Neighing with Fire by Kathryn O’Sullivan is the third book in the “Colleen McCabe” mystery series. Publisher: Minotaur, May 2015
Fire Chief Colleen McCabe is enjoying a quiet summer and her budding romance with Sheriff Bill Dorman. However, her peaceful start to the tourist season is shattered when a tropical storm blows through Corolla and unearths a body buried under a vacation home boardwalk. When callous land developer Denny Custis dies in a suspicious fire, Colleen has a hunch the two deaths are linked.
As she and Bill investigate, they discover that virtually everyone, including Colleen, has had a beef or run-in with Denny and a motive for murder. When Pinky Salvatore becomes the primary suspect, Colleen is determined to clear his name. Despite his and Denny’s well-documented housing development rivalry, Colleen is convinced that the real killer is still out there.
While digging through an ever-widening list of suspects, Bill and Colleen become embroiled in a vicious battle between those committed to saving Corolla’s wild horses, those protecting the endangered piping plover shore bird, and a greedy tour company who would destroy their habitats.
A buried body and an arson death play havoc in the latest adventures featuring Colleen McCabe. Add participation in an employee’s wedding and you have a well-written and wonderful story.
I love it. This book grabbed my attention from the beginning and the beautifully written narrative placed me in the middle of all the action in this evenly paced drama. The tone was very comfortable and I liked that it added to my reading pleasure with a suspense-filled mystery that kept me glued to the pages as the author intended. The author did a great job in setting up the murder mystery with suspects that seemed fitted to being the culprit but as the story moved forward, the list narrowed until there was just one. I also enjoyed watching Colleen come into her own about her growing relationship with Bill and her interactions with her co-workers. I love Myrtle who adds a bit of comedic anecdote to the telling of this tale. Boasting a great cast of characters, engaging dialogue and a feel-good atmosphere, this is my favorite book thus far and I look forward to the next book in this delightfully captivating series.
Sounds good. I haven’t read any of her books.
Thanks, Mary Jane! Readers like to read them during the summer. I hope you enjoy them if you check them out!
It does sound very good. I have not read the books either.
Most libraries have them! And they are also available as ebooks in addition to the hardcover. Thanks for your comment!
I really enjoy this series. Can’t wait for this one to come out.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the series, Linda!
Thanks, Dru Ann, for the lovely review and for sharing the new book with your readers!
I have read the series and loved each book. I was fortunate to be able to read a ARC of this one and very much enjoyed it too.
Thanks, Ann! 🙂
New series to me:) Excited because my hubby was a Fire Captain and now two of our boys are following in his footsteps. Can’t wait to start. Picking up the first two. Hope to get this one:)
Thanks for checking out the series, Penny! When I spoke with the firefighters in the Outer Banks where the stories take place and asked them if they were okay with how they were portrayed since it is a fictionalized version of their lives, one woman firefighter said, “We love the books. We know it’s fiction.” (And the Duck, NC fire chief is a woman.) They have been so lovely to me. I have gained even more respect for people like your husband and sons who put their lives on the line every day (and for the family members like you who support them). My books can hardly capture all the sacrifices that firefighters and their families make but I do hope they bring attention to them. I dedicated the third book to the firefighters and horse preservationists and am donating from book sales to them this summer. 🙂