Death By Derby

Josiah Reynolds Mysteries #8

by Abigail Keam

Charlie Hoskins was a self-made man.

Born poor as a church mouse, he was relentless in his pursuit of money to the point of being universally hated.

Oh, he was admired for his rags-to-riches story. He was admired for being a good businessman. But Charlie never learned tact and made many enemies in the process of realizing his goals. He didn’t care that in order to accomplish his dreams, he trampled on those of others.

So it didn’t surprise Josiah Reynolds when someone decided to kill Charlie. The only thing that bothered her was that her lawyer and friend, Shaneika Mary Todd, might have done the dirty deed!

Join Josiah as she discovers the truth in a world that hides its secrets among antebellum mansions and million dollar horses grazing in emerald pastures.

This is the world of the Bluegrass . . . a world of wealth, privilege, and now murder!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Cozy Mystery

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 21, 2015

About the author

Hello Gentle Reader,

I am Abigail Keam, the award-winning author of the Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series and the 1930s Mona Moon Mystery Series.

I am a professional beekeeper and have won 16 awards for my honey. I live in a metal house overlooking the Kentucky River. I have the great fortune to live near some of the most beautiful horse farms in the Bluegrass.

In addition to the Josiah Reynolds Mysteries, I also write the Princess Maura Tales (Epic Fantasy) and the Last Chance Motel Series (Sweet Romance).

I love animals, Kentucky bourbon, and chocolate. Now if they could combine bourbon and chocolate together, I would be in heaven.

I come from a family of storytellers, so it was only natural I would put my stories to paper. I do so hope my tales give you some pleasure and enjoyment. I would certainly love to hear from you. Signing off now to get back to writing. Yours truly,
Miss Abigail

AWARDS
2010 Gold Medal Award from Readers’ Favorite for Death By A HoneyBee: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery

2011 Gold Medal Award from Readers' Favorite for Death By Drowning: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery

2011 USA BOOK NEWS-Best Books List of 2011 as a Finalist for Death By Drowning: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery

2011 USA BOOK NEWS-Best Books List of 2011 as a Finalist for Death By A HoneyBee: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery

2017 Finalist from Readers’ Favorite for Death By Design: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery

2019 Honorable Mention from Readers’ Favorite for Death By Stalking: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery

2019 Murder Under A Blue Moon: A 1930s Mona Moon Mystery voted top ten mystery reads by Kings River Life Magazine

2020 Finalist from Readers' Favorite for Murder Under A Blue Moon: A 1930s Mona Moon Mystery

2020 Imadjinn Award for Best Mystery for Death By Stalking

2022 Finalist in Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Finalist for Best Historical Category - Murder Under A Full Moon

2022 Finalist the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Best Historical Category - Murder Under A New Moon

2022 Death By Chance: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Finalist for Best Cozy Mystery

Reviews

[Kaitie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sigh. This book was over before it even started. Although I have a soft spot for the Josiah Reynolds mysteries, this one kept much to be desired. It was too short, with not enough mystery and suspense, especially compared to earlier books in the series. Slow down Abigail Keam, you're rushing the books out and not spending enough time developing the stories.

Side note: According to my kindle, I was at 77% when the book ended. Nearly 25% of the ebook was just excerpts from other books. What a tease.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very disappointing it's like the writer went so far and cut the book off. I had no idea I was at the end. Very short in length more like a short story. Rip off 124 pages of reading the remainder is about other books for sale.

[Glenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

good cozy mystery series. end was rushed. this authors books are always so good.

[Jill James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeepers

So caught up in this one I never realized we didn't know the derby winner. Ah the memories of the few years I attended the derby...awesome place to people watch. Love these spunky older ladies. Give em heck Josiah and June. Asa has quite her own mystery going on too. Can't wait for more details on her situation. Kick butt ladies, rooting for you all the way.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read all of the Abigail Keam Death by books and have enjoyed them all. This book was also very good and I would certainly read any new ones she does. I enjoy the old and new characters. This is a good read, keeps your attention and takes you to horseracing at it best.

[No-Genre-Unread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still head-first into this series. Books 1, 3, and 7 are my favorites, so far. Book 4 was good, but it had loose ends. I liked book 6, but I didn't like how the mystery was solved, except for how the victims wallet ended up in two places at the same time. Then suddenly, at the end of the book, nobody cared. I thought that was lazy on the author's part. Books 2 and 5, eh. The mystery was solved a little too magically in book 2, and it bugged me that the mom, the aunt, and the babymomma didn't get any real closure. Book 5 had the laziest, slapped together ending I'd seen in a mystery novel. It was almost as bad as an open ending.
Now about book 8. My only criticisms are:
1. If Asa and her ex husband, Miner, had it in for the same guy, how was Asa's henchmen video recording Miner and his people arresting the guy Asa's potential plan to get back at Miner? That part confused me.
2. Josiah spent the night with Mat in book 3. Whenever they're tryst was mentioned within the next few books, you'd really think that they slept together. Why did the author wait until five books later for Josiah to explain that they didn't really have sex? I just thought that was weird.
3. Detective Gets told Josiah that the reason why Jake left was because she still had pictures of Brandon all over the house, and still kept Brandon's ashes. Brandon's ashes were set free in book 1, before Jake even came into the storyline.
Criticisms aside, this book was a fun, suspenseful, nicely complex read. The beginning jumped around all over the place a bit, but then I had to laugh when Josiah herself even noticed this and was apologizing to readers. I especially loved learning a little about the Kentucky derby and balloon piloting. I thought it was cute that the characters' favorite songs were listed in the back of the book. Can't wait to start book 9! The review will be coming probably very, very soon, since these books are so unputdownable.

[Jesse Coffey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I didn't even know I'd been waiting for arrived. And, holy cow, I was hooked deep.

A bad man gets his just desserts in the air, in a hot air balloon, when it explodes practically overhead of the Kentucky Derby. And this time, the alleged culprit is none other than Josiah Reynold's attorney, Miss Shaneika Mary Todd. So. Josiah calls in the cavalry, in the person of one Asa Reynolds--her daughter, the Black Ops Security expert. Of course, as the truth comes out and as the players assemble, it all goes to hell in a handbasket and Josiah has to figure it out. Step by step, piece of evidence by piece of evidence. And before the dust settles, we'll get to meet the major players and finally find out who we've been dealing with. And oh, honey. Does it get juicy!!

These people are fascinating and the truths that play out show just how fascinating they truly are. Ms. Keam has assembled a very diverse cast of characters that felt so real to me. The story is just as diverse as the cast, just as spell binding, and just as deep. Once I sit down to read, I really can't stop. That was the same here. I stayed hooked until I found I'd finished the story and it was bloody 4 am.

Another five out of five stars for Abigail Keam!!! This whole series is must have.

[Stacey Blanton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bookclub selection because it is a book written by Kentucky author, and it is close to the Kentucky Derby when we read it. I had never read anything from this author before. You could tell that this book was in the middle of a series because there were people in it that I feel like I should’ve known, but didn’t.
The story could’ve been a really good one, but I feel like that the author was in a hurry to finish it with a minimal amount of pages. I would like to have seen a more developed story.
Lastly, I wasn’t a fan of how the author didn’t tell who the winner of the Kentucky Derby was until the last couple of pages. It made me feel like I had missed reading part of the book because they talked about things after the derby, but never had the derby. I think it would’ve added an interesting element if we had known from the beginning who had won the derby and why the owner had done what they had done in the story.
May be a better book if I had read it within the series, but it does not stand by itself. If you’re reading the series, you will probably enjoy it.

[Valorie Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing!!!!

10++++++!!!!
I never knew the history of the Kentucky Derby until i read this book. It is very informative, it's great you get a mystery and a history lesson into one book.
Josiah, Lady Elsmere, and Shaneika are all exited about her horse Comanche running in the Derby.
The part owner of another horse got into a bad situation and had to make decision to cause a situation to get away and all kinds of agents descended upon the Derby and everyone that had a horse racing in the Derby.
Josiah started investigating and enlisted help from Franklin ( what a pair), she got what she needed to get farther with the info she gathered.
She made THE PHONE CALL and the action started. WOW!!!!
I couldn't put down this book.
You won't be disappointed!!!! Got to read this!!!!

[extraordinary ordinary whimsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I didn't like the promiscuity and infidelity of one of the main characters, what I did really like was the clear, straightforward, no nonsense style of writing the author has. The book moves swiftly. Making it a perfect gobble up in one day, hard-to-put-down, summer read. My second favorite thing, is the author's clear love and knowledge of Kentucky. She managed to teach me a few things about my sweet home and make me smile.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kentucky Derby shenanigans have Josiah and Asa trying to figure out what's going on with an exploding hot air balloon and the ATF. Josiah and Goetz have a pointed conversation where she learns just how much she owes him. This was a fast read that taught me some things about horse racing.

[Caz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing visit

To the complicated life of our wonderful hero wow she packs a punch and keeps on rolling. Absolutely adore this series and the brilliantly crafted characters good, bad and shocking a like so on to next titivating instalment

[Donna Ann Sutcliffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another funny tale. No murder this time but fun to read all the same. A lot more back story to Josiah, Brennan and Asa which I enjoyed. This book is very quick to read so immerse yourself in Southern charm for a few hours.

[Kathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed a break from heavy reading and this simply written mystery filled the bill. Quick read. Did have difficulty keeping who is who and who's is related to who straight.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everyone of the 8 books in this series. Great light reading with mystery and intrigue and a little love. I wish there were more.

[Lisa Tollard · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride!

Love Abigail Keam and her Josiah Reynolds series. Great characters interesting stories, and great plot lines that keep you guessing until the very end

[Lisa Norvell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

A clever mystery set in the racing world of the Bluegrass. I love the character of Josiah and will continue to read this series.

[Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too short.

These books go way too fast. I started with book two and have raced through them. ☺ great quick reads.

[Chris Blackton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than the previous entry in the series. Ms. Keam was back on task with a great plot and interesting characters. Loved the introduction of Asa’s ex-husband.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read!!! Each book is a Kentucky treasure!!!

[Chad Sexton · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favorite series

What a delightful book. Looking forward to reading more of this series! Great read! Well written! A am official hooked!

[Barbara Brabiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josiah Reynolds

[Oliver Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn’t entertain me might be because I haven’t read any of the previous book. Too many characters introduced without knowing their connection to the main characters

[Debie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. I enjoy the Josiah Reynolds mysteries. It's interesting to get a look at the life of horses and bees in the Kentucky hills.

[Kat Lebo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death By Derby, a Josiah Reynolds mystery, Book 8
By Abigail Keam

Josiah and crew are back for another Kentucky adventure, this one taking place, interestingly enough, this very weekend, the first Saturday of May – Kentucky Derby Day.

In this episode, Josiah is still working the kinks out of her possible relationship with Detective Goetz, and, in her usual way, making a mess of things. In her defense, Goetz isn’t being entirely upfront about his connections to past histories involving Josiah and Asa. Matt is still in California, and gets only a mention in this tome, while Franklin is limited to one single trip with Josiah. But it’s a good one, that provides a format for beginning to flesh out the backstory of Asa. Of course, Asa, her crew, and specifically Boris, Lady Elsmere, Charles, Bess and their family, Shaneika, Mike, and Liam, are all back for another go-round in the crazy life of Josiah Reynolds. Of interest is the inclusion of Asa’s ex-husband, Minor Reasor.

It’s Derby time in Kentucky and Shaneika has entered her black stallion, Comanche, in the race. The favorite in the race, Persian Blue, is owned by a Kentucky wheeler and dealer, Charlie Hoskins. At Lady Elsmere’s Derby Party, just a few days prior to the Derby, Charlie and his crew were baiting Shaneika, and finally she’d had enough and an ugly oral confrontation was had. At the Downs, things kept happening around Comanche’s stall, and Shaneika suspected Hoskins and his crew of being the source. She finally had to install her own security system and hire more guards. Then, on Derby Day, a large hot air balloon is seen drifting toward the infamous Downs infield, seemingly substantiating a rumor that Hoskins would land his balloon in the infield. Suddenly, as the balloon draws over the infield, it explodes, showering those below with detritus from the basket, equipment and balloon. Believing that Hoskins was in the balloon at the time of the explosion, all law enforcement eyes turn to Shaneika as the main suspect, and bringing Asa’s ex, Minor, an ATF officer, back to Kentucky.

So, who exploded the balloon? Was Charlie Hoskins in it at the time of the explosion? If so, why was no body nor any body part discovered in the wreckage? If not, where did he get off, why did no one notice that, and what reason would he have to blow up his own balloon? What reason might he have to fake his own death, especially given that his horse was the #1 pick to win the Derby? Once again, Josiah is on the case!

Keam always does a good job of editing and proofing. I did find one error in this one, but it was just a missing preposition, the type of thing most readers wouldn’t even notice, as our brains tend to ignore small words and simply follow the context of what we are reading. Flow was great, as always, plotting interesting, and oh, the twists and turns that, even at the end, leave questions to be answered in future adventures.

I enjoyed the primer on types of horses bred in Kentucky, and the differences between Thoroughbred, Saddlebred, and Standardbred; interesting information. There were a couple of other things that caught my eye (which means I had to look them up!).
One was the mention of chess pie (1193 on my Kindle). I had never heard of it, which is interesting as Kentucky and Indiana share a border, but then, I do live in the so-called North Central part of the state. You know, northwest of Indianapolis, but south of Gary? Anyway, I was curious so I looked it up. The descriptions sounds a lot like Indiana’s state pie, the sugar cream pie. You can read more about chess pie here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_pie.

I also liked the inclusion of lists of songs that the author felt inspired her characters, which followed the epilogue. There was a list for a few of the main characters, but not for Shaneika, who I thought should have gotten a Proud Mary shout out!

All in all it was a quick and fun read. As this was published in 2015, I imagine I will be taking quite a bit of a break from Josiah now, as I wouldn’t expect another novel in the series for up to a year.

[Jeannine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because I love horse racing and I'm a huge fan of the Triple Crown races. Since this takes place at and around the Kentucky Derby, I couldn't resist it. Well, it does contain a lot of information and history about horse racing in general and Kentucky in particular which is why it rated 2 stars. The book begins at the Kentucky Derby and talks about the battle between two horses and their owners. Then it skips to several days after the Derby without ever telling who won the race.........Strike 1. This being the 8th book in the Josiah Reynolds series and the first book I've read, I had a very hard time figuring out the characters and their relationship to each other and the author is slow in giving out this information. Considering the fact that the book is really short, it was over almost before I could put the pieces together and some of the character history is a bit preposterous........Strike 2. And, at the very end, the author asks if you want to know who won the race and then gives a blow, by blow, race call. The names of all the other horses in the race were actually horses that previously won the Kentucky Derby, one as far back as 1876 and one as recent as 1984. I don't know if this was supposed to be cute or a test but it really ticked me off. If you are going to write about a fictitious race than at least take the time to make up fictitious names for all the horses. Don't defame horses that actually won this prestigious race...........Strike 3.

[Kay (Brigidsmomma) Compton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last book in the series, and the first one without a dead body. I enjoyed this one very much, although it was a much quicker read than several of the others in the series. I think that a lot of the angst of the whole series ended when O'nan was killed off in an earlier book, but that doesn't mean that this book was any less enjoyable. It might have contained a lot less insanity, but having Minor back brought about some of the same level of intensity that O'nan brought earlier. I'd love to see further books in this series, but I really got a feeling that Ms Keam is wrapping things up in this one.

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are fond of horse racng, this is the book for you. It is less than 200 pages, so that it is not onerous. Not all of it is about the horses. To begin with, one owner disappears after a hot air baloon flight--or was he aboard? Josiah is the name of the heroine--strange choice for a woman's name.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked this book.

I am so happy that Josiah is almost back to normal, I was so worried about her. I also was so glad to get the backstory what a difference that makes. And I love Asa so it was great to see so much of her.

A great addition to this series.