REVIEW of THE BLUE HORSE by BRUCE BORGOS

 

PUBLISHED: July 8, 2025

Small Town & Rural Fiction; 
Historical Thrillers; and 
Police Procedurals

 

A Savagely Entertaining Mystery, Everything Leads Somewhere in This Suspense Thriller

Sheriff Porter Beck was in a state of shock. He’d only wanted to keep the peace between two warring factions. It didn’t sound like a lot to ask. The first was the Bureau of Land Management, who carries out roundups of wild horses by means of helicopters. They then sell the captive mustangs to the highest bidder. As for the second: they are a tenacious group of animal activists proactively working towards a mustang’s right to be free. Even in retrospect, keeping the two opposing groups calm seemed doable. Easy-peasy like being a chaperone at a school lunch party, but that was before everything blew up in his face. First there was the helicopter crash … yes, one of BLM’s. Malfunction of equipment? Fuel shortage? Nope, the answer was: “Murder.” Then there was the woman that managed the roundups for BLM. Poisoned mushrooms? Suicide? Nope: Murder. The woman was buried up to her neck before a stampede was triggered and the mustangs set loose to do what they do best—run and trample things like heads. In fact, Beck might have tried “running” as far as he could from this town as a solution to his own woes, but couldn’t now that his girlfriend Detective Charlie Blue Horse had arrived in town to help count the bodies. The bad timing left Beck one option, and that was to investigate—luckily it was something he was good at.  

Looking for trouble? Or rather, looking’ to read’ about trouble? Then THE BLUE HORSE by Bruce Borgos is for you. The third in the Sheriff Porter Beck series, this book has a little something for everyone: realistic dialogue, the fleshing out of characters, the setting up of the delightfully deranged homicides, and don’t forget the personal problems that Beck is facing. But don’t worry, in this savagely entertaining mystery, everything leads somewhere. 

The landscape created through and by the traits of the collective characters—and that includes Beck —comes into play. Much like the desert itself, author Bruce Borgos paints a picture of a vast lonesomeness that Beck carries within. It’s emphasized by using the clash between those who think nothing of tearing a mustang from their home, and those who believe in the sanctity of a home. This forms the backdrop for this tale … and it’s under the cover of these opposing extremes that allows more suspects to emerge, tiptoeing through the darkness one-by-one. A group of troubled teens led through a wilderness program is one. A Canadian lithium manufacturer another. The clever use of morality and ethics stirs the pot … tainting the hot desert sand and making motives offered seem all the more evil … all the more willing to induce injury … which brings me to the protagonist of this twist-of-the-wrist, slight of hand trick. 

While all the characters are interesting, nobody can beat Beck for consuming our attention. A very observant man, he would be the one to make sure to use rubber bands to keep his clean socks in pairs. Or buy cases of oatmeal in case he feared a shortage. He’s also kind, sympathetic, and reluctant to think badly about anyone.  A studious man, he tends to think deeply, questioning his questions. But his saving grace is that Sheriff Porter Beck has the one attribute that’s an absolute necessity for staying popular while solving crimes, and that is his ability to follow his intuition. 

Yes, buried deep within his gut, there it is. Not a Cat Distribution System, but a Psychic Spurt Center that gives him readings on details that seem so trivial but aren’t. And this attribute is not alone. It comes with the ability to not crumble under pressure. So like so many other of our favorite detectives, Beck is absolutely up to going it alone and examining why something no one is paying attention to so dang suspicious. And for all his imperfections, he makes good on following his intuition … and that’s all we need to completely fall in love with this man who is unwilling to give up. 

So it’s five stars for THE BLUE HORSE by Bruce Borgos. I liked the story, I liked the direction, and I liked getting to know a little bit about a guy named Porter Beck. If dogged determination is your thing, you’re gonna like him, too. 

Thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for supplying me with a free copy. 

 

 

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