If Wishes Were Horses... (The Neil Marshall Mysteries Book 1)

Book 1 in the Neil Marshall Mystery novel series -- Murder, Betrayal and Illegal Horse Breeding -- Neil Marshall is a graduate student in the University of Houston's creative writing program and a promising young poet facing a financially and emotionally draining divorce. So, to make ends meet, Neil works as a chef for a high-society caterer.

Just when Neil's life seems bleakest, his oldest friend, racehorse breeder Jason Keys, is murdered. And Neil becomes the prime suspect. To avenge his friend, clear his name, and rescue a missing championship thoroughbred, Neil infiltrates the dark underworld of horse theft and illegal breeding. Neil's friends — his attractive writing teacher, his cooking colleagues, and a freckle-faced teenage horsewoman — offer their support. But their cheers quickly turn to gasps when Neil becomes the hunted.

Publishers Weekly said: "Hemlin's first mystery is a very promising, quite smart, launch to a new series ... This is a Southern-fried tale blessed by an unconventional cast of characters who are at times more reminiscent of Greenwich Village than Houston."