Joseph Barnaby

by Susan Roebuck

[Lynn]

4.5 stars

Joseph Barnaby loves his job as a farrier, taking care of horses and keeping track of race relating news and gossip. A horse named Starlight, a predicted winner for the Grand National is much talked about, yet the behaviour by staff at the Norchester yard is suspicious. On race day at Aintree, Joe's convinced the horse is unfit and spooks it sufficiently resulting in the animal's withdrawal from the race, believing his professional judgement is correct. However, as the scandal unfolds and experts conclude he is wrong, Joe flies to Madeira to escape from the trouble he caused, finding a new life full of promise even though he's still questioning his personal integrity.

Abandoned by her parents, Sofia lives with her uncle and aunt on their remote farm, accessible only by boat. She spends her days helping out and attending to the beehives she keeps. She's supposed to be dating a man who is the son of her aunt's friend yet intrigued by the foreign man who has come to help her uncle.

The narrative is full of surprises and personal coincidences and heartily enjoyed reading about them from another perspective. From, attending the abandoned Grand National in 1993, halted due to false starts. Joe's experience contrasts sharply to mine, but the atmosphere of the large prestigious race meeting was just the same. Coincidentally, beehives are kept a short walk from my home. The landscape here is vastly different to tropical Madeira, but Sofia's passion and care for her bees are just the same. Lastly, after visiting the island earlier this year, I hoped by reading about Joe I would soak up some of the atmospheres I experienced on the island. The author's descriptions of this beautiful and rugged paradise in the Atlantic Ocean are very realistic and enabled me to re-live the short time I was there, just as I had hoped.

A slow burn romance, complementing Joe and Sofia's story is a wonderful array of secondary characters, specifically, the mysterious Lua. Additionally, I liked the twist near to the end, tying up the past sufficiently for Joe to move on with his new life in Madeira...with Sofia.

For me, this novel is the whole package and contained so much more than I expected. With romance, mystery and suspense, the writing is well paced and includes a smattering of local Portuguese words of which the author kindly includes a glossary. As first impressions go, I've found a new author to follow and look forward to reading more of her books.

***arc received courtesy of the publisher Crooked Cat Books***