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Elise M. Stone
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Homicide on the Range (Rainbow Ranch Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Elise M. Stone (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 32 ratings
Rugged cowboys, mouth-watering barbecues, sunset rides on horseback. It’s the perfect vacation.
Except for the murder.

When Lilliana MacAlistair agrees to become the hostess at a new Arizona dude ranch, she thinks she’s found the ideal position to supplement her retirement money.

Her first guests, a group of former college roommates, are loving the activities and food she’s planned, and as far as she can tell, everything’s fine as cream gravy. But when one of the women turns up dead, and all the rest can do is point fingers at one another, Lilliana begins to think what the sheriff called a tragic accident is something a lot more sinister.

To make matters worse, the death has generated so much publicity—all of it bad—the existence of the venture is threatened. Cancellations are flooding in, and if the ranch has to close before it’s barely even opened, Lilliana’s job goes with it.

Can Lilliana solve the mystery before the sun sets on her new career?
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  1. Book 1 of 2
    Rainbow Ranch Mysteries
  2. Print length
    233 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    March 22, 2022
  5. File size
    1.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09N4P83DB
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Civano Press (March 22, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 22, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.2 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 233 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 32 ratings

About the author

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Elise M. Stone

Elise M. Stone

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I love stories.

One of my earliest memories is of sitting next to my mother as she read Grimms Fairy Tales to me. I loved those stories so much, I asked her to teach me how to read so I could read them myself.

I wrote my first story in kindergarten. It was a series of pictures, and after school, my mother wrote the words under each one. I thought I was in heaven when I had to hand in a short story every Friday in sixth grade.

Later on, I didn’t write at all. I was happy in my job as a computer programmer.

Until 9/11.

After the initial shock, I was thinking about how all those people had gone to work or gotten on a plane, never imagining it would be their last day alive. What might they regret if they had?

More importantly, what would I regret not doing if my life came to an end tomorrow? One of my answers was writing a novel. I vowed to do that now.

Twenty years later, I’ve written a lot more than one novel. Now that I’m retired from the day job, I’m finally doing what I wanted to do all along: write mysteries in sunny Arizona while my two cats nap nearby.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
32 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable, with one mentioning it serves as an excellent start to a new series. They appreciate the character development, with one review noting how Lilliana excels in her new role.

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4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one mentioning how Lilliana excels in her new role.

"...And the author develops the side characters thoroughly so you feel you know them all...." Read more

"The characters were an interesting group to attend and work at a dude ranch, and while foul play was afoot there was also a budding romance and a..." Read more

"...Hope to see more. I like the characters and settings. A nice getaway without graphic violence ...." Read more

"Lilliana at her best in a new role...." Read more

3 customers mention "Enjoyment"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable, with one mentioning it serves as an excellent start to the series.

"...I enjoyed the story. I had my suspicions as to the killer, but wasn’t sure until the end...." Read more

"This is a excellent follow up series start. Hope to see more. I like the characters and settings. A nice getaway without graphic violence ...." Read more

"Fun read..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Jackie Houchin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Dude Ranch Disaster - solved by senior sleuth
    Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    HOMICIDE ON THE RANGE is the first book in the third mystery series that Elise M. Stone has created. It’s an offshoot from her African Violet Club mysteries, featuring the very likable and capable senior sleuth Lilliana Wentworth, now Lilliana MacAlistair having married the handsome ex-spy, Christopher.

    This book tells of the very first guests at the Dude Ranch, six women who were all in the same dorm at college decades earlier. But right from the start there is complaining, bickering, put-downs, and verbal fighting. Several blatantly vie for the affections of the handsome ranch wrangler, Garth. Lilliana wonders why they all wanted to spend a week together miles from a town.

    Of course you know that one of them has to die, or it wouldn’t be a mystery novel, and you kind of get who it will be – the most obnoxious of the bunch. Yep. When she doesn’t show up for dinner, Lilliana and Garth ride to her last known location and find her body.

    Was it an accident? The Sheriff believes so. Lilliana is not so sure and begins her nosy questions and collecting clues. Some of the other women have alibis, some don’t. One is distraught that she is dead, another is quite glad.

    Lilliana also has to deal with the general running of the Dude Ranch, managing the ranch hands, keeping a watchful eye on Christopher, who interestingly, is recovering from long Covid, and keeping the press from destroying the Ranch’s reputation before they get started.

    I enjoyed the story. I had my suspicions as to the killer, but wasn’t sure until the end. The writing is smooth, easy to follow and keeps you turning the pages with mini-cliff hangers throughout. And the author develops the side characters thoroughly so you feel you know them all. And in the very last chapter you learn some very cool things about Lilliana ex-spy husband, that hopefully will be ongoing in the series.

    I’m looking forward to the next book.
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  • MoparNut
    5.0 out of 5 stars Lilliana at her best in a new role.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Lilliana and her new husband, Christopher MacAlistaire, are off on a new adventure. She is now the full time manager of a new dude ranch outside the city of Rainbow Ranch. Having no experience, Lilliana is nervous as she ponders how smoothly things will run. Can she handle her new duties. Of course, with Lilliana there has to be a murder to solve except the Sheriff believes it was an accidental fall. Who is right, Lilliana or the Sheriff. The first group of guests at the ranch is a college reunion group – all of whom had a minor reason to kill the victim. Who had more of a reason than has been revealed during their interviews with the Deputy or Lilliana? Since this is the first in the Rainbow Ranch Mysteries Series, we are introduced to the small staff of the ranch. We also are privileged to make a surprise visit to the retirement home where several of the African Violet Club members are available.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Laura
    4.0 out of 5 stars Old west fun and murder!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2022
    I have always loved reading about the old west, I love Western movies and Cowboys. Plus I am a tremendous fan of murder mysteries! This book gave me both the wild west and a murder. It takes place on a dude ranch in Arizona. A group of women come for a reunion vacation and one of them doesn't make it home. It's a fun read with a good story. The main characters are interesting people. The only thing that bothered me was that it states it is book one but there were a lot of references to things that had happened previously, without explanation. I did enjoy it very much and I feel like this will be a good series. I received a kindle copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway.
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  • Kaceey
    3.0 out of 5 stars Giddy up!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2022
    3.5*
    Lilliana felt life was just too tame living at the retirement home. So this cow-girl just reinvented herself as the new manager at a recently renovated dude ranch, “The Rainbow Ranch” just outside Tucson, Arizona.

    Her first group of tenderfoots checking into the ranch are a group of women, all close friends and former roommates in college. This little reunion of sorts will be a completely different experience for them. And for Lilianna, everything (well almost) is going according to plan.

    But rein it in, buckarool! One of the women has been found dead! Gee…I sure hope that doesn’t show up in a Yelp review!🤦🏻‍♀️

    It’s been years since I read a cozy mystery and found this one to be quite entertaining. I would’ve enjoyed a tad more character development and since it was a fairly short book, there certainly could have been plenty of room to expand on the characters.

    Having frequently vacationed at a local working cattle ranch, it sparked some great memories.

    Overall a fun, lite mystery!🤠

    Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways.
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  • Michel Gleich
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read
    Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The characters were an interesting group to attend and work at a dude ranch, and while foul play was afoot there was also a budding romance and a chance to live their dreams all at the rainbow guest ranch. Nothing better than a murder mystery while more is in mix of characters.
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  • A
    2.0 out of 5 stars Amateur sleuth managing an Arizona Dude ranch with 6 female guests
    Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2023
    2.5 stars
    A suspicious death occurs when six women visit an Arizona ‘dude ranch’ managed by an older woman who happens to be an amateur sleuth. There isn’t much in the way of crime-solving here. Instead, the book revolves around the MC’s day to day running of the ranch, challenged by the toxic relationship of the 6 guests, who are ex-college roomies with emotional baggage. Our MC also worries about her husband, who is suffering from long covid. Despite these issues, this is a lightweight read, but I failed to keep track of who was who amongst the female visitors. Also, it is apparent that the main character is from a prior series as there is frequent mention of characters and events from the past, though knowledge of these is not needed to understand the plot. Overall, I thought this a bit dull and found myself skimming over some of the extraneous chatter. But it is probably standard fare for cozy mysteries, which I have yet to develop a great appreciation for.
    I received an ARC of this book (thanks to the author & publisher!) and am voluntarily providing an honest review.
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