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Hot Laps
A Stockcar Thriller

by Steve Eubanks



      Robert "Redball" Redding walked away from a successful career in stock car racing in order to become a prosecutor and put away the bad guys. For the most part, his Salem Cup championship makes him a legend that draws respect from the public, members of law enforcement, and even some of the criminals he encounters. But not everyone appreciates a champion.

Why would the step-brother of racing’s favorite son steal a truckload of toy cars? And who would pay an exorbitant price for them? When Redding’s investigation into this puzzle begins to interfere with the operations of the infamous Delacroix crime family, Redball quickly learns that killers don’t use restrictor plates. It’s only a matter of time before Redball and his family are targeted for murder.

Eubanks has the rare ability to create a host of characters with clearly delineated personalities and motives that give tremendous depth to the narrative. From the quietly driven prosecutor, Robert Redding, to the drug-crazed godfather wannabe, Sonny Delacroix, to Redding’s wise-beyond-her-years, hearing-impaired daughter, the characters propel the plot logically and inevitably forward.

In Hot Laps, Steve Eubanks delivers a debut novel full of fast action, hairpin twists, and colorful characters to rival anything stock car racing has to offer, while deftly incorporating real-life controversies from the racing world to create a background that will captivate readers.

Smoothly written and perfectly timed, Hot Laps offers intelligent and often irreverent humor, along with an entertaining plot and complex characters. Persnickety readers should be warned, however, that errors in spelling, punctuation, and Bablefish Spanish slipped past the copyeditor.

The Book

Harper
February 2007
Mass Market Paperback
978-0-06-079257-2
Mystery Thriller
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
NOTE: Deaf Character: Protagonist’s teen daughter is hearing-impaired. Eubanks handles the dialogue-through-signing so well that Katie’s conversations fit seamlessly into the rest of the story.

The Reviewer

Deborah Adams
Reviewed 2007
NOTE: Reviewer Deborah Adams is the Flair and Macavity Award winning author of the Jesus Creek Mystery Series: All The Great Pretenders, All The Crazy Winters, All The Dark Disguises, All The Hungry Mothers, All The Deadly Beloved, All The Blood Relations, and All The Dirty Cowards. She was also an Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel.
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