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Book Review of Murder on the Horizon (Search and Rescue, Bk 3)

Murder on the Horizon (Search and Rescue, Bk 3)
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Dollycas's Thoughts

M.L. Rowland continues to top herself.

With the wildfires and drought in the news this third installment of the Search and Rescue Mysteries is especially topical. Gracie and the other team members are on standby and the community is on high alert as the Santa Ana winds could shift at any moment and put Timber Creek and Camp Ponderosa right in the path of the wildfire that is ravaging the nearby mountains.

In addition to the fires, the SAR crew makes an heart stopping discovery in the desert and a 10 year old boy is a frequent cause of concern as he keeps running away from home with the team being called out to search for him. Gracie befriends the child and his grandmother to try to get to the bottom of his story. What she learns will have readers glued to the pages.

Gracie has just become the manager of Camp Ponderosa after the huge shake up that took place in Murder Off The Beaten Path. She is working with a smaller crew to finish out this season and that keeps her pretty busy without much spare time. The reason I truly enjoy this character is because she always goes above and beyond expectations. She makes time for people in need and works hard to earn their trust and really get to know them.

We meet several new characters in this story and some will truly touch your heart, others will have you thinking twice and some are just downright scary. Rowland brings them all roaring to life in a way that will totally grab onto you and not let go.

The suspense in this story builds and builds as we follow Gracie down several paths we wish she wouldn't travel. At one point she gets herself into such a dire circumstance I was literally cringing as I was reading.

Rowland not only writes a fantastic suspense filled story but she describes the Timber Creek area so perfectly that it is so incredibly easy to escape right into this book. You are driving down the roads or hiking up the paths or running along plateau right along with Gracie and sometimes her dog, Minnie. Sometimes you wish you were really there to protect or help her.

I have enjoyed all 3 books in this series very much. Each one even more than the last. This one ends with Gracie at a crossroad in a her life and I am really looking forward to her next adventure wherever it takes her.