Title: Cowboy in the Crosshairs
Series: Turquoise, New Mexico: Book One
Author: BA Tortuga
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Length: 232 Pages
Category: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
At a Glance: BA Tortuga has crafted a really good cowboy mystery. The suspense has a gradual build up, and the guilty party wasn’t easy to discover.
Reviewed By: Maryann
Blurb: Once upon a time, a prince lived in a magical kingdom called Turquoise, New Mexico.
Well, really, TJ is a small-town police chief. Every Friday he holds court in the diner with the local holy roller, the art colonists, and the horsey people. But the Benes, who own the rodeo company, keep to themselves. TJ knows, because he was once hot and heavy with the oldest Bene son.
When Wacey Bene gets trampled by a remuda and comes home to heal, he’s none too happy to run into TJ, or his two little boys and their momma. The story might end there—if it wasn’t for some pesky bastard trying to kill Wacey.
The law steps in, and the townsfolk are cross about somebody messing with one of their own.
But once the bad guy is put away, can TJ and Wacey make their place in this wild and eccentric town a permanent one?
Review: TJ Cook is the Chief of Police in the small town of Turquoise, New Mexico, where everyone knows your business. To be what he considered ‘normal’, he married and had two sons, but he eventually had to face his lie. Now, he’s divorced but has a good relationship with his ex-wife, and his sons are his main priority.
Wacey Bene is true to himself, has always acknowledged that he’s gay, and is a straight-shooter when it comes to the rodeo business and protecting animals. He loves his horses and plays a big role at the Bene Ranch and Rodeo School. He and his brother, Kace, have been touring and running the Bene rodeo business. Wacey doesn’t stand for anyone slacking off, but he tries to be fair in his decisions when it comes to employees. When he’s severely injured, he returns home to Turquoise to recuperate, and Kace takes over running the rodeo.
When their sister, Lacey, takes Wacey to the local diner, it’s a shock to see TJ with his family. Wacey and TJ were once lovers, and TJ’s choice to leave town had hurt Wacey. Words and tempers flare, and once again TJ makes a mistake. As Wacey tries to relax and recuperate and forget about TJ, strange incidents at the Bene ranch become a danger to his health. Wacey loses his patience when fingers are pointed at him in blame for all the chaos. When TJ is called in to investigate the danger, he and Wacey find themselves getting involved once again. And Wacey discovers that there’s more at risk, not only to his family but to TJ and his two sons.
I was pleasantly surprised by Cowboy in the Crosshairs. BA Tortuga has crafted a really good cowboy mystery. The suspense has a gradual build up, and the guilty party wasn’t easy to discover. This is also a second chance at love story for TJ and Wacey, and it was just delightful. There are some great secondary characters, especially in the Bene family and a whole host of townspeople who really know how to rally together when trouble is afoot.
As always, BA Tortuga kept me entertained and made this story a page-turner for me!
You can buy Cowboy in the Crosshairs here:
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