Saddle Up For Murder by Leigh Hearon

Annie is worried about the dead sheep being found in her area.  She thinks it must be a predator.  Then one of her own sheep is a victim and it gets more personal  When she finds out they are dying from being shot with a slingshot using a deadly shot, she's even more concerned.  What if it hit a client or a horse?

Kensington Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  This book will be published October 25th.  This is the second in the series.  Reading the first book would fill in some blanks for you.  I read this one as a standalone and it was fine that way, too.

While she's worrying about her sheep and taking care of her horses, she's approached by a young lady looking for a job.  She needs help but she can't afford to pay someone, so she puts her off.  She certainly never expected to find her hanging in her hay barn dead.  It gets even more off putting when it's determined it's not suicide.  Who was there and did such a thing?

When an old lady is found dead at home and she's taken pills that aren't prescribed for her and aren't in her house either, it appears that was also murder.  The young woman had cared for her while she was alive.  Did she kill her?  Or were they both victims?

This was an odd tale with a twisted mystery.  I enjoyed the characters.  There's a nice collection of strong women, a determined sheriff, and a distanced boyfriend who will be returning.  The killer is not obvious.

Annie is almost too late to save her half-sister.  She's never been fond of her and thinks she needs to grow up but the near loss makes her realize she really does care for her.  I'd read another in this series.  Especially since her boyfriend just made it back in town!