Book Review: Cutter by Laura Crum

Last week I experienced something rare. I actually had the time to read an entire book. I chose Cutter by Laura Crum, who I originally found over on the Equestrian Ink blog. My mom instilled a deep love of mystery books in me at an early age. Cutter combines this, one of my favorite genres, with my passion for horses. I was hooked right from the get go.

I don't want to give too much away, so I'm just going to steal the online blurb about the book:
"When veterinarian Gail McCarthy finds a horse trainer dead at the bottom of a gully, she finds no shortage of suspects among the hostile girlfriends, angry horse owners, and legendary rivals he left behind."

I was fortunate enough to get some insight from the author herself about this book:
"I wrote Cutter because I wanted to describe the world of cutting horses--a world that I understood intimately. I spent many years working as an assistant to several well known cutting horse trainers, and I trained my own horse, Gunner, to become an effective cutter, such that we won several buckles and awards. The trainers, the owners, the rivalry and the shady deals--and most of all the horses--are recorded faithfully in Cutter, as I knew them in life. The landscape and feeling of Santa Cruz County, California, where I have lived for many years, is also described as true to the reality as my writing skills would permit. The mystery that forms the heart of the story, though, I had to make up." Laura Crum, author

So how did Laura do??

I have to say that over all, I really enjoyed the book! It was a refreshing change from another more recent equine-based mystery book I tried to read recently. I was warned that this book was the 'warm up' to the 12 book series. Honestly? If that's the warm up, I can't wait to read the rest of the books.

The characters in the book were well introduced and very believable. I felt like I learned more and more about each character as the book went on, without being overwhelmed by lengthy descriptions that I feel some authors use to really drive the point home. Gail, the main character, was one I really grew to like and relate to. Even though she's the heroine of the novel, she is far from perfect. I think her flaws make her that much more real.

I also really loved the addition of Gail's dog, Blue, an older dog with a few quirks of his own. He made for the perfect companion throughout the novel and I looked forward to hearing about him.

The book was also clearly written by someone who actually knows horses. When I read horse fiction, I often end up rolling my eyes at the inaccuracies and loop holes. With Cutter, I didn't feel the need to fact check. In fact, I actually learned something in the process of reading the book. Laura obviously did her research and the facts made the scenes believable.

At one point, Gail attends a cutting competition. The description of the scene was vivid, beautiful, and well-written. It made me want to try cutting even more than I already do!

Publisher's Weekly said they found the terms in the book confusing at times, but I have to very much disagree. I found the use of terms, both equine and medical, to meld smoothly into the story telling. Any new terms were casually explained. Rompin, a tranquilizer, for example, was introduced in a way that any non-horse person would get it. I appreciated the fact that the terms were used freely because it made the book feel like it was actually told from a vet's perspective. I find that first person is sometimes hard to get into, but that was not the case with Cutter. It's called knowing your audience! I found the book easy to read without it being 'dummyfied'. If I wanted dummy books, I'd go to the kids' section and pick up any random horse book, thanks.

The book featured a nice mix of action and every-day. I got a taste of Gail's day-to-day routine without ever feeling that the chapters were mundane. When Gail helped with a horse trailer crash, I actually teared up while reading about the rescue attempts.

I was really able to get into the plot and the characters. There were great descriptions of the daily dealings of a horse vet, right down to the putting up with morons and jerks. I felt like I'd met her clients myself in real life. The book also did a great job of capturing both the beauty and the toughness of country life. Talk about insight!

As the book went on, things got more and more exciting. Talk about building suspense! By the time I got to the climax of the novel, I could not put it down. Well, that's not true. I had to take breaks in between chapters because my heart was pounding! I gasped, I shouted, I really annoyed the crap out of Mike! Best of all, Laura didn't cut out the nitty gritty details that some authors tip toe around. When things got scary, they got really scary.

Best of all, the book ended in a way that was satisfying. No sudden, neat wrap up in one chapter. Just enough loose ends to make me want to continue the series, but no bits that made me feel like I was left hanging. I don't want to tell you what happens, but it caught me by surprise!

All in all, I'd definitely recommend the book to my horsey friends AND mystery lovers in general. I plan on reading the next book as soon as I have free time and I'm hoping the whole series is just as good!