Suanne Lewis’s Trouble at OverTrails Farm follows Nina Walters and her friends as a joyful day at a therapeutic riding academy turns into a murder investigation after stable co-owner Shayne Langley is found dead. When Alex, a kind teen with an intellectual disability, becomes an easy target for suspicion, Nina, Meredith, Miguel, and even Nina’s dog Harry begin piecing together clues involving gambling debts, hidden money, property developers, and a dangerous attempt to cover the truth.

I liked how the book makes friendship its real engine. The mystery matters, but Nina’s fierce defense of Alex gives the story its pulse. Her anger is not reckless melodrama; it comes from moral clarity. She sees how quickly a vulnerable person can be misread, patronized, or used as a convenient answer, and she refuses to let that calcify into “truth.” That emotional through-line gives the investigation more weight than a simple whodunit.

The farm setting also works beautifully. Horses, trails, barns, tack rooms, and the rhythms of therapeutic riding create a textured, quietly absorbing world. At times, the prose explains more than it needs to, but the book’s sincerity really draws you in. I was especially drawn to the way Lewis treats disability, anxiety, and self-worth not as decorative “issues,” but as authentic realities that shape how characters move through danger, friendship, and trust.

The target audience for this cozy mystery and friendship adventure includes readers who like suspense with a strong ethical center. Readers who enjoy Nancy Drew-style sleuthing but want a gentler, more socially conscious contemporary story will feel at home here. Trouble at OverTrails Farm is a warm-hearted mystery with a bridle in one hand and a moral compass in the other.

Pages: 174 | ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GX1TL9NV