Contest For a FREE Book

by Laura Crum

           

OK, in honor of all those who got a Kindle for Xmas, we’re going to run a contest for a free book (Kindle edition). Most of you know that I have written twelve mystery novels in a series featuring equine veterinarian Gail McCarthy. Some of you are even reading this series. In fact, some of you have written to tell me that you’re really enjoying my stories. This gave me an idea. So here’s the contest.

            If you would like to have a free Kindle edition of a specific book in my series (exceptions will follow), just leave a comment naming that book. The book that gets the most votes (by next Weds, the 13^th) will be offered for free for five days. All of you who are interested will be able to get this title for free during the five days.

            Here is a great chance to get the next book for free, if you’re currently reading the series, and if you haven’t yet tried my mysteries, it’s a chance to select the book you think you’d like the most and try it for free.

            Now for the exceptions. We offered the first book in the series, Cutter, for free a couple of months ago, and Amazon won’t let us repeat that offer for awhile. So no use choosing Cutter. But…Cutter is currently on special offer for 99 cents, so it’s almost as good as free. The last four books in the series, Moonblind, Chasing Cans, Going Gone, and Barnstorming can’t be offered for free either…yet. However, all four of these books were recently reduced in price from $10.99 to $2.99 (as Kindle editions). These four books are also currently available as paperback editions. So the choices for the free Kindle edition are limited to Hoofprints, Roughstock, Roped, Slickrock, Breakaway, Hayburner and Forged.

            For those who haven’t tried my books yet, these are pretty much classic mysteries, with a western horse theme. All the horse background is absolutely accurate and is drawn from my many years training, competing, ranching, horse packing, and trail riding. The horses are real horses and do not talk, solve crimes or defend their owner from the bad guy-- I promise. I honestly think that if you enjoy my writing on this blog, you will enjoy these books.

Below see a list of all the titles in the series, in order, with a brief description of the book. You can click on each title for a link to the Kindle edition, including more info about the book and reviews.

CUTTER: Veterinarian Gail McCarthy thought cutting horse trainer Casey Brooks was being paranoid with his stories of poisoned horses and sabotage, but when his blue roan mare returns riderless and Casey is found dead, she isn’t so sure.

            HOOFPRINTS: Gail McCarthy is a horse vet with a hectic schedule, not to mention a horse, a new boyfriend, and a house payment, and her life is more than a little disrupted when she finds two dead bodies in the course of a routine call to a well known reined cowhorse barn. When a sniper takes a shot at her on her next midnight emergency, Gail knows she must discover the culprit before she becomes the next victim.

            ROUGHSTOCK: While attending the annual Winter Equine Seminar at Lake Tahoe, Gail finds one of her fellow horse vets dead, and another accused of his murder. The trail leads back to Gail’s hometown, and through the twists and turns of the endurance and team roping worlds, plunging Gail into a confrontation with an unlikely killer.

            ROPED: A stalker haunting the ranch of an old friend creates a harrowing personal drama for Gail as she struggles to sort out a mystery involving animal rights and a bitter feud—and win a team roping event at the same time.

            SLICKROCK: Gail embarks on a solitary pack trip in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, with just her two horses and her dog for company. Seeking peace and tranquility, she stumbles upon a soon-to-be-dead man, and is drawn into the whirlwind of nefarious events that precipitated the tragedy.

            BREAKAWAY: Faced with a depression and some big life changes, Gail struggles to find the right path as she is confronted with the strangest mystery she has ever heard of.

            HAYBURNER: Gail is called out to treat injured horses when the biggest boarding stable in the county catches fire. When a second barn fire occurs nearby, Gail finds herself in the middle of the search to catch the arsonist—before any more horses or people die.

            FORGED: Gail’s horseshoer is shot in her barnyard, while shoeing her horse, embroiling Gail in a dangerous attempt to capture an elusive killer.

            MOONBLIND: Gail’s cousin Jenny, who runs a Thoroughbred lay-up farm, complains of mysterious villains who are out to destroy her business—and harm her horses. While trying to support Jenny, Gail discovers this threat is all too real.

            CHASING CANS: Legendary barrel racing trainer Lindee Stone is killed when a horse flips over backwards with her. The cops are calling it an accident, but Gail witnessed the wreck and thinks there is something fishy about it.

            GOING, GONE: While on a vacation in the Sierra foothills, Gail finds that her old boyfriend, Lonny Peterson, is accused of murdering a local auctioneer. In an attempt to save Lonny, Gail ends up in a harrowing horseback race with a ruthless killer.

-             BARNSTORMING: In which Gail, on a solitary trail ride, discovers a fellow equestrian shot through the heart, and embarks on an intense hunt to discover why violence is haunting her local trails.

All of these books stand alone really well. You don’t need to have read the previous books to enjoy any title. And for those who want to know which is “the best”, all I can say is that Slickrock has always been the overall reader favorite.

You have one week to leave a comment on this post choosing a free book. Next Weds the book that gets the most votes will be offered for free for five days.

And finally, please vote. Even if you don’t read on Kindle. And even if you’re not interested in mysteries. If you read this blog and have time to comment, pick a title. Just pick the book that sounds most interesting to you. If you’ve read the series, vote for your favorite book. I’m curious. Thank you!

PS—You can vote by commenting on facebook if you’d rather—I will link to this post there.