Abigail Peeper

All the King's Horses Abigail Peeper

Inspector Vicky Winslow has just been handed a plum job with Mounted Branch, Metropolitan Police, London, England. She is now the freshly-minted guv'ness to the men, women and horses at Great Scotland Yard Stables. Her background is in her favor -- or possibly not. Her family has had a fifteen decade history with the Met. To the manor born would be an understatement. She is a good cop, a good leader, a fine horsewoman and a person who holds high the standards of integrity, loyalty and valor. But, with that history comes both good and bad experiences and their consequences. To the positive: she is a hero of the Met, a steady hand at the helm of her command, a person who seems to be well in control of her life. To the negative: she has suffered devastating trauma and job-related horrors that she cannot run from. When cops begin to turn up dead from bullets fired from the same 9mm weapon, her cop senses twitch. The homicide cases are in the hands of her uncle, Marley Winslow and her best friend, Harriet Whelan. First inklings come from Harry as interesting shoptalk, a bit of scuttlebutt over sandwiches, chips and a pint. Who is the killer, why is he doing it and who's next are questions unanswered. There are no answers. The only clues are very dead bodies and a fired piece of brass that point nowhere. When an old partner of Vicky's is killed, the road suddenly becomes paved with greater intrigue and dangers she cannot escape. She and her friends are slowly drawn in deeper and deeper. They are also drawn deeply into her past. Winslow's personal complexities and life skills plus those series of events, past and present, draw her into a situation where career paths have the unhappy potential for collision. She doesn't necessarily want the things the unfolding circumstances are forcing her toward but must rise to those challenges as well. While struggling with her colliding career paths, the murder plot becomes intertwined with secret identities, balking at the specter of fame and the relationships of old wounds and horrors. It also becomes intertwined with the friendship of three fascinating women. They are women of intelligence, grace and delightful humor. What could go wrong?