The Jagged Circle

by Shelley Peterson

Overview

A spine-tingling adventure with as many twists and turns as a steeplechase course.

“The Jagged Circle is full of suspense and a perfect book for horse lovers.” — Amber Marshall, equestrian and star of CBC's Heartland

It’s spring break and Evangeline Gibb is bored, stuck at her Gran Mary’s farm mucking stalls while her friends are away on vacation. She decides to spend the time training her horse, Kazzam, to ride cross-country to compete in the March Madness Steeplechase. But everything changes when Evie takes Kazzam for a gallop through the woods and makes a grisly discovery.

In a hoof-pounding race against time, Evie and her heroic horse team up to solve a mystery that involves, murder and deception, her troubled stepsister, a circle of runaway teen girls, and long-hidden truths about her family.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459746961
Publisher:	Dundurn Press
Publication date:	10/31/2020
Series:	Jockey Girl , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	12 - 15 Years

About the Author

Shelley Peterson is the bestselling author of several novels for young readers, including Sundancer, Christmas at Saddle Creek, and Jockey Girl. She raises horses at Fox Ridge, her family’s stable in Caledon, Ontario.

Shelley Peterson is the bestselling author of several novels for young readers, including Sundancer, Christmas at Saddle Creek, and Jockey Girl. She raises horses at Fox Ridge, her family’s stable in Caledon.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1: The Calm Before the Storm

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.
— Vivien Greene

Evangeline Gibb’s spirits were low. It was Monday of the spring break, and all her friends were away with family, either skiing down snowy slopes in faraway lands or sunbathing on romantic beaches. And here she was, mucking stalls in her grandmother Mary Parson’s four-stall wooden barn. Sixteen-year-old Evie envisioned a lonely week of boredom.

The snow should have melted by now, she brooded. Flowers should be shooting up. Birds should be singing. Leaves should be sprouting. But no. The tree branches were stark and budless against the grey, unsettled sky, and she was bundled up in her old winter jacket with her blue knitted toque pulled over her long red hair. When she exhaled, she could see her breath. The water tap was stiff with frost, and she’d had to use the hairdryer on it to get the water running.

At least the pipes weren’t frozen, she thought begrudgingly. She switched on the old barn radio beside the telephone.

“Good morning this Monday, March twelfth, at two minutes to eight. The current temperature is minus four, but good news, folks! By two this afternoon we’ll hit plus seven. You heard right! Our wintery weather will be moving down to New York. Might as well &8230; they blame us anyway.”

Dumb joke, Evie moped, as she put down her pitchfork to empty the wheelbarrow. The very idea of a spring thaw seemed like a distant dream.

Followed by her tall black dog, Magpie, Evie pushed the heaped cart over icy ruts to the manure spreader. In her irritation, she shoved it harder than necessary up the slippery ramp, and the whole thing tipped over, spilling horse manure and urine-soaked wood chips onto the ground.

“Arghhh!” she yelled. “Shh-shoot!”

Magpie scampered for cover, and Evie stomped back into the barn to retrieve her pitchfork. Angrily, she forked up the mess and refilled the barrow. “I can’t stand this!” she muttered aloud.

The winter had been especially long and harsh. With intense storms, high winds, and frequent power outages, it had been so bad that her grandmother had finally invested in a generator. Evie was glad, since no power meant no water, and no water meant driving miles away to haul it back for the horses to drink. And they drank a lot of water.

She dumped the twice-handled load in the spreader and carefully backed the wheelbarrow down the slick ramp. This time she managed to keep the front wheel from sliding off.

“Calm down, you jerk,” she told herself. She was acting like a spoiled brat, and she knew it. Being on a horse farm surrounded by beautiful countryside wasn’t a bad way to live. She filled her lungs with fresh air and counted to ten.

She gazed over the sloping fields and winding driveway fenced with ancient cedar split rails. The property had been in the Parson family for years, and from the first time she’d laid eyes on it, Evie had thought it was totally charming. As she stood at the barn door, to her right the lane curved up to the yellow Victorian farmhouse with a white wraparound porch. To her left, the lane ran down to the gravel road and across a meandering stream by way of the quaint wooden bridge that gave the farm its name, Parson’s Bridge.

Her spirits lifted further as her gaze landed on the four horses in the big paddock out front, munching on the round bale of hay that Glen Judge had dropped off the day before. Each horse was attractive in its own way, Evie decided, from tall and thin to short and curvy. And all with such different personalities. She took pleasure in how pretty they looked against the white snow.

Each horse wore a different coloured blanket. Calm and collected Paragon was a lanky bay, and his blanket was bright green. He’d been Gran Mary’s show hunter and was still elegant and in surprisingly good shape. The retired old chestnut racehorse, Bendigo, who’d won half a million dollars in his career and was still feisty, wore burnt orange. Christieloo, Gran Mary’s cheerful, willing hacking horse, was a palomino. Her deep-blue rug contrasted perfectly with her coat.

Last —but certainly not least, Evie thought —was her horse, No Justice. He was a sleek black and very nicely suited up in his blanket of crimson red. She called him Kazzam.

Her eyes rested on him. He belonged to her, she reflected, but really, she belonged to him. Kazzam’s bad temper was legendary, but Evie understood what angered him and why, and she felt he usually had good reason. She loved him for his distinctive personality. He returned that love by trusting her and allowing her to ride him. Together, they made a great team.

How proud she was to have a horse like him! A smile slowly brightened her freckled face as she thought about the ebony gelding. His ear tips almost touched together when pricked forward, and he had a crisp white heart on his forehead. His alert eyes shone with intelligence, and his profile was patrician, lending him a regal bearing and an air of confidence. He was small but mighty, standing only fifteen hands, but possessed of powerful speed. He was a Thoroughbred, bred for stamina and swiftness.

Nine months earlier, against all odds, Kazzam had won an upset victory at Canada’s most prestigious Thoroughbred race, the Queen’s Plate. Evie had been the rider. She’d just turned sixteen and had barely made apprentice jockey in time. It sometimes felt like it had all been a dream.

A training injury had sidelined their plans that year, and Evie worried about further damage being done to the gelding if they raced again. She was contemplating what other career might suit him best. For the past few months, when the weather permitted, she’d been training Kazzam to jump. It had begun as a strengthening exercise, but the small black horse had such an aptitude for the sport and was so eager to work that Evie had expanded their training schedule. She’d found the book How to Train Your Jumper at BookLore in Orangeville, and Gran Mary helped her pace out the proper striding. They did gymnastics and triples and bounces and oxers. Evie dragged out old lawn furniture for Kazzam to jump, and an old blue tarp from the barn became a water hazard. She admired his talent and his brains. He learned very quickly, and once he figured something out, he never forgot. Plus, they were having lots of fun.

She stretched out her arms and shoulders, noticing how the sun was trying hard to break through the clouds. The day was starting to look promising.

Normally on school mornings, she would get to the barn by six o’clock. She’d feed the horses their grain and blanket them while they were eating. After turning them out into the field, she’d scoot back to the farmhouse for a shower and a bowl of oatmeal before catching the school bus at seven-thirty. She mucked the stalls after school, unless Gran Mary had time to do it.

But today was a school holiday, and Evie could take her sweet time. Like mucking stalls is a holiday, she thought wryly. To be honest, though, she really didn’t mind because where there’s manure, there has to be horses.

Editorial Reviews

A propulsive plot that reads like the best Nancy Drew mystery, with a unique edge. Perfect for readers young and old!

bestselling author of Recipe for a Perfect Wife Karma Brown

Shelley Peterson masterfully captures the allure of a cult, how they prey on people’s vulnerabilities, and how truly difficult they are to leave. The Jagged Circle is a riveting cautionary tale every young person should read.

CBC producer and editor host of CBC Podcasts Uncov Josh Bloch

Peterson’s depiction of the racing world is intriguing and comprehensive, and stories about girls and their horses will never go out of style.

for Jockey Girl Booklist

Growing up, Shelley’s books were always my favourite. As a horse lover they transported me into a magical world and this latest addition does not disappoint. The Jagged Circle is full of suspense and a perfect book for horse lovers!

equestrian and star of CBC's Heartland Amber Marshall

Peterson tackles the tough societal issues of addiction, abuse, and homelessness with compassion and the understanding that people are not always who we want them to be.

for Jockey Girl The Rider

A good read for late teen readers who have an interest in horses and stories that involve family struggles, strong female protagonists... Highly recommended.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

The Jagged Circle is a thrilling read and I really enjoyed it. The real places mixed with fiction make it extra exciting. I will definitely think of your book the next time I ride through those trails and woods!

Olympic equestrian Selena O’Hanlon

Peterson, who has ridden all her life, writes with knowledge and passion about the world of horses.

London Free Press

A fast-paced mystery that deals with complex issues of addiction and cult-like behaviour in teens.

In The Hills

The Jagged Circle is a thrilling read and I really enjoyed it. The real places mixed with fiction make it extra exciting. I will definitely think of your book the next time I ride through those trails and woods!

Olympic equestrian Selena O’Hanlon

The Jagged Circle is a thrilling read and I really enjoyed it. The real places mixed with fiction make it extra exciting. I will definitely think of your book the next time I ride through those trails and woods!

Olympic equestrian Selena O'Hanlon

10/02/2020

Gr 7 Up—It's spring break in Ontario and 16-year-old Evie Gibbs is out for a stroll through the woods with her horse, Kazzam, when she stumbles across a teenage girl left for dead. Later that day, her half-sister Beatrice, 14, goes missing. Evie and her younger half-brother Jordie are convinced that Beatrice is involved with the same people who left the girl in the woods. With little help from the police, Jordie, Evie, and their grandmother begin their hunt for Beatrice and find out the neighboring horse stables may be hiding more than farm animals on their grounds. As Book Two in the "Jockey Girl" series, readers do not need to read the first, nor do they need to be horse lovers, to get swept up in this multi-layered mystery. The balance of mystery, horses, humor, and easy vocabulary makes this a perfect pick for readers who are looking for thrills but not ready to dive into traditional YA murder mysteries. Main characters are white and Canadian. VERDICT A good pick for collections looking for horse books for teenagers or Agatha Christie—like mysteries.—Anna Taylor, Chattanooga, TN

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