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Ellen McKenzie #2
Give First Place To Murder
Murder at a small county fair Arabian horse show? Not possible. But Ellen McKenzie is staring at the body of a young groom, pinned to a hay bale by a pitchfork. Who could have wanted him dead? It seems several people, and they are all connected to the show barn where Ellen's daughter has taken a summer job. Worried that somehow Susannah might be in danger, Ellen starts asking questions. It isn't until the barn's trainer is found dead in the bathroom at the prestigious Region 11 Arabian show in Santa Barbara that Ellen realizes she had better find the murderer fast, before he or she strikes again. She's too late. Ellen and Susannah end up locked in a horse van, hurtling through the night to what looks like almost certain death.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
8 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Delaney
16 books37 followersKathleen Delaney has recently moved from CA to S Carolina to write full time. She found a wonderful old historic house with a wonderful wrap around porch, which both she and her dogs put to good use. She will be on tour during August, Sept and October, signing her latest myster, And Murder For Dessert. "
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 26, 2023
Loving both series by this author. Wish there were more. I had one of the "suspects" pegged early on; and was suspicious myself about two of the other "players". I'm not usually good at unraveling the mysteries, but this time I was. Very enjoyable read.
March 28, 2020
Good characters and stories but I wish the author would hire a proof reader or do it herself. Way to many typo's and that always bothers me.
October 28, 2013
I read the first book in the series and loved it so much I read this one immediately. I am very disappointed.
Ellie has moved back to her small home town after a divorce. She is living in what was formerly her parent's home and working in real estate.
Her college age daughter Susannah is with her a part of the time when she is home from school. And the police chief Dan, is her significant other.
This book involves horses and horse showing and I found that part of it very interesting.
Ellie walks into a feed and tack room at fair grounds and finds a dead body. The young man was a drug dealer and a generally not good guy. After a few chapters, I had figured out who were the bad people and who were the good people.
What I truly do not like about this book is the attitude of a supposedly intelligent woman toward murder, drug dealing and being warned about the dangers.
At one point Dan tells Ellie that things would be better if she and her daughter would change some things around so they are not exposed to a great deal of danger. Since there has been murder, it would be best if the two women were cautious. She becomes a really bad example of a not very bright woman. Being her own person seems to be more important than common sense and keeping her daughter safe. To me that is very unrealistic.
That just turned me off to the rest of the book. I am sure that is just a quirk of mine.
If you are a fan of cozy mysteries and would like to learn about horse shows and horses in general, you will love this book. The first book in the series was very good. I personally did not like this one so well.
Ellie has moved back to her small home town after a divorce. She is living in what was formerly her parent's home and working in real estate.
Her college age daughter Susannah is with her a part of the time when she is home from school. And the police chief Dan, is her significant other.
This book involves horses and horse showing and I found that part of it very interesting.
Ellie walks into a feed and tack room at fair grounds and finds a dead body. The young man was a drug dealer and a generally not good guy. After a few chapters, I had figured out who were the bad people and who were the good people.
What I truly do not like about this book is the attitude of a supposedly intelligent woman toward murder, drug dealing and being warned about the dangers.
At one point Dan tells Ellie that things would be better if she and her daughter would change some things around so they are not exposed to a great deal of danger. Since there has been murder, it would be best if the two women were cautious. She becomes a really bad example of a not very bright woman. Being her own person seems to be more important than common sense and keeping her daughter safe. To me that is very unrealistic.
That just turned me off to the rest of the book. I am sure that is just a quirk of mine.
If you are a fan of cozy mysteries and would like to learn about horse shows and horses in general, you will love this book. The first book in the series was very good. I personally did not like this one so well.
December 7, 2015
I started to read this book, and realized I had read it before.
It could be catalogued as a Christian Mystery, because it has overtones of that. It was a pleasant enough read, though. It does contain contemporary themes: drug use and selling, (specifically meth.) This is a very contemporary theme, and I did appreciate that the author took this theme and made a story out of it.
I honestly didn't particularly care for the characters. I thought Ellie seemed a bit to overprotective and it bothered me how she handled the first scene of the book. It probably killed any appreciation I had for the character at that point going forward. I didn't care much for Dan either. I did like Susannah; but she was a more secondary character.
The overall story was well thought out and written. I read it in one day. I can appreciate that. (Though it might have read faster due to the fact I realized I had read it before, even though I couldn't exactly remember how it turned out.) Other readers will enjoy this book a lot more than I; I am sure of it. This did not feel like a cozy mystery.
Two stars.
It could be catalogued as a Christian Mystery, because it has overtones of that. It was a pleasant enough read, though. It does contain contemporary themes: drug use and selling, (specifically meth.) This is a very contemporary theme, and I did appreciate that the author took this theme and made a story out of it.
I honestly didn't particularly care for the characters. I thought Ellie seemed a bit to overprotective and it bothered me how she handled the first scene of the book. It probably killed any appreciation I had for the character at that point going forward. I didn't care much for Dan either. I did like Susannah; but she was a more secondary character.
The overall story was well thought out and written. I read it in one day. I can appreciate that. (Though it might have read faster due to the fact I realized I had read it before, even though I couldn't exactly remember how it turned out.) Other readers will enjoy this book a lot more than I; I am sure of it. This did not feel like a cozy mystery.
Two stars.
October 7, 2013
Protagonist Ellen feels real enough as she interacts with the cop-boyfriend she's keeping at a distance for a while to stall the usual commitment, and with her grown daughter whom she obviously respects, but still feels the motherly urges when danger is present. Dealing with the horse show set was very good, highlighting some information that isn't common knowledge. This is especially true about the valuable mare suffering colic -- explaining the facts to protagonist Ellen allows the reader to understand the serious condition. There were a few clues that Ellen might have figured out sooner, but then the ending wouldn't have been so exciting. It was a good read for horse lovers.
April 18, 2013
This series started off well, with Dying for a Change. The characters were interesting and likeable, the setting pleasant. However, book two in the series is a poor imitation of the Nancy Drew books. It is quite obvious from early on who the criminals are, the heroine is a busybody with an IQ in single figures. She can't even work out who her mysterious pirate is. Unfortunately, I downloaded the rest of the series before I read this so I'll read them, though reluctantly.
April 20, 2014
"Give First Place to Murder" by Kathleen Delaney is the third Ellen McKenzie novel I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love getting to know the characters in a series and following their lives. Ms. Delaney has created a wonderful cast of characters and, as always, has placed them in the middle of an intriguing mystery. I highly recommend this book!
January 21, 2016
Can't wait for the next one!
September 2, 2016
Very enjoyable mystery, with realistic characters.
August 4, 2012
An enjoyable afternoon read.
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December 27, 2014Category: Mystery
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews