Blood Reins — Michael Joens

Working with her beloved quarter stallion Buster Brown at a horse show competition, Detective Sandra Cameron begins to recover from the shooting that took her partner's life, and nearly her own. Her hard-won peace of mind, however, is shattered by the death of Chet Gundry, a world-renowned "horse whisperer," ladies' man, diabetic, and dear friend. Chet was a superstar in the equestrian universe, until someone spiked his insulin vial and reined him in, permanently. When Sandy discovers that her colleague Burbank detective Tom Rigby considers her a prime suspect in Chet's murder, her emotional and spiritual recovery is shaken to the core.

A second murder of an equestrian insider forces Sandy back on track. Putting aside their now shaky relationship, Sandy and Tom must pool their resources in order to stop a killer who will kill again, and again, to cover up a federal crime that would blow the lid off the equestrian industry.

Set against a dazzling Southern California milieu of high-dollar quarter horse shows, world-class stallions, and breeders with enormous egos, Blood Reins is a fast-paced police procedural that explores a deadly arena where the crowning of champions can provoke murderous consequences.