I hadn’t realised that this was only going to be a sample of the book and not the full thing so it’s difficult to give a review. From what I’ve read it definitely seems like a slow burn but an intriguing and gruesome story with some troubled characters but I can’t say much more at this point.

A taste of what already smells like a great book. Enticing characters and plot. Eager to read the rest of it.

I loved this sneak peek at Sixteen Horses, and I am now dying to read the rest.

Poetic and intriguing. Thanks very much for the little snippet.

I only had the first few chapters sent to me, but these were enough to tell me I need to read the rest.

16 horses are found buried on farm land and a forensic vet is called in to assist the police. The exert I read was intriguing, I definitely want to know what happened. There is quite a dark feeling to the writing. I wish I had the whole book!

I've been looking forward to this book since I read of the excitement around its acquisition in the publishing world, so I was delighted to receive a sample of the full novel. I found the first few pages brilliant and thought I was in for a real treat. However, after the first short chapter the book becomes disjointed, a series of very short vignettes (based around a collection of not-very-likeable characters) which are confusing rather than intriguing. The writing is mostly very good (though it tries a little too hard in places for an off-beat adjective or edgy simile) but a good, solid edit wouldn't come amiss. The premise of 16 buried horses is fascinating and unsurprisingly the book's mood is ultra-dark - this wouldn't deter me from buying and reading on if I were truly gripped by the sample, but sadly I'm not.

An interesting tantalising taster from this novel. Certainly different and captures the reader's attention. Being the first few chapters it is slightly muddled as to how all the pieces will fit together, which I'm sure they will, but enough to leave the reader wanting to know how the story pans out. Excellent descriptive writing sets the scene for whatever is to follow

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the arc of Sixteen Horses by Greg Buchanan.

Sixteen horses are found dead.... Each horse is buried with one of their eyes facing the sun... This is the english seaside town of Ilmarsh and in which sixteen horses in which their heads are found buried in circular formation... weird right? In which it is only their eyes in which is exposed to the light of the winter sun..... The police decide to call a forensic vet called Cooper to help assist in the case. In the weeks following this they end up uncovering some evidence in which involves a link chain of crimes in which includes disappearances, to arson, and even mutilations....

This is a gripping 4 star read and something interesting to what I have read before.... and had me gripped at the end of my seat and cant wait to turn the page to see what happens next....

4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐
recommend

Greg Buchanan's debut, Sixteen Horses, promises to be a meditative literary thriller that investigates guilt, secrets, and trauma in a small-town coastal community.

When the heads of sixteen horses are found buried in circles, their eyes exposed to the winter sun, local police detective Alec Nichols calls upon the assistance of forensic veterinarian Cooper Allen. But what at seems at first to be a bizarre case of animal mutilation, rapidly begins to lead the Nicholas and Allen to a chain of crimes. The neglected seaside community of Ilmarsh has secrets and it quickly becomes apparent that not everything is as it seems.

On the basis of this 40-page sampler, Sixteen Horses certainly seems to be a debut to watch out for in 2021. Told with a graceful lyricism that belies the grim and disturbing events taking place on the page, I was intrigued by the movement between Nichols and Allen's perspectives. It is clear that something terrible has taken place in Ilmarsh - it will be interesting to find out exactly what when the novel lands in 2021!

I realised that this was just an extract from the novel only when my request was accepted and I downloaded the file. I was initially disappointed, but I must say I enjoyed this "taste" of the book. Greg Buchanan's debut appears rooted in noir. It features a grisly ritual-like crime (the killing and burying of the eponymous "sixteen horses" in a bog), a detective haunted by his own demons and a "forensic vet" traumatized by this investigation. Despite the nods to the thriller tradition, the unusual premise is tantalizing, and the narrative style - atmospheric and intentionally "opaque" - feels original. I look forward to the opportunity of eventually reading the complete novel.

Something new and different - a crime scene with animals (horses on this occasion) which feels as if it could be really interesting. I can’t wait to read the rest of the novel.

Was drawn right in best review I an give sample of the book ,can’t wait to read the whole book.#netgalley#panmacmillan.

It’s quite difficult to review a sample of a novel BUT from what I read; WOW!

As soon as the full manuscript is available, send it my way please as I can’t wait to read more already........