Fascinating book with lots of twists and turns. It held my interest. Great characters and the plot. I am very interested to read more of the series as I am sure there will be more.

Another Kind of Organized Crime Comes To Nevada

Updated 16 July 2025

Sheriff Porter Beck and his deputy, Tuffy Scruggs, are riding their horses to the BLM roundup of wild horses. A helicopter is hurdling into a canyon. They hear a shot and then an explosion when the helicopter hits the canyon wall. Porter and Tuffy hurry to the mouth of the canyon. Porter sends in Bo, his Labrador, into the canyon. He’s trained to find drugs and explosives. He finds the location from where the shot was taken. They find a 6.5 Creedmoor shell. Down at the helicopter, the pilot is dead. From his driver's license, they learn his identity. Beck calls Jolene Manning, the BLM supervisor of the roundup up and informs her of the death. She faints. From this start, a captivating novel begins.

This novel consists of three main storyline threads. The first thread is the investigation into the murder of the helicopter pilot, but it quickly expands with two more murders. Sheriff Beck and Detective Blue Horse are the primary narrators of this thread. The second thread is a criminal element. It is not clear how this element is involved in the main storyline, but the connection is slowly revealed. In the last thread, Sheriff Beck’s sister, Brinley Cummings, is on a camping outing for Green Horizons, which provides in-residence counseling for wayward kids. One particularly troubled youth runs away while the group is camped in the middle of a forest. Brinley goes after him. These three threads do merge. The first problem that plagues Sheriff Beck is his night blindness. He will be going on terminal leave shortly. Second, his Assistant Sheriff Scruggs, who is his best detective, is coming down with COVID. Most threads have multiple voices, but I did not find it confusing. This feature allowed me to observe the action through the eyes of the person present versus during later conversations. The main storyline becomes intriguing quite quickly. The first three murders indicated someone opposed to the roundup. Then, more violence occurs, which suggests that it would be committed by those in favor of eliminating the horses. Then, the criminal thread is not consistent with either. Finding out how all this fits together solidly grabbed my attention.

The two B-storylines provided much of the background for Beck in this novel. The first thread is the relationship between Beck and Blue Horse. In the last novel, their relationship had become very personal, and this novel starts with him planning to move with her up North. Beck is surprised by how she is becoming distant and acting strangely. Like a stereotypical male in this situation, he is finding it challenging to communicate to find out what is going wrong. The second is the deteriorating health of his father. Both threads provide the reader with an insight into how Beck reacts to very significant personal issues. This aspect of the novel enhanced my reading enjoyment.

One aspect that can cause some readers to stop reading is present in this novel. There are no intimate scenes. The violence becomes more graphic as the novel proceeds but never becomes excessive. The one issue is language, primarily language that is vulgar and impious. I did find reading this novel on an e-reader an advantage as I frequently used the easy Internet access to search for locations.

The only issue I had with this novel was minor. There was a statement that indicated that a fired bullet could be ballistically matched to bullets from unfired rounds. As the storyline did not rely on this fact, it led to my assessment that it was minor. I particularly enjoyed the ending. While it was bittersweet in one aspect, it was very satisfactory and made me feel very content with it. The way the end was written made me think that this was the last novel in the series, and I reported that in my review’s first version. The author communicated to me that the fourth novel will be out next July. My apologies for misleading anyone.

The novels of this series are the only works by this author that I have read, but he has earned my Must-Read author category. I am very interested in reading the next novel in this series. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this entire series and highly recommend reading this novel and series. I rate it with five stars.

I received the free, pre-publication e-book version of this novel from Minotaur Books through NetGalley. My review is based solely on my own reading experience. Thank you, Minotaur Books, for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

This is the third in the series. Beck is finishing his term as sheriff with plans to move to Reno but during a gathering of mustangs a helicopter pilot is shot down and some nasty business ensues.

Beck is a great character, actually they all are. I love the budding relationship between him and Charlie Blue Horse. I think my favorite part of the story was Brin working in that camp and taking Rafa under her wing. Itfelt like she was paying it forward after Joe Beck saved her life. I'm looking forward to hearing more about them in future books.

The only downside for me was incorporating Covid into the story. I didn't feel it added anything to the story but for some reason the author felt the need to put this in a book maybe because he wrote it in the early days of the pandemic.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press Minotaur for providing me with a digital copy .

Detective Porter Beck has his hands full when a wild horse round-up by the Bureau of Land Management has equine activists, CANTER, protesting. Things turn violent when the helicopter pilot hired by the BLM to assist with the round-up is murdered. Right away CANTER is under suspicion, but Beck feels things aren’t as they seem. The FBI is called in and they ignore Beck’s observations and gut instincts. It doesn’t stop him from following up on his own.

Meanwhile, Beck’s sister Brinley is volunteering with a wilderness program helping troubled teens and when one of them runs off, her pursuit lands in the crosshairs of some really bad people. It all intersects with Beck’s case.

I’ve been loving the Porter Beck series! Each installment is a new mystery but ongoing personal relationships are at play, as well: Beck and his girlfriend Detective Charlie Blue Horse, his sister Brinley, a gun expert, his dad the previous sheriff, now suffering from dementia. I loved seeing how they’re all getting along. Being set in September 2020, there was some sadness with Covid at its height of deadliness.

The Blue Horse was a twisty, action-filled mystery with Beck and his crew following the clues and ferreting out the bad guys. Captivating from beginning to end! I was eager for justice to be served, especially when there were animals at risk and completely on the side of the horse activists! It all wraps up in a thrilling conclusion and with the way things ended I’m wondering if this is the final book in the series. If so, it was a satisfying conclusion. Still, I’d love more mysteries!

I love horses and I think they are magnificent creatures, so when I saw The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos on NetGalley, I clicked the request button. I was not disappointed.

In all my trips to Nevada, I never got to see a wild horse, but I did hear about them and it wasn’t good. The Blue Horse deals with those who would rather shoot them dead than marvel at their beauty.

Many landowners, especially out west, use government owned land for grazing cattle, etc. They fight over who gets to use what, but it seems to me the horses would have more rights than the landowners. After all, they were there first.

The Blue Horse centers around a wild horse roundup and all the controversy that entails. Murder of human and horse alike create a mystery that kept me guessing. We have lots of suspects and more than one villain. That leads to intriguing characters.

We also have a group of troubled kids on a wilderness retreat and they will become involved in the mystery of the Canadian Lithium mining company. When push comes to shove, one of those most troubled kids will rise to the occasion. I love when a character redeems themselves.

If you love animals and a good mystery, The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos may be for you.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com

Sheriff Porter Beck's day hasn't been a good one, he has to deal with the death of a helicopter pilot who was part of a controversial round-up. Then he has to deal with the death of the woman who set up the round-up, she has been found murdered, buried up to her neck. His Detective girlfriend comes to help him investigate which sends them into the direction of a mining operation. There is just to many things going on and to many agencies involved and wanting the deaths solved yesterday. Can the two figure out what is going on and who is behind everything before one of them ends up dead?

A good addition to the series! I did find it difficult to put myself back in the early days of the pandemic for the setting, but it did add to the whole story. I do like how the stories in this series start out as if they are an isolated event but end up leading us onto a huge web of connected events. It started out slow, but then there was so much going on that I felt like I couldn't keep up. I really enjoyed seeing the recurring characters and finding out what has been going on in Beck's personal life. I think the Brinley piece of the storyline was great and I look forward to more from her. I look forward to another chapter in this series. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Headline: Unputdownable. A must-read!

Book Review: The Blue Horse, Porter Beck #3 by Bruce Borgos
Published by St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, July 8, 2025

★★★★★ (4.5 Stars rounded up. Rave!)

LINCOLN COUNTY, NV, Porter Beck's quiet dessert bailiwick is home to the highly restricted, enigmatic Area 51. As narrated in the Porter Beck Book 1 "The Bitter Past" (2023), the county is also home to descendants of thousands of "Nevada Test Site Downwinders", with county residents invariably exposed to radiation from atmospheric nuclear tests from 1951 to 1957 conducted at the Nevada Test Site, 170 miles west. Residents at that time were given radiation badges by the Atomic Energy Commission to compile data on the dangers of splitting the atom in the open air.

// The Blue Horse, Porter Beck #3 (2025) //

JUST ANOTHER day at the office. As usual, Sheriff Porter Beck finds himself with his hands full with all the activists and environmentalists attracted by alien conspiracies and what not, this time against those opposed to the roundup and relocation of mustangs and wild horses by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management). Mixed into the concoction are the aspirations of a Canadian lithium mining company, controlled by dubious Sicilian characters. It all gets serious when a helicopter pilot skillfully maneuvering, herding the horses gets shot and killed. Shortly after, the BLM chargé d'affaires gets her head trampled by horses.

SERIOUS, DEADLY business, and personally challenging for the sheriff, afflicted with a case of night blindness.

BUT BECK IS NOT ALONE. He has with him his trusty Sheriff's Deputy Bo, short for Colombo, an ex-narc, hired in the county budget as an officer-in-training. The fox-red English Lab wears a ballistic K9 vest when on duty, and turns out to be the one that saves the day. Lieutenant and sidekick, Tuffy Scruggs along with the rest of his 12-man sheriff's department. Plus the biggies from the alphabet Feds who swoop in at opportune times.

Adoptive sister, Brinley Cummings, found by Pop, Joe Porter, at age 10 in the mountains, abused, sexually assaulted, now a professional firearms expert, gun tutor to A-list Hollywood actors, star of her own YouTube channel "GunGirl".

Petite amie Charlie Blue Horse, a Great Basin Paiute native American and state detective of the Investigative Division for the Department of Public State. She's got Beck's six, and was key player in Book 2 "Shades of Mercy" (2024).

Mercy Vaughn, aka Mei Wu, star of Porter Beck Book 2, teenage hacker extraordinaire, institutionalized after having been suspected of hacking a cool $Bliion from the Feds. An Uighur, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, possibly a "Zhelaizhai" descendant of Roman soldiers. Greg Knutson, better known by his sobriquet "X-Files", Area 51 Government cover-up conspiracy aficionado, investigative journalist and podcaster. Lastly, Race aka Robert Lewis Northrup, Afghanistan veteran, sharpshooter. Hero or villain?

"DIE GROßEN BLAUEN PFERDE" (The Large Blue Horses). In the end, a 2011 masterpiece by German painter Franz Moritz Wilhelm Marc, proves key to solving the helicopter and BLM murders...

----------

Superbly written, well-researched. Author Bruce Borgos peppers his distinctive prose with wry one liners you'd see in a Virgil 'That F-king' Flowers" novel by author John Sandford, a chuckle in each page. Staged in the COVID era, the novel may not resonate positively with many.

An unputdownable, must-read!

Review based on an advance review copy courtesy of St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley.

Another wonderful Sheriff Porter Beck mystery and a marvelous job by a very talented author! I will never tire of reading this series. This is Book #3 and I can't wait for the next one to come out. Each of the books in this series can be read as a standalone, but I would encourage readers to read them all, preferably in order.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

There is something so compelling about the Porter Beck series. The main point of view being a sheriff, with lots of military intelligence training, set in a small town with lots of natural beauty, are all positives. The Blue Horse is around a series of both horse and people deaths during some wild mustang roundups. The mafia is involved in the background.

Beck has been dating Charlie and has planned to move to Reno to work in the state intelligence agency. She seems off as they begin investigations. She is fostering Mercy from the previous book. Covid is just starting in this story set in 2020. Both Beck's father, and Tuffy, the deputy planning to become sheriff get ill.

Beck's sister, Brinley, is working at a wilderness camp for kids from bad situations, much as she had been. She takes to a big fighter with no trust called Rafa. He runs away from the camp and Brinley goes after him; she likely has COVID. A chase across wilderness and mountains with limited food and water but plenty of poisonous snakes is a struggle. They end up near the source of Beck's suspicions and rescue an older man nearly beaten to death. But shortly they are the hunted.

There are plenty of bad guys who are more than willing to kill. They have worked to frame an ex-military guy, Race, who is friends with the group leader, Etta, protesting the wild mustang roundups. But he turns out to be helpful in tracking down the bad guys. The FBI is initially determined to arrest Etta and or Race. Beck is sure they are innocent. In the end, it takes all of them to catch the killers.

There is plenty of personal growth here for Beck, Charlie and Brinley, all while risking their lives and having it rough. It's also interesting to see the effect of COVID in this remote area. The action doesn't stop for a minute in The Blue Horse. I'll be very interested to see how they are doing next time.

A sight-impaired detective trying to crack a streak of murders during a wild horse roundup, rather, excuse me, gathering, in COVID-era Nevada? Now that’s not your average mystery! This story is packed with twists, misdirection, and plenty of mental sleuthing. It’s not a quick, easy “whodunit”, there are layers to unravel, and the pace keeps you thinking. Full of grit, adventure, and unexpected moments, this was a truly unique and enticing read.

When a mustang round up turns deadly, Sheriff Beck and his team find multiple motives and suspects. Gruesome murders are balanced with Beck’s life as he deals with his failing eyesight, his father’s dementia, an unexpectedly cranky girlfriend Charlie, and the impact of COVID. A secondary storyline around Beck’s sister took awhile to tie in to the main mystery, and there were several plot twist I didn’t see coming. Facts about the controversy surrounding mustangs are woven throughout the high action thriller. Although this is the third outing it can stand alone. Porter Beck is a unique character in a distinctive setting. Recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Despite protests, the Bureau of Land Management is running a round-up of wild horses. As Sheriff Peter Beck and his deputy Tully patrol, they witness the crash of the helicopter being used by the BLM. The pilot was shot down and when they find the location that the shot was fired from all that is left is the shell casing and a blue horse. Beck’s investigation centers on the protest group and its’ leader, but something does not sit right with him.. There is more to the killing than just the disruption of the round-up. Detective Charlie Blue Horse, Beck’s lover and a state officer, arrives to offer her help with the investigation. In a second gruesome murder, filmed and released on the internet, the blame once again falls on the protesters. At that point the FBI is also called in. Beck’s office is short staffed with the rise of COVID, his father and Tully begin to show symptoms and Beck’s sister Brinley is also reported missing. She had been a volunteer on a wilderness program hike for troubled youth. Rafa, one of the boys, ran off and she left the group to find him. The protesters have been a distraction from the true reason for the murders. When Brinley tracks Rafa to a mining facility the events begin to come together.

This was supposed to be Beck’s last case as sheriff. He is set to take over a state position but Tully’s and his father’s illness and a new twist in his relationship with Charlie have him reconsidering. Beck also suffers from a retinal disease that leaves him blind in the dark and will eventually lead to total blindness. He has learned to cope with the condition and still perform his duties. This is a Western and a mystery, but what makes it extraordinary is Bruce Borgos’ characters. This is a story about people dealing with Covid and environmental issues. It had me smiling at relationships, cringing at the cruelty of the murders and treatment of the horses and shedding tears at the emotional ending. This is a story that should not be missed. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotour for providing this book.

Sheriff Porter Beck’s third outing takes place in the pre-vaccine days of Covid-19, when people in his part of Nevada enjoyed the advantages of an outdoors-focused lifestyle and its natural social distancing. With that came a range of attitudes about the seriousness of the threat, and those are on display among the characters here even as members of Beck's team fall ill. This is the backdrop for the latest crime Beck investigates: a sniper attack on a helicopter pilot during a roundup of wild mustangs by the Bureau of Land Management. Local cattle ranchers are none too sympathetic towards the wild horses, making it difficult to conduct a thorough investigation of the matter, but local protesters are the obvious prime suspects. The story is dramatic and gripping, with a compelling subplot involving Beck’s sister, Brinley and a troubled kid who run into danger in the wilderness. Even the minor characters in this series are always up to something worth watching. Beck continues to adapt to his increasingly debilitating night blindness, thanks in part to help from his faithful dog, the awesome Deputy Columbo (“Bo”). This is quickly becoming a must-read series.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for a digital advance review copy.

I enjoyed the first book in the series and was excited to receive an ARC of this third installment. There was a lot going on in this story with COVID, protestors rallying against BLM management of wild horses, lithium mining, relationship drama with Charlie and Beck…. It was fast paced and I enjoyed the introduction of new characters.

The Porter Beck series has quickly become a favorite. This 3rd book sealed the deal for me. Beck, is a small county Sheriff in Nevada. He reminds me more and more of Joe Pickett from CJ Box's series. Riddled with faults, just really wants to do the right thing, and is a force to be reckoned with when the people he loves are in danger. Add in that he has a unique "disability": a genetic vision loss that causes him total blindness in low light/night. This book also gave me echoes of the Joe Pickett series since the storyline was centered around a controversial topic: wild horses. Knowing nothing of this controversy, it was educational as well.

There isn't a single character in this series that I don't like. I feel like, at some point, Borgos may have to break off his sister, Brinley, into her own series.

Lastly, I love all the "folksy" sayings in this book: like a cat learning algebra; nailing jelly to a wall, and so on.

Rich And Multilayered Story Marred By Emphasis On COVID. At one point during/ after the world collapse due to COVID-19, I had an ironclad star deduction policy for any mention of COVID whatsoever. One line referencing it even obliquely was usually enough to trigger it. I've relaxed that policy over the years and no longer apply it for such one off/ tangential references, so long as they are minimal and don't actually impact the story beyond an attempt to acknowledge the reality of setting any story in that period of world history.

This noted, I absolutely still apply it religiously when a story makes COVID a primary focus of the story... and unfortunately that happens here. Borgos could have used almost literally anything else to achieve some of the same ends he uses COVID for here, and it would have worked reasonably well - hell, some of them could have even tied into themes from earlier in the series. But he chose to use COVID, and that is damnable to many - and a major issue for me. Enough to warrant the star deduction, at minimum.

One of the other major themes here is perhaps just as volatile, if more locally - that of Nevada's wild horses and what should be done about them. This story plays out across the entire book, and Borgos seemingly does a solid job of showing the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. I say "seemingly" here as as a native of the borderlands between Appalachia and Atlanta, I can certainly count on both hands the number of times I've even been west of the Mississippi River - and I'm pretty sure I can count them on one hand. I've only been west of Texas *once* - a weekend nearly 20 yrs ago in Phoenix, Arizona. Thus, I don't really know anything at all about how Nevadans feel about this issue one way or the other, and unlike Borgos, this isn't something I've spent a lifetime in and around- culturally, at minimum. (Now, if the issue is the American Civil War... different story. But that particular topic doesn't apply to this book. :D)

Outside of these issues (and even inside of them, to a degree), this is a police procedural in form and format, if a more interesting/ less typical version of the sub genre in its particulars. Throughout this series, Borgos has made a truly interesting and compelling character in Porter Beck, a fully fleshed out, heroic yet flawed in his own ways, man of his world. Supporting characters, including Beck's dad and sister, are equally compelling, and even other relationships come across as all too realistic, particularly as things develop further in this book with these relationships. Even secondary characters such as the various suspects of this book are fleshed out much better than other authors generally do, including some rather horrific backstories that have enough detail to them that they seem based on at least generalizations of specific real world people and events. Indeed, once one gets beyond the COVID and beyond the horse issue- both central to this particular story, to be clear - and perhaps beyond the issues of foreign ownership and mining also discussed here, though less prominently and in far less detail, the actual story here between the various characters themselves is actually quite strong, and everyone plays their roles rather superbly.

Borgos has done an excellent job of building this world in a realistic, complex manner that reflects on the real world issues of its place and time in a manner that provides food for thought for all involved and for those completely unfamiliar with the area or its issues, and in so doing presents a solid story for all readers, but particularly male readers who may be looking for more male-oriented books that don't have the problems that more extreme forms of entertainment and/ or discussion all too often have.

Very much recommended.

I really enjoyed this series. The first 2 books were very riveting and this one was the same. Lots of action, twists and turns and an interesting story kept me interested the whole way through.

This is the 3rd book in the Porter Beck series that I've had the pleasure of reading thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Press.
The story opens as the COVID epidemic is beginning in NV as Sheriff Porter Beck and his faithful deputies are observing a wild horse "gathering"(round up) in northern Lincoln County. When the helicopter assisting with the roundup crashes, the lawmen note that the pilot has been shot with a high caliber rifle. This is followed by the BLM coordinator being brutally murdered.
I loved the way the author introduced the complex characters and developed them in realistic situations, making them relatable and down to earth. AA new character was Deputy Columbo (Bo) an English Lab that Beck is training to help him as his retinosa pigmentosa worsens.
This book has a lot going on including murder mysteries, action, suspense, action, tension, corporate crime, but is it balanced with the heartwarming relationships, strong sense of family and duty, and clever clues and resolution. The climax was action packed, and the ending was poignant.
I can hardly wait until #4 arrives!

The Blue Horse is exciting from beginning to end! When a wild horse round up is scheduled by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management), protestors arrive. Porter Beck expected a bit of trouble, but when a helicopter pilot is shot out of the air, and one of the BLM managers is later found brutally murdered, Porter and his team are faced with a double murder investigation while they try to prevent any more calamities or fatalities as the protestors numbers grow. Fortunately, Porter's new girlfriend, Charley Blue Horse, who is also a detective, has come to visit and lends her help, along with a little long-distance aid from Mercy. Porter himself is struggling with his continuing fading eyesight. Meanwhile, Porter's sister, Brinley, is at a camp for abused teens, one of whom, Rafa, runs away and stumbles into a lithium mining area. Brinley is soon in pursuit of Rafa. The story unfolds in 2020, and COVID has started its rampage across the country, with no vaccine yet released. Bruce Borgos has brilliantly combined all of these elements into an exhilarating, twisting mystery, with elements of environmental abuses, both to the horses and from the mining operations. The plot twists in this book are amazing, as well as how the author combined all the elements, and exposed the criminals behind them. I just love the characters he has created for this series, and how their stories, and Porter's fading eyesight evolved in this new book. This is one of those mysteries that has a heart, and a sense of family at its core. Porter Beck has become one of my favorite fictional detectives of all time! Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for my advance copy. The opinions of this review are my own.