The Sea Horse Trade by Sasscer Hill

*This book was received as a Free Advanced Review copy*

The Sea Horse Trade is the gritty, hard-hitting third book in the Nikki Latrelle Racing series. As a third book, it's probably best to read the other two first, but I think if you're willing to sacrifice a bit of background story, this book could probably be read as a stand-alone.

Nikki has barely settled in near the racetrack in Florida when she witnesses a murder at the bus stop. The young girl, dressed provocatively for her age, is shot after being dumped from a van. To further add problems, Nikki is also dealing with a suspicous new horse owner and his temperamental horses and has a friend flying in who's searching for her daughter that she had given up at birth. Like usual, Nikki is further embroiled in all the mystery and intrigue despite just wanting to be with the horses.

Nikki is a very strong character. Really, she's what pushes this series along, which is a good thing considering the series is named after her. But she's such a pleasure to read about as she seems so realistic. Like you can imagine that somewhere out there, there is a Nikki Latrelle on the racetrack. Her friends are a little more suspect. They seem to love to cause trouble for her and I was actually curious that there were quite a few that didn't show up from the second book, although a few had a mention or two. Carla was the prominent friend here and she was a focused character that had a lot of determination and a little less sense. The only character I really didn't like was the psychic. She seemed unnecessary and it could have been just as good a book without her. She just added an element that didn't flow as nicely with the rest of the book.

I described this book as gritty, and it is. A murder is described in the first few pages and the rest deals with drugs, sex trafficking and a myriad of other disturbing topics. And what really makes it scary is that all of it could probably happen in real life. Except maybe the thing with the psychic, I'm still undecided on that one. And as I said before, the scenes involving her detract from the book rather than add to it. But if you ignore the psychic there's a good story here. I actually couldn't put the book down and even though I started it late at night, I went ahead and read it in one sitting. Hill just has a way of writing that grips you and keeps you wanting to know what happens next. And even though this book didn't have as much about horses in it as the last, there was still a lot of detail only someone with the racetrack would be familiar with, and it drew you in like you were part of that world. And since you feel for Nikki, you have to see how her story ends up. And this one had an ending that was quite the shocker.

I have no big complaints about the series from what I've read. I like the characters and the books always keep me hooked. This is a series to look for.

Racing From Death
Copyright 2013

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

The Black Stallion Returns by Walter Farley

The Black Stallion series is one that is known to many. The story of a boy, shipwrecked with a wild horse who becomes his friend, captures the heart of many. This book, The Black Stallion Returns, is the second in the series. You don't necessarily have to read the first book before this one, but it does help to read it for background, so I recommend going in order.

Alec has had quite a shake up. First someone tries to kill the Black Stallion, and then, just hours later, his real owner shows up to claim him. After all that he's been through he can't stand to lose the horse. So when an opportunity comes for him to go visit the horse in Arabia, Alec takes it. But the journey will be much more dangerous than he can imagine and even if he gets there, it's no guarantee that he will be able to get his horse back, or even make it out alive.

Alec is the main character of the series. And we can clearly understand his love for his horse. But to be honest, we never really know any of his other hopes and dreams, and it would have been nice to have his personality expanded on those things. Still, he does take good care of his horse, and is brave for wanting to go to the unknown to find him again. Henry the trainer, and Mr. Volance, the men who go with Alec to the desert aren't really described that much either. We know Henry is kind of cranky and Mr. Volence is the money of the operation, but they don't feature much in the book. The Bedouin though, are described somewhat stereotypically although not unkindly and are described as a fierce but hospitable people.

The plot is actually pretty good. There is a lot of adventure, and while there is violence and murder, it's not very descriptive so I think this is still an ok book for young readers. It's more a story of overcoming odds and finding something that you care about no matter what. So it is inspiring in that regard. It's a little too fast paced at time, I think this book could have easily been twice as long. And there are some things that wouldn't really happen in reality, but this book is good for escape.

It's an exciting adventure about a horse. There's not much to dislike about that. And for children and even adults revisiting their childhood, this is a good book to read.

The Black Stallion Returns
Copyright 1945
199 pages

The Black Stallion Legend by Walter Farley

Anyone growing up in the eighties, nineties, or even before has heard of the Black Stallion. It was such a popular book series that everyone had at least one of the books. This book, The Black Stallion Legend, is actually the last book in the series (there was one written after but it's a prequel) and it was written over forty years after the first book was. Which may account for why it's such a drastic change from the original tone of the series. And while you don't necessarily have to read the rest of the series to understand this book, it does help for character background.

Alec has been a bit distracted lately because of all the pressures of home. Sure he's a well known jockey. He's ready for a vacation and the distraction of his girlfriend, but when he learns that she has been killed in an auto accident, he loses it. Headed West, with his horse The Black Stallion in a trailer, he keeps driving and driving until he comes to a desert. There he stops and turns himself and The Black free only to discover that among the Native Americans in the area, they are the stuff of legend.

Alec is very very dark in this book. He ranges between grief, and rage, and hopelessness and it's sad and disturbing all at the same time. And it's actually pretty realistic of real grief and the range of emotions a person will experience when losing someone important in their lives. He has his horse, but even that is sporadic, especially out in the wild. His trainer, who features at the beginning of the book, is gruff and none to nice and I couldn't bring myself to like him in this book. Same with his dad, who seemed very indecisive and ineffective. Even the Native Americans weren't described that well. We had no sense of what kind of people they were, only that in their limited interaction with Alec they thought he was the person from their legend.

The plot was reaching a bit. It moved way too fast and there needed to be more detail for what Farley was trying to pull off with this novel. All the events and the way things happened just didn't seem quite right and the only way I could make them line up in my head was to imagine that Alec had gone into shock and was actually dreaming everything that happened. Otherwise, it just didn't make sense. This book, as said before, was decidedly gruesome and sad compared to the hopeful tone the other books seemed to carry. But it did contain a good lesson grief.

For an avid lover of the Black Stallion series, this book is going to be a shock and perhaps even a disappointment. It was almost as if Farley's personal grief was too much for him, and he poured it all out into his writing.

The Black Stallion Legend
Copyright 1983
177 pages