*This is a review of the first 5 chapters of the book*

I swear that the birds stopped tweeting and the air took on that strange silence that falls when there is an unseen predator waiting to pounce when I read these opening chapters. The atmosphere created is that good. A rundown town, a detective with a past and a vet who is still struggling to reconcile the events surrounding the crime involving the dead horses. It's dark, original and wholly captivating. I am eagerly anticipating reading the rest of the book when it becomes available.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advance sample in return for an honest review

I received an extract from Sixteen Horses as a preview from publisher Mantle Books - so far I love it! For now a solid 4 stars - the characters are promising, the writing dark, and I love a worn old seaside town...!

We join detective Alec Nicholls pre-dawn, covered in mud, being guided by a farmer to a spot in a lonely field...
A hermit, living in the wild, tells of what he saw on that night...
Forensic vet Cooper Allen is called in to help the investigation, which will affect her deeply...

I absolutely can't wait to read the rest of this book - the scenes is being set and the characters introduced. I'm excited to see how it all pans out!
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UPDATED 1/9/20 after reading whole book:

Wow. Just wow. This book absolutely destroyed me. Greg Buchanan, what did you do?!

I LOVED this book. I'm still reeling.

I felt I was there, in that decaying seaside town, as Alec and Cooper are drawn deeper into the dark mystery surrounding 16 horse heads, buried on a desolate farm with their eyes turned to the sun. Who would do such a disturbing thing, and why? What other horrors are there to uncover?

The writing is tense, vivid, and what starts as dark quickly becomes pitch black. This is not just your average detective thriller - it's way darker, very intense, and disturbingly psychological. Sneakily, the story pulls you in and grabs you, then just doesn't let go. The pace builds to an shattering climax that I had to re-read a few times to make sure I'd really read what I thought I had, Then I had to put my kindle down, walk away and come back to it!

I am ruined. It is brilliant.

5 dark, dark stars!

Sixteen Horses - Greg Buchanan
Publisher Mantle Books
Publication Date 13/5/21

NO SPOILERS

I was invited to read an advance copy of this book due for publication in 2021 and as I love a detective mystery I thought it looked interesting. It was so much more than that. I was gripped from the beginning, but, at the 45%’ish mark it developed into something much more than your standard thriller.
Beautifully written, rich in detail, dark and disturbing, I could not put it down.
It just got better and better, building to a stunning climax which I had to read twice to make sure I’d absorbed and understood it all.
A superior and original thriller, Highly recommended.
I’d like to thank the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

What starts out as a very gory, and extremely well depicted crime scene soon moves into something much darker, and intensely psychological. I almost feel I need to read it again to understand the full story. Maybe because I was expecting a typical crime story, but what I received and read was much richer and complex. Dark, slightly horrifying and pretty disturbing at times, the author draws you in very quickly and interest is thoroughly maintained throughout, not losing momentum at all. Others will describe the story itself, but the depth of the characters and the atmospheric tension in the landscape helps set it apart. Recommended.
Thank you for an opportunity to read and review NetGalley and publisher.

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.

In all honestly I hadn't realised that this was only an teaser of the book, but regardless: The style of writing was smooth, I was interested in the story based on the chapters I was given. It seems to flit between a historic event (Sixteen horses) and the main characters past and current day life. Overall it was intriguing and I would have liked to continue to the end.

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........