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Groomed for Death
So Texas horsewoman Robin Vaughan isn't much surprised to find herself flat on the sidewalk the first time she leaves her hotel. More surprising is the young woman who picks her up. In her black fishnet stockings, Flora looks more like a hooker than someone who gets up at five A.M. to feed the horses at an uptown riding stable. She may in fact be a hooker, for when Jeet, Robin's nervous husband, calls Claremont Riding Academy to confirm her identity, nobody there has heard of her.
But is the staff at Claremont as sinister as Flora claims? Or is trustful Robin being set up for a deadly fall? There's only one way to make sure, Robin takes a ride on the wild side of the West Side that culminates in glory...but not before murder is done.
But is the staff at Claremont as sinister as Flora claims? Or is trustful Robin being set up for a deadly fall? There's only one way to make sure, Robin takes a ride on the wild side of the West Side that culminates in glory...but not before murder is done.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 28, 1994
2 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Banks
36 books15 followersHer first national publication was her short story "Idyll," which appeared in Voyages , a literary magazine, in 1968, alongside the work of Anaïs Nin, Josephine Miles and Theodore Weiss. In 1972, the oft-reprinted "Growing Up Polish in Pittsburgh" appeared in American Mix (Lippincott). A version of this story appeared as "The Virgin of Polish Hill" in Plume's 1992 Catholic Girls. Her stories appeared in several issues of Yellow Silk.
Carolyn Banks is the author of a series of humorous equestrian mysteries: Death by Dressage, Groomed for Death, Murder Well Bred, Death on the Diagonal, and A Horse to Die For, all of which available from Amber Quill Press. In addition, Carolyn has written Mr. Right (a smart-ass parafeminist psycho-erotic thriller), The Darkroom, and Girls on the Row. She is also a journalist and videographer who recently wrote and directed "Invicta," a feature movie that is part horror story, part romantic comedy that is currently in post-production.
Carolyn Banks is the author of a series of humorous equestrian mysteries: Death by Dressage, Groomed for Death, Murder Well Bred, Death on the Diagonal, and A Horse to Die For, all of which available from Amber Quill Press. In addition, Carolyn has written Mr. Right (a smart-ass parafeminist psycho-erotic thriller), The Darkroom, and Girls on the Row. She is also a journalist and videographer who recently wrote and directed "Invicta," a feature movie that is part horror story, part romantic comedy that is currently in post-production.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 18, 2022
Jan 18, 5am ~~ Review asap.
6am ~~ The second of a series by this author, Groomed For Death takes main character Robin Vaughan and her food-writer husband to New York City where he is supposed to be in meetings about writing a cookbook.
And what will our Robin do with her time?
Find horses, of course!
And get into a little trouble, naturally.
She takes a walk the first day, full of fears about the dangers waiting for tourists in The Big Apple. But she does surprisingly well for herself until she tries to hail a cab and gets knocked down by some woman who decides she needs the taxi more than Robin does.
A young woman who was nearby helps our shaken tourist gather her belongings, and the two become acquainted when they discover they are both horse nuts. Flora says she works at a riding stable nearby and takes Robin there, but they need to be ridiculously sneaky about going inside. Why is that? And why does the manager of the place chase Flora away while Robin hides in a box stall?
And above all, why does Flora later end up dead?!
I began to like Robin a little more in this book than when I first met her in Death By Dressage. She seemed less of a snoop here and more of a woman trying to help a new friend. But she does still manage to get herself into incredible messes!
I was unable to sleep much last night. Besides finishing this book, I am about halfway through number three, Murder Well-Bred, which takes place in Mexico. Our Robin sure manages to travel around a lot! I wonder how her two horses are doing while she is away from home?
6am ~~ The second of a series by this author, Groomed For Death takes main character Robin Vaughan and her food-writer husband to New York City where he is supposed to be in meetings about writing a cookbook.
And what will our Robin do with her time?
Find horses, of course!
And get into a little trouble, naturally.
She takes a walk the first day, full of fears about the dangers waiting for tourists in The Big Apple. But she does surprisingly well for herself until she tries to hail a cab and gets knocked down by some woman who decides she needs the taxi more than Robin does.
A young woman who was nearby helps our shaken tourist gather her belongings, and the two become acquainted when they discover they are both horse nuts. Flora says she works at a riding stable nearby and takes Robin there, but they need to be ridiculously sneaky about going inside. Why is that? And why does the manager of the place chase Flora away while Robin hides in a box stall?
And above all, why does Flora later end up dead?!
I began to like Robin a little more in this book than when I first met her in Death By Dressage. She seemed less of a snoop here and more of a woman trying to help a new friend. But she does still manage to get herself into incredible messes!
I was unable to sleep much last night. Besides finishing this book, I am about halfway through number three, Murder Well-Bred, which takes place in Mexico. Our Robin sure manages to travel around a lot! I wonder how her two horses are doing while she is away from home?
September 13, 2020
Very dated. Not usually one to harp on stuff like this...but when the white heroine disguises herself as a black woman to escape from people chasing her that gives you an idea of how much the decade this was written in makes it feel very behind the times.
Easy fluff...a few genuinely witty observations...but overall a hokey ridiculous story. Cant see myself ever feeling the need to loan/recommend this to anyone...and definitely have no reason to ever read it again. I'm in the process of purging my bookshelves of decades worth of mystery books...and am fairly certain this one is going into the donate box.
Easy fluff...a few genuinely witty observations...but overall a hokey ridiculous story. Cant see myself ever feeling the need to loan/recommend this to anyone...and definitely have no reason to ever read it again. I'm in the process of purging my bookshelves of decades worth of mystery books...and am fairly certain this one is going into the donate box.
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October 4, 2019I love the Carolyn Banks books- combines mystery with horses, a winning combination in my book. I wish she had written more
March 25, 2020
I really didn't care for the first part of the book, and I didn't like that poor Flora died. But the ending was spectacular and made up for everything else.
July 9, 2008
GROOMED FOR DEATH - VG
Banks, Carolyn
Texas horsewoman Robin Vaughan is surprised to find herself flat on the sidewalk the first time she leaves her hotel. More surprising is the young woman who picks her up. In her black fishnet stockings, Flora looks more like a hooker than someone who gets up at five A.M. to feed the horses at an uptown riding stable. She may in fact be a hooker, for when Jeet, Robin's nervous husband, calls Claremont Riding Academy to confirm her identity, nobody there has heard of her.
But is the staff at Claremont as sinister as Flora claims? Or is trustful Robin being set up for a deadly fall? There's only one way to make sure, and Robin takes a ride on the wild side of the West Side that culminates in glory...but not before murder is done...
Very light and fluffy, but fun.
Banks, Carolyn
Texas horsewoman Robin Vaughan is surprised to find herself flat on the sidewalk the first time she leaves her hotel. More surprising is the young woman who picks her up. In her black fishnet stockings, Flora looks more like a hooker than someone who gets up at five A.M. to feed the horses at an uptown riding stable. She may in fact be a hooker, for when Jeet, Robin's nervous husband, calls Claremont Riding Academy to confirm her identity, nobody there has heard of her.
But is the staff at Claremont as sinister as Flora claims? Or is trustful Robin being set up for a deadly fall? There's only one way to make sure, and Robin takes a ride on the wild side of the West Side that culminates in glory...but not before murder is done...
Very light and fluffy, but fun.
November 6, 2015
Hmmm, ok, well not what I was expecting. It was mildly entertaining and used up a couple of hours reading time, but I can't say I was hugely impressed. The story was a bit thin and when the reader can work out the 'mystery' so much earlier than the heroine, then it kind of gets frustrating. And Robin was not the most convincing of heroine's - if your husband gets arrested you don't just disappear off to solve the crime without at least trying to find out where he is and maybe letting him know where you are! And having no money because he's not there to give you any - was this written in the 18th century!
Still, it had horses in it and, even though not a huge amount of time was spent on them, I did quite like the dramatic ending with the police horse.
Fluffy, light and ok if you're happy to switch off your brain for a while
Still, it had horses in it and, even though not a huge amount of time was spent on them, I did quite like the dramatic ending with the police horse.
Fluffy, light and ok if you're happy to switch off your brain for a while
September 14, 2014
Fluffy fun for horse lovers, but I found the story silly and unconvincing. The first book in the series, Death by Dressage, actually gave me goosebumps in places and was much more clever and plausible than this. This storyline was messy, with outrageous coincidences , tired cliches and unexplained details . Still, it was a fun romp.
January 12, 2015
Very weak plot, weak character development, just all around weak. The paperback is only 178 pages, so at least it's a quick, boring read. The story jumps all around incidents that don't build to anything, they just seem disjoint. The climax writing left me with the impression that the author was just tired of writing this story and wrapped it up in a hurried, ridiculous manner. Even though I'm addicted to horses and love dressage, I was bored by the sappy, shallow references to attempt to showcase the author's knowledge.
December 28, 2009
The second in this fun mystery series featuring Robin Vaughan and the world of horses! In this one, Robin and her husband are in NYC when she gets tangled up in an adventure surrounding Claremont Riding Acadamy. I think I enjoyed the first book more than this one, but anything with horses is good with me. Two down, three to go!
August 6, 2011
I had read the first two of these when they first came out. The first ones had a spark from the dressage/horse world that seems perfunctory now. The mysteries have always been more an excuse for a horse book then anything else. So, this book wasn't bad. It just wasn't anything else either.
January 2, 2023
Not overly horsey but a fun mystery. I enjoyed the mystery and NYC setting, although the story was not entirely plausible. I certainly appreciate the accuracy of a book written by a true horse person.
July 11, 2008
GROOMED FOR DEATH - Good
Banks, Carolyn
Teaas horsewoman and her husband in the North. Light and fluffy, very fun.
Banks, Carolyn
Teaas horsewoman and her husband in the North. Light and fluffy, very fun.
January 3, 2011
This one was a little silly.
April 27, 2014
Light and lively, more memorable than many a weightier tome. Enjoyable though I am not a horse person.
October 12, 2014
Horses in NYC.
Large stables in city.
Designer is stealing horses tails for the hair.
Quick, cute, gruesome.
Large stables in city.
Designer is stealing horses tails for the hair.
Quick, cute, gruesome.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2015
A bit of a silly story but there are dressage and Charles de Kunffy references in the book.
January 12, 2012
This series is a quick and fun read, especially if you love horses and the art of Dressage
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews