To be honest, I kind of though in my heart of hearts that this book wouldn’t be worth the $27 I paid for it, and like many cozy mysteries, would turn out not be very well written and have a predictable, churned-out plot. Very happy to report that I was wrong. This isn’t even a cozy mystery, despite what the premise and the cover might lead you to believe. What this actually is . . . I don’t even know how to explain.
We have two main characters, Pony (who has no name), who was separated from his person when she was a child, and Penny (Penelope), his person, who has just been arrested for a murder committed twenty-five years before, when she was twelve years old. Gradually and out of order, we learn about their relationship to each other, what happened that night, and what has become of Pony since he was sold. The plot of the book kicks off with the arrest, but also, when Pony makes the decision to actively try and find Penny again, which starts him on a journey across and back across the country, which will take him years.
This, by the way, is a stealth retelling of The Odyssey, which I had no idea going in! It wasn’t in the marketing or the blurb, and only 61 people out of 1,121 reviews on Goodreads seem to have clocked it (I did a search). But honestly, I’m glad I didn’t know going in! (Sorry, uh, for ruining that for y’all? Whoops.)
I’m not giving this five stars, because I did think that the pony odyssey part of this book went on a bit too long, and it interfered with my otherwise pure enjoyment. I would have cut 25-50 pages and it would have been perfect. (As much as I love Pony, it was too much.) Also, it’s good to go in not expecting a full-on detective Pony. He is much more focused on finding Penny than acquitting her of murder charges, and any solving of mysteries he does is a byproduct of that.
Still, I had so much fun with this book. I definitely recommend it.
[4.5 stars]
CBR BINGO: Favorite (a favorite topic: animals/a favorite genre: mystery)
