Racing from Death by Sasscer Hill

**This book was received as a free Advanced Reader's copy**

Racing From Death is the second in a series by Sasscer Hill. But I'm happy to say that even though I read this one first, instead of starting with the first book, I still enjoyed it quite a bit. It was quick paced but interesting and since I like horses, it kind of fit that area of my enjoyment too.

Nikki Latrelle has been assigned by her boss to manage the training and racing of some of the stable's mounts in Virginia. A jockey herself she knows what this entails but is still nervous. Especially when strange things start happening at the track and she can't control her riding assistant Lorna's actions even though Lorna is making increasingly bad choices. Because of Nikki's natural curiosity she stumbles on some things she shouldn't and falling off during a race is no longer the only danger she has to face in Virginia.

I liked Nikki. She was flawed, but strong as well. While I didn't agree with some of her actions in this book, they did seem realistic. She also seems to care deeply about the horses she's working with and that's always a positive quality. Lorna I didn't really like as much. For as much as Nikki sticks her neck out for her, she doesn't seem to appreciate it or even make an effort at becoming a better person. The bad guys, well it was easy to tell who they were, but they were menacing enough to make the plot interesting. And just to throw a little mystery in there, she has a groom who appears to be a little bit psychic.

The books was fairly rushed and I would have liked it to slow down a little and develop the plot more. But even so it kept my attention and I was able to read it practically in one sitting. The mystery was decent, if easy to solve and there were a few elements that came as a surprise. The writing itself was detailed and the dialogue easy to follow. There were some almost sex scenes in the book that were just as detailed as everything else, so if you're expecting a G-rated mystery, this isn't it. I don't think it detracted from the story at all, but it did make you question the characters motives, which is a good thing.

A good mystery, I would definitely read more by this author. And I'll probably have to go find the first book now to see how Nikki's story starts.

Racing From Death
Copyright 2012
193 pages