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Steve Cline #3
Cold Burn
Steve Cline has managed the hunter/jumper show barns at Foxdale Farm for the better part of three years. But he has a deal with When he no longer feels challenged, when the routine becomes stagnant, he will look for another job...and he passed that point months ago. So when Corey Claremont, one of Foxdales boarders, asks Steve for help because her brother has gone missing, Steve embraces the puzzle with enthusiasm.
Two weeks earlier, for no apparent reason, Bruce Claremont quit his job working the night shift on a thoroughbred breeding farm in Warrenton, Virginia, and vanished. To find out what happened, Steve slips unobtrusively into Bruces world.
The more Steve learns, the more he suspects that Corey may never see her brother again. Secrets, jealousies, and obsessions are the norm in this pastoral setting, and the present seems to be repeating its fiery past.
Two weeks earlier, for no apparent reason, Bruce Claremont quit his job working the night shift on a thoroughbred breeding farm in Warrenton, Virginia, and vanished. To find out what happened, Steve slips unobtrusively into Bruces world.
The more Steve learns, the more he suspects that Corey may never see her brother again. Secrets, jealousies, and obsessions are the norm in this pastoral setting, and the present seems to be repeating its fiery past.
324 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
21 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Kit Ehrman
8 books31 followersAfter discovering the works of Dick Francis, Kit Ehrman quit her government job and went to work in the horse industry. Twenty-five years later, she combined her love of horses and mysteries by penning an equine-oriented mystery series featuring barn manager and amateur sleuth Steve Cline. (E-book editions now available for $2.99) The series has received outstanding reviews in The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, etc.
www.kitehrman.com
www.kitehrman.com
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 7, 2015
Review of Cold Burn, by Kit Ehrman
Steve Cline has taken a leave of absence from his regular job as barn manager for Foxdale Farm to help his friend Corey find her missing brother, Bruce. Steve's investigation takes him to the place Bruce worked when he disappeared, a major Thoroughbred operation, Stone Manor, where Dr. Deirdre Nash and her husband Victor specialize in "foaling out" expensive broodmares and breeding three stallions. Steve's search for Bruce takes him deep into secrets both at Stone Manor and in Bruce's life as he tries to discover links between the disappearance, events at the farm, and a series of threatening arsons that seem to be closing in on Stone Manor.
Fast-paced and taut, written in crisp prose with an appealing protagonist, Cold Burn drew me back relentlessly to see where Steve's exploits had taken him. Steve presents a sweet mix of sensitivity and toughness in his dealing with the four women whose lives intersect his in the story as well as in his cautious kindness to Dr. Nash's eight-year-old daughter Jenny, who adds a gentle touch of humor to an otherwise grim tale. Horse folks will appreciate his responsiveness to the many mares whose foals he must deliver as part of his job.
I especially want to mention two aspects: First, much of Steve's work at Stone Manor occurs deep into the night, in the dead of winter, and the darkness and cold contribute an evocative tension to the plot. Ehrman's prose beautifully conjures the dark, frosty nights and the pelting storms without exhausting us with detail. Second, for writers, Cold Burn is a terrific primer in how to convey complex technical information necessary to the plot, as well as backstory, without bogging down the narrative. The descriptions of the process of caring for and "foaling out" the mares are inserted neatly into ongoing events so that they fascinate rather than stall.
That said, I do want to point out a couple of issues. I've found laying out geography hard, and in Cold Burn I never quite got a strong sense of the physical layout at Stone Manor. I didn't know what a "bank barn" was, and only figured it out during a tense climactic scene. It also took me a while to sort out the male help at Stone Manor. After quite a few chapters, the men working with Steve distilled into those that mattered and those that didn't. Again, this is a common problem for writers, especially in fast-moving mysteries like this one.
Finally, I always like it when the "detective" unravels clues to figure out the mystery for her- or himself. Steve finally gets the answers by overhearing an explanation by the villains. I couldn't help wishing that Steve had found a couple of pointers among Bruce's possessions that he could have used to deduce the truth himself.
Still, I really enjoyed this book. It's skillfully paced and set in a world I enjoyed visiting (though I don't think I want to work the midnight shift at Stone Manor any time soon!).
Steve Cline has taken a leave of absence from his regular job as barn manager for Foxdale Farm to help his friend Corey find her missing brother, Bruce. Steve's investigation takes him to the place Bruce worked when he disappeared, a major Thoroughbred operation, Stone Manor, where Dr. Deirdre Nash and her husband Victor specialize in "foaling out" expensive broodmares and breeding three stallions. Steve's search for Bruce takes him deep into secrets both at Stone Manor and in Bruce's life as he tries to discover links between the disappearance, events at the farm, and a series of threatening arsons that seem to be closing in on Stone Manor.
Fast-paced and taut, written in crisp prose with an appealing protagonist, Cold Burn drew me back relentlessly to see where Steve's exploits had taken him. Steve presents a sweet mix of sensitivity and toughness in his dealing with the four women whose lives intersect his in the story as well as in his cautious kindness to Dr. Nash's eight-year-old daughter Jenny, who adds a gentle touch of humor to an otherwise grim tale. Horse folks will appreciate his responsiveness to the many mares whose foals he must deliver as part of his job.
I especially want to mention two aspects: First, much of Steve's work at Stone Manor occurs deep into the night, in the dead of winter, and the darkness and cold contribute an evocative tension to the plot. Ehrman's prose beautifully conjures the dark, frosty nights and the pelting storms without exhausting us with detail. Second, for writers, Cold Burn is a terrific primer in how to convey complex technical information necessary to the plot, as well as backstory, without bogging down the narrative. The descriptions of the process of caring for and "foaling out" the mares are inserted neatly into ongoing events so that they fascinate rather than stall.
That said, I do want to point out a couple of issues. I've found laying out geography hard, and in Cold Burn I never quite got a strong sense of the physical layout at Stone Manor. I didn't know what a "bank barn" was, and only figured it out during a tense climactic scene. It also took me a while to sort out the male help at Stone Manor. After quite a few chapters, the men working with Steve distilled into those that mattered and those that didn't. Again, this is a common problem for writers, especially in fast-moving mysteries like this one.
Finally, I always like it when the "detective" unravels clues to figure out the mystery for her- or himself. Steve finally gets the answers by overhearing an explanation by the villains. I couldn't help wishing that Steve had found a couple of pointers among Bruce's possessions that he could have used to deduce the truth himself.
Still, I really enjoyed this book. It's skillfully paced and set in a world I enjoyed visiting (though I don't think I want to work the midnight shift at Stone Manor any time soon!).
October 29, 2009
I really enjoyed this third book about Steve Cline and his adventures on the horse farms. In this one he's trying to find a missing brother of a friend. The man last worked at a mare foaling farm before his disappearance, so Steve starts there by getting a job. The author gives a lot more detail than I really needed about how mares have their foals, but otherwise, this was a very satisfying adventure story.
The main character is conflicted about what he wants to do with his life. Does he continue working with horses, become a cop, or private detective? He seems to love the adventure of investigation and yet gets thoroughly beaten up for his troubles.
I swear if I didn't know the author was Kit Ehrman, I'd say this was prize-winning early Dick Francis. It's all very well written and kept me reading the entire book all in one sitting.
The main character is conflicted about what he wants to do with his life. Does he continue working with horses, become a cop, or private detective? He seems to love the adventure of investigation and yet gets thoroughly beaten up for his troubles.
I swear if I didn't know the author was Kit Ehrman, I'd say this was prize-winning early Dick Francis. It's all very well written and kept me reading the entire book all in one sitting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2016
There are few things more terrifying to a horse owner than arson. This book's first, graphic scene of a barn fire immediately sets the reader on edge. In this Steve Cline mystery, the third in the series, the reader is transported into another corner of the equine industry, that of large-scale Thoroughbred breeding. The proximity of Steve to the likely criminals at all times, given that he is literally filling the shoes of the man whose disappearance he is investigating gives this book an impossible-to-put down quality.
September 22, 2020
The plot builds and the hero is either too smart or too stupid to stay out of danger
The hole in Steve Cline’s psyche needing to love and be loved keeps dragging him into concern for other peoples’ pain. His character unfolds as he continues to demonstrate compassion, grit, restraint in the face of attacks and insults, and a protective response for all women. There is no doubt he admires everything female down to the smallest nuance of pheromones. This story is a rip roaring display of emotions as the actions and reactions of every character intertwine in mystery and suspense with Steve’s traits hooking the reader into a breathless fan club of admirers.
The hole in Steve Cline’s psyche needing to love and be loved keeps dragging him into concern for other peoples’ pain. His character unfolds as he continues to demonstrate compassion, grit, restraint in the face of attacks and insults, and a protective response for all women. There is no doubt he admires everything female down to the smallest nuance of pheromones. This story is a rip roaring display of emotions as the actions and reactions of every character intertwine in mystery and suspense with Steve’s traits hooking the reader into a breathless fan club of admirers.
February 9, 2021
Love the whole horse theme
The storyline has so many twists and turns, it was hard not to believe almost everyone was involved with a part of the action.Well written, but I think Steve should have more health insurance. The way he gets involved with everything he is going to need it. This is the second time I have read these stories and enjoyed them again.
The storyline has so many twists and turns, it was hard not to believe almost everyone was involved with a part of the action.Well written, but I think Steve should have more health insurance. The way he gets involved with everything he is going to need it. This is the second time I have read these stories and enjoyed them again.
October 4, 2020
Great!
My second time to read this book, I was still on the edge of my seat, very suspenseful. All the books in this series are very good.
My second time to read this book, I was still on the edge of my seat, very suspenseful. All the books in this series are very good.
September 26, 2009
Was on a horse fiction kick for a while. Dick Francis is one of my favorites and since this author was inspired by Francis I gave it a try. Some hints of backstory were confusing without having read books 1 &2 but it still moved along nicely and the hero gets satisfyingly beat up a la Francis ( love a hero who suffers stoically). The plot was interesting with varied moral dilemmas & no pat/overly happy ending. Enjoyed the author's end note explaining the finer points of foaling and breed farm practices.
October 4, 2012
Loved this book ... just like three that came before it ... looking forward to thr forth.
July 29, 2014
I couldn't put this down. Horses, mystery, a tad of romance, Warrenton Va setting - what's not to like?
June 1, 2013
An american Dick Francis, What's not to love
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews