This is another novel in the Porter Beck series and takes place in Nevada as does the othes.. The basis of the book is the wild mustang roundup and a lithium mine along with some murders as a result. It is easier to follow the characters if you have read the first two books in the series, but this would suffice as a stand alone novel. A fast paced read.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Goodreads, Net Galley, Amazon, and my fiction book review blog.

This is the third in the Porter Beck series. The characters are well written and defined…Porter Beck, Brin and Charlie Blue Horse. While observing the round up of wild horses a helicopter appears and crashes. The pilot has been shot and thus begins the mystery.

The Blue Horse is the third in the Porter Beck series and it’s fast becoming an automatic read series for me. Borgos has a real way with words. Time and again, he manages to combine a spot on description with wry humor.
This time, Porter and his deputy, Tuffy, are observing a wild horse roundup. It’s definitely a different kind of roundup, using a helicopter to direct the horses. But then, someone manages to shoot the pilot.
The book takes place in 2020, right at the start of Covid and it figures directly into the story. Borgos does a good job of giving a real sense of place and time, and especially how Covid was handled in a less populated and redder area than where I live. It also raised some good questions about wild horse roundups and lithium mining, giving it more depth than the traditional thriller.
This is a fast paced, action packed story. Porter suffers from Retinitis Pigmentosa, which adds another layer to both his character and how these stories play out. As with the first two books, a few of the latter scenes involve some suspension of belief. But it’s such fun entertainment, I didn’t mind. And Borgos added some wonderful characters to this story, especially Rafa.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

High stakes at a wild horse roundup in Nevada
Sheriff Porter Beck has his most challenging case yet. The BLM is conducting a wild horse round-up in Lincoln County. First, the helicopter pilot is shot while herding the horses, then the BLM manager in charge is murdered brutally. There are plenty of suspects, including the wild horse protestors. The local ranchers are not sympathetic to the wild horses. A Canadian lithium mining company is setting up shop in the horses’ range. The feds and state government want to insert themselves in the investigation. The COVID pandemic has reached the county. Challenging may be an understatement.

This is the third book in the series, and each one is better. I am so invested in Porter Beck and his deputies, family and friends. Bruce Borgos has created a hero with many personal issues, not the least of which is his impaired vision. Porter struggles with night blindness and is training his K-9 companion, Bo, to be a guide dog. He is looking after his 90-year-old father (the former sheriff), who suffers from dementia. His sister Brinley is a supremely capable firearm expert with a complicated past. Porter and his girlfriend, Charlie Blue Horse, experience a few bumps in the road this time. He is going to move to a new job in the State police. I love Porter’s calm approach to policing, even when his life is chaotic and surrounded by danger.

There is enough of the backstory of each character that this novel can be read alone. The whole Porter Beck series is excellent, so I recommend the first two entries too. A lot is going on in The Blue Horse, not the least is a good solid mystery. It kept me guessing to the end. Yes, please, give me more Porter Beck! This will appeal to readers of C J Box’s Joe Pickett and Claire Booth’s Hank Worth series.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a digital ARC.

I just could not get interested in this book. I read to the end, and also felt it was too long. It would make a really great movie----just not my style of reading.

Pretty good little mystery! I like the characters quite a bit and the small town setting gave it a cozy feel. It was tricky for me to figure out the ending though I did. I definitely appreciated the challenge though. All in all a solid mystery.

The Blue Horse is the latest modern western in the Sheriff Porter Beck Mysteries. The Bureau of Land Management is rounding up wild horses when the helicopter crashes but the pilot’s death isn’t due to the crash. Porter has a killer on his hands and suspects coming out his ears between the animal rights people, mining companies, and good ol’ organized crime. Things are getting serious with Porter’s new girlfriend as she gets dragged into the case with Beck. Beck’s friends and loved ones wind up knee deep in danger as Porter has to solve the latest case before everyone runs out of time. Action packed and unpredictable, the story draws you in and keeps a hold for an exciting thriller and places Porter Beck on one of the most memorable characters of all time lists. My voluntary, non-mandatory, and unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Sheriff Porter Beck is observing a controversial wild horse round-up when a helicopter being used to chase the
horses crashes. When he arrives at the crash site, he discovers the dead pilot was shot. His investigation will
involve not only the people in charge of the round-up but also the group protesting it. Suspects' backgrounds
are revealing as well as connections to a crime syndicate.
Well developed characters and a page turner.
#TheBlueHorse #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley

This a story that begins and ends with a lot of action! Now this is the third book in this series, and they are all equally good, and yes, this can be read alone.
The author drew me in with the downing of the helicopter, who would want him dead?
Then there are the horses, I really didn't like what was happening to those poor beautiful animals, really breaks your heart.
There are surprises here, and yes, the almighty greed comes into play. Whom do you trust?
The time is when the Virus is infecting the world and has reached Nevada, and affecting those we now know, and many others. Then there are murders, and then we are left guessing, whom will survive, and then there are big surprises, I really didn't guess.
Hoping that there are more Porter Beck books!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher St. Martin's Press, and was not required to give a positive review.

4.5 STARS!!

The author has created a lead character that I thoroughly enjoy reading. He’s low-key but brilliant and understands the human psyche and uses that to solve cases. But he is also vulnerable with weakness, but knows how to play his strengths perfectly.

The story is inventive and thoroughly engaging. With a winding storyline that brings multiple threads weaving in and out and many great characters, Borgos pulls you along deeper into the mire.

I love when his girlfriend is in the mix as well. They have the same thought processes and the author does a great job showing their emotional side without being overly dramatic. We get a great balance of personal life and crime solving that blends in great. The pacing and execution of the story is spot on!

This police procedural is full of drips and twists that will keep the intrigue going throughout the story. One part I was a bit confused about with the Blue Horse. I was thinking it was going to be tied to one thing, but it was completely different, and while it closed a door, I was looking for more drama or something.

The Blue Horse tackles environmental issues that could be pulled from the headlines today. Believable and sad in places, but Sheriff Beck does not fail to bring justice to those deserving. Great read!

The story is great and, while being the third book in a series, everything makes sense if you've not read the previous two. I just don't think I was the right target audience for it as it never fully grabbed me. Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!

The Blue Horse, the third book in a series, is definitely a stand alone book (I had not read the previous two). A wild horse roundup, ends in 2 murders, several attempted close calls and a sheriff who can't keep up with the list of suspects. There is lots of action and characters but it is super easy to keep up. You are pulled in and can put yourself in so many of the scenes that you don't want to put the book down!

Reading Journal Details
Book: The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos
Format Read: Kindle eBook (368 pages long)
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5/5)

Quick Take Review
The Blue Horse is a thoughtful, multi-layered mystery that balances real world issues, compelling characters, and numerous unexpected twists. It worked seamlessly as a standalone novel, though it's strong enough to inspire readers (namely me) to circle back to the earlier books in this series.

Full Review
For me, one of the most impressive elements in The Blue Horse is that it can be read as a standalone, which I did, without missing a beat. While this is the third installment in Bruce Borgos' Porter Beck series, it never left me feeling lost or out of the loop. In fact, I enjoyed it so thoroughly that I plan to read the first two books to see how we arrived at this point. I really appreciate when a book in a series still feels inclusive to readers and how hard it must be to write it that way successfully.

The story unfolds at a medium to slow pace and is told from multiple intersecting POVs. It took a while to settle in, much like the slow climb of a roller coaster, but once it got rolling, I was fully hooked and completely invested. The momentum steadily built and led to a rewarding narrative filled with depth and a thrilling tension.

This novel tackles weighty, real world topics: the endangerment of wild horses, the consequences of lithium mining, and even the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. I appreciated that Borgos didn't shy away from these difficult subjects, even if the narrative leaned more heavily to one side of the wild horses-and-lithium mining issues. Still, it was handled thoughtfully overall, and I admired the effort to weave such complex issues into a mystery without it feeling overly preachy.

On the COVID front, I found it refreshing that the novel acknowledged the sickness instead of pretending it didn't exist, which is something not all authors choose to do. However, I did feel the emphasis of COVID was a little too forward at times for the setting, given that the major impact hadn't fully hit yet in the books' timeline. That said, I'd rather see an author engage with it rather than avoid it altogether, even if the approach could've been more subtle.

My favorite character without a doubt was Brinley. She was masterfully written; talented, stubborn (in the best way), and absolutely magnetic whenever she was on the page. Every scene with her was a highlight for me. That said, the entire cast of characters was well-developed, each with depth and personality that added richness to the story.

What truly pushed this book into 4.5-star territory for me were its twists. I pride myself on being a fairly savvy sleuth when it comes to whodunits and thrillers, but this one genuinely surprised me. I didn't see some of the twists coming, and I liked that, as it's uncommon to be caught off guard in such a satisfying manner.

The bottom line? I definitely recommend this novel and series as a whole.

I am thankful to have received a free complimentary advanced reader's copy (ARC) of this book from St. Press Books, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley. I am voluntarily leaving this review; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC. All opinions are my own.

Such a refreshing book! The writing is amazing. I haven’t read the previous two books in the series but was easily able to follow along and will be going back to them. Tears were involved in the reading of this book but I really liked Porter Beck and Charlie Blue Horse. It’s a tightly woven story that kept me engaged and turning the pages.

I just finished reading The Blue Horse and was delighted to find out that it is part of a series! I will definitely be reading the rest of the series soon.
This mystery kept me guessing all the way through. I enjoyed the characters and settings, and The Blue Horse was hard for me to put down. I look forward to reading more Porter Beck mysteries.

Even though it was the third in the series, I had no trouble getting caught up in the world of Porter Beck (Nevada). I loved the subject—when I was in elementary school, I published an editorial in my school newspaper about how it was my opinion that wild horses should be free. I felt very strongly about it so definitely understood the tension between the BLM and CANTER (the group working to keep the wild horses of Nevada free).

The book was exciting, the writing good, and the characters great. If I have any complaints, it’s only that I get so damn tired of the older man, younger woman trope. I, and three of my sisters, are all married to younger men. It would be nice to see a man write about that for a change. To be fair, though, the women in the book were all intelligent, strong, and capable.

I am definitely open to reading more of this series.

This is another great read in the Porter Beck series. I enjoyed the storyline and that there was more of Brin in this book. I was also glad to see Charlie Blue Horse back in this book. I enjoy this series and look forward to more!

What an incredible book! The writing is spectacular. I haven’t read the previous two books in the series but was easily able to follow along. There were a lot of very sad times in the book. I really liked Porter Beck and Charlie Blue Horse. There were a lot of mystery and suspense. It’s a tightly woven story that kept me engaged and turning the pages. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

“Lunatic in charge” was enough to make me rate this book highly. But add in a storyline that starts out one side and ends up somewhere completely unexpected and you get 5 stars from me. This is a great continuation of the Porter Beck series and I look forward to the next installment.

4.25 Stars

Porter Beck returns in the third book in this series by Bruce Borgos. He is a sheriff in a small town in Nevada, where his father was sheriff for thirty years before him. There is to be a BLM wild horse round up, in order to move the horses to an area that will not impact cattle grazing. This is a very touchy topic on both sides of the equation. As the gathering of the horses begins with a helicopter, the pilot is shot out of the sky. Given the circumstances, the shooter has to be very talented to make this shot, which they hope narrows the possible suspect list. While investigating, another murder is committed in a very graphic and horrible way, and is live-streamed.

I really enjoy the characters in this series, and Borgos does a good job of keeping them consistent and yet also letting them grow. There was a great deal of information given about wild horses in the west, and the author comments on this is his afterword. I love a story where I can learn something as well as be entertained. Definitely recommend this series and this newest installment.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.