Dang Near Dead

Aggie vacations with Sam and Meredith at a Texas Hill Country dude ranch with plans to advise her column readers how to stay young and fresh in summer. Except for wranglers, dudes, heat, snakes and poison ivy, what could go wrong? When an expert rider is thrown from a horse and lies in a coma, Aggie is convinced somebody caused the fall. Despite Sam’s warnings, Aggie is determined to expose the assailant. Her ingenious sleuthing methods strain their dicey relationship as she probes secrets.After she scatters a hornet’s nest of cowboys, she discovers more than one hombre in the bunch would like to slit her throat. "There are bursts of humor in this novel which had me roaring with laughter. The plot is intricate, with a satisfying ending. Sam and Aggie grow closer, and he still does not know of Aggie’s secret grief. A great read." __Diana M. Hockley, Australian mystery and reviewer for NetGallery. "I love this character, Aggie Mundeen. West does such a good job of making Aggie humorous, but with a brain." __Jennifer Gott, Houston, Texas "This mystery caper will delight readers who reveled in feisty Aggie’s health club fiascos in Fit to Be Dead. Spiced with up-and-down encounters between Sam and Aggie—-she thinks she loves him but is determined to solve the crime despite Sam’s warnings—-make Dang Near Dead a satisfying mystery with complex characters and a plot that builds to a satisfying crescendo. __Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review.