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Riders Down

by John McEvoy



      Bernard Glockman was Chicago's oldest active bookmaker, at the age of 92. He was killed when he was thrown from his apartment window. The police ruled it a suicide, but his nephew, Moe Kellerman, believes Bernard was killed by the Mob and asks Matt O'Connor, a Chicago columnist for a national racing newspaper, to find the truth. Through his investigations Matt finds a link between Bernard's death and the outcome of a series of races. Aided by horse trainer, Maggie Collins, and Dave Zimmerman, a professional gambler, O'Connor finds that the jockeys have been threatened with death unless they cause their horses to lose the races. He finds a brilliant sociopath, Claude Bledsoe, has plotted a race-fixing scheme to accumulate the million dollars he needs to inherit a fortune from his deceased aunt. The search for the truth puts O'Connor in danger before he can bring the case to its conclusion.

Written in the fine tradition of Dick Francis, McEvoy has presented an outstanding picture of the world of racing. The characters are well drawn: Maggie Collins as a horse trainer, Matt O'Connor as an intrepid sports columnist, Dave Zimmerman the Fount, as an expert concerning all matters relating to horse racing, Moe Kellerman as a millionaire bent on revenging his uncle, a stable of jockeys, Claude Bledsoe as a brilliant lifetime student and sociopath, Marie Ranki as an embittered crippled former jockey. He has successfully evoked the sights and sounds of the racetrack and the stables and of the lives of the jockeys.

Without any hesitation I would recommend this to be put on your must read list. It is one of the best books I have read in a long time.

The Book

Poisoned Pen Press
March 2006
Hardcover
1590582586
Suspense
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Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Barbara Buhrer
Reviewed 2006
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© 2006 MyShelf.com