Love and Death is the sixth book in the Meg Sheppard Mystery series by Vicky Earle. This animal-loving mystery is set in Canada (yay!) and features a thoroughbred horse farm.
Title: Love and Death
Author: Vicky Earle
Series: Meg Sheppard #6
First Published: October 18, 2025
Publisher: Wordzworth Publishing
Genres: Mystery
Acquired: from the author
*** Disclaimer: the author, Vicky Earle, is one of my clients and I organised the book tour for Love and Death that this review is a part of. This review is completely unbiased and voluntary and I would not have posted a review if I didn’t honestly enjoy the book
A cheating racehorse trainer is dead, and someone close to Meg is under suspicion.
As she digs for the truth, past gang members involved in a murder, and a zealous animal rights group bring danger to Meg.
Wounded by a gunshot, Meg is reluctant to continue as a sleuth.
Does she have the resilience to face the danger and investigate a stolen horse, another death, and two attempted murders while struggling to cope with the likelihood of a devastating personal loss?
A fast-paced mystery full of animals
One of the thing I absolutely love about this series in general is the horses and thoroughbred horse racing setting – it’s something I haven’t come across in any other mystery series I’ve read. PLUS, the books are set in Canada, which is also not that common, so double plus!
It’s so very obvious that the author herself has been immersed in the world of thoroughbred race horses – her books are very descriptive, but also written in a way that a complete novice (like me) can understand what’s going on without it feeling like I’m being burdened with too many facts and jargon.
Meg is a wonderful main character – she’s resilient, smart, tough, and persistent. More importantly, she feels very realistic. And of course, seeing that I’ve been looking into adopting a border collie myself, I can’t help but fall in love with the fictional Kelly, Meg’s super smart dog. As with many other mystery series, the animals that inhabit this world are characters in themselves and add so much to the stories.
The world that Meg Sheppard navigates has a very welcoming feel to it (that farm, with horses and dogs and cats!) but this mystery definitely isn’t a slow, sleepy one! It’s actually quite fast-paced, with a very real sense of danger that keeps this story moving along and kept me turning the pages.
About the Author, Vicky Earle
Vicky Earle is a recipient of a Canada Book Award and was CEO of the Ontario SPCA for several years. Her experience with owning and breeding thoroughbred racehorses, as well as country life, inspired her to write the Meg Sheppard Mystery Series. The series features fast-paced, action-packed mysteries which unfurl within the worlds of thoroughbred horse racing and country living.
Animals have always been a big part of Vicky’s life. She couldn’t imagine writing a book without including some.
Vicky currently lives on a small horse farm near Uxbridge, Ontario, with her husband.
You can connect with Vicky Earle online here:
