A Basket of Trouble

September 30, 2013
In Groundwater’s engaging third whodunit featuring gift-basket designer Claire Hanover (after 2009’s To Hell in a Handbasket), a string of suspicious deaths disrupts life in idyllic Colorado Springs, Colo. Claire is eager to see her brother, Charley, get his new riding stable up and running. But the opening of Charley’s business gets off to a rocky start when one of his employees, Kyle Mendoza, is found trampled to death in a horse’s stall. Soon afterward, Charley learns that the apparently accidental death might cost him a contract to run trail rides through a local public park, the Garden of the Gods. When more deaths occur, Claire calls on an informant, local drug lord Leon Fox, who’s aided her in the past, for help in uncovering the culprit’s identity. Groundwater’s well-crafted cozy comes complete with numerous red herrings and a picturesque setting.

September 1, 2013
A sister steps in to help when her brother's horse-riding business is the scene of an accidental death--or murder. Gift-basket designer Claire Hanover is thrilled to bring her husband, Roger, to celebrate the opening of Gardner's Stables, her brother Charley's most recent venture. Since Charley's been dogged by bad luck, Claire is determined to support his new business no matter what--but no matter what happens sooner rather than later. Just days after the opening, Kyle Mendoza, one of the stable hands, is found dead, his body crushed in the back of Gunpowder's stall. Although rumors start circulating that Charley's outfit isn't safe, Claire suspects it may be a case of foul play, especially as Charley is insistent that Gunpowder has always been a sweet animal. Claire trades in the ribbons and scissors of her craft to sleuth on Charley's behalf, uncovering several motives for murder from local competitors and others closer to home. She soon finds her worries about Charley's business eclipsed by her worries about Charley's marriage to Jessica, which seems to be crumbling fast. Now that Kyle's family is suing for negligence, can Claire save the day before her brother is forced to start all over again? The latest starring Claire (To Hell in a Handbasket, 2012, etc.) packs in more action than a typical cozy, though readers annoyed with the heroine's occasional know-it-all tone might enjoy seeing her in a bit of peril.

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2013

Claire Hanover is delighted that her younger brother Charley and his wife, Jessica, have moved to Colorado Springs and opened a horseback riding stable. Not just for tourists, the stable also offers hippotherapy, a form of equine occupational therapy geared toward people with disabilities. But troubles hover over Charley's head, and, shockingly, one of his key ranch hands is found dead in a stall. Initially the death is blamed on the horse, but further investigation reveals that human hands caused Kyle's death. Then a furor arises over the legal status of some of Charley's workers; immigrant officials show up. Just when it seems things couldn't get any worse, another wrangler is fatally shot in his car. Through it all, earnest and hopelessly snoopy Claire pursues leads. This time, Det. Frank Wilson welcomes her assistance, realizing the gift basket gal has surprisingly good instincts. VERDICT Groundwater's third series entry (after To Hell in a Handbasket) is an action-packed cozy that successfully weaves in her small business and disability awareness.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013
Gift-basket-designer Claire Hanover is trying to support brother Charley's new riding business when a stable hand is killed in a stall, seemingly by a horse. Claire discovers another employee is drinking heavily, and he is let go, only to be found dead at the site the next morning with a suicide note. Eventually, both deaths are ruled homicides, and Claire tries to find answers. Claire's friendship with a notorious criminal is a humorous surprise even if a stretch of imagination. Downplaying the crafts element this time, Groundwater combines a satisfying mystery with aspects of riding life and a look at the illegal-immigration issue. A good choice for fans of small-town amateur sleuths.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)