs, are supervising an authorized wild horse round up. Suddenly the helicopter driving the horses drops from the sky and they realize the pilot was shot. It is the fall of 2020 and the COVID is developing quickly. Porter is dealing with his own health issues – his growing blindness. He is questioning his relationship with girlfriend Charlie Blue. He feels she is pulling away from him. His sister, Brinley, is on a camping trip with a youth group when one of the teenage boys leaves the camp. She must find him and bring him back while fighting the symptoms of COVID.

The story has a fast pace, the characters are well developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. The topic of wild horse round ups is somewhat controversial, but the author does an excellent job staying neutral. This is the third book in the series but I was able to follow along without reading the two previous books.

The Blue Horse: A Porter Beck Mystery by Bruce Borgos begins in September 2020. Covid is making an impact and will directly affect the good sheriff of Lincoln County, Nevada, in the coming days and weeks. But in the here and now of this beautiful September morning, Sheriff Beck and Chief Deputy Tuffy Scruggs are on horses are chatting and watching as wild mustangs are being herded for capture.

Sheriff Beck, 48, and with worsening eyesight problems that make him almost blind at night, is soon to be Chief of the Investigative Division of The Department of Public Safety. He is looking forward to the new job though he hates to move on from what he does now. That loss is mitigated by the fact that the new job means he will get to see his girlfriend, Charlie Blue Horse, a state police detective, a lot more. He is also happy to turn over his current job to Tuffy Scruggs who will be the new sheriff.

With drought gripping the land, the Bureau of Land Management ordered an emergency roundup of the wild horses in the area. The goal is to remove almost fifteen hundred stallions, mares, and foals from the surrounding public land. Protestors have made their presence known, but they are not close to where the helicopter today is herding about forty wild horses known to the locals as the “Willow Creek Band.”

The horses are being herded into a nearby canyon with high limestone walls. Those walls hide the view as the helicopter makes multiple passes above and below the rim as the pilot expertly maneuvers to herd the horses for capture. Those same walls hide the view as the helicopter maneuvers down out of sight, but the noise of it crashing is heard loud and clear. Sheriff Porter Beck also believes he heard a gunshot which would mean it was not mechanical failure or pilot error.

Riding their horses, it takes two minutes for Sherriff Beck and Chief Deputy Tuffy Scruggs, to arrive on scene. It is instantly clear from the wreckage that nobody could have survived. It also does not take long to verify that Sherriff Beck was right that the pilot was shot and killed in order to cause the helicopter to crash.

That murder leads to a complicated case of politics, natural resources and land use, and quite a lot more. It won’t be the last death in this complicated and very enjoyable read.

As it is the third book in a very good series that began with The Bitter Past: A Novel, there are various references to earlier books and events. Sheriff Beck has been coping with a lot, personally and professionally, and all that was child’s play compared to what is in store for him here in The Blue Horse: A Peter Beck Mystery by Bruce Borgos.

It is also one heck of a good read. Strongly recommended.



My digital ARC came the publisher, Minotaur Books, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a review.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

This is the third installment in the Porter Beck series and my favorite so far. The plots and subplots are always complex in this series, but Mr. Borgos always manages to ultimately fit all the pieces together. The Blue Horse opens up with a murder of a helicopter pilot who was rounding up wild horses in the area. Members of an animal rights group who are vehemently against this round-up are immediately suspected. Meanwhile, Porter's sister is volunteering at a wilderness camp for troubled teens, and when one of the teens goes missing, she, of course, goes alone to find him. This is all happening during the start of the COVID pandemic and all the complications of that time.

As i said, there's a lot going on, but it moves quickly. The pacing is perfect and makes you want to keep reading to figure out what the heck is going on. The dialogue rings true, although some of the humor is a bit corny. I enjoy these books and look forward to the next one. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

This is book three in the Porter Beck series. Even thought I didn't read the 1st 2 books I did enjoy this one. Not sure how much character development was revealed in the first 2 books considering that Porter Beck is very busy at his job as a sheriff, a helicopter pilot. I love the cowboy background of the story and look forward to ongoing episodes. A really good read.

Porter Beck is a sheriff in a small town in Nevada, when a BLM helicopter pilot is killed during a BLM Wild Mustang round off, it sets off a chain of events no one could predict. When, Jolene Manning, the person heading up the BLM round-up is killed as well, that brings more complications. Now, Beck has the Feds in town, BLM protestors, angry cattlemen, a father who has dementia and understand what does a mining company have to do with this? Who is behind the killings – the activists? Someone else?

This is my first Porter Beck mystery and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the third book in a series, I have not read the first two but this book alone makes me want to go back and read the first two. The characters are well developed and you can see the genuineness of their relationships. Porter Beck is written to be a thinking detective, smart but action oriented, he shoots more with his mouth than his gun. The relationship between him and his father is heartwarming in a story where gruesome murders and acts are being done. The mystery is complicated and layered but well worth the read. The variety of characters, the setting is well described, and the best dog companion a person could ever ask for. Don’t miss out on this read!

Another great read in the Porter Beck series by Bruce Borgos. I so enjoy revisiting the characters in this series, and the story/plot/pacing never disappoints. Can't wait for the next in the series.

I received a free copy of, The Blue Horse, by Bruce Borgos, , from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book three in the Porter Beck series. Porter Beck is very busy at his job as a sheriff, a helicopter pilot shot dead, another man is murdered, Porter Beck has some many murders to solve. This was a good read.

Porter Beck gets caught up in one last case before he moves on as Sheriff. Set when COVID was new and we were unsure of it, Porter worries about how the virus will impact the community, his department and his family. During a round up of wild horses a helicopter is shot down. It would be easy to think the local protesters had a hand in it. As Porter and Charlie investigate.....the clues point one way while the truth points another.

Book 3 of series.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I received a free ARC ebook of <i>The Blue Horse</i> from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
This is the third entry in Borgos's Porter Beck series. It has a separate plot line from the others, but knowledge of the first two novels would be helpful. The characters' personalities and motivations are more clearly outlined in the first two books.
I love reading novels with a southwest setting. The barren landscape and the enormous distances make for very resourceful and resilient characters. Porter is losing his night vision; his friends and coworkers step up to assist him as needed. Yet they don't discount his abilities, and, as sheriff, Porter is definitely a seasoned, talented investigator.

This was a good piece of writing and I feel this author knows how to craft a plot and engaging characters that you root for while exploring the culture of the place where the book it is set
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

A great story with good characters. The plot is complicated and you won’t guess it until the end. My favorite kind of book.