âJulian Trent, you have been found guilty by this court of perpetrating a violent and unprovoked attack on an innocent family including a charge of attempted murder. You have shown little or no remorse for your actions and I consider you a danger to society.â
When defense lawyer Geoffrey Mason hears the judgeâs ruling at Londonâs Old Bailey, he quietly hopes that a substantial sentence will be handed down to his arrogant young client. That Julian Trent only receives eight years seems all too lenient. Little does Mason realize that heâll be looking Trent in the eyes again much sooner than that.
Setting aside his barristerâs gown and wig, Mason heads to Sandown racetrack to don his colorful racing silks. As an amateur jockey, he fulfills his true passion by pounding the turf in the heat of a steeplechase. Yet when a fellow rider is brutally murderedâa pitchfork driven through his chestâMasonâs racing hobby soon becomes too close to his work. The prime suspect is one of their brethren, champion jockey Steve Mitchell, and the evidence against him seems overwhelming.
Mason is reluctant to heed Mitchellâs plea for legal helpâbut he soon finds himself at the center of a sinister web of violence, threats and intimidation. Mason is left fighting a battle of right and wrong, and more immediately, a battle of life and deathâ¦his own.
Dick Francis is the author of more than 30 mysteries set against a horse racing background. A three-time Edgar Award winner, he was named Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America in 1996.
Felix Francis, a graduate of London University, is an accomplished outdoorsman, marksman, and pilot who has assisted with the research of many of his fatherâs novels
Imprint: Putnam Adult
Distributor: Penguin Group USA, Inc
Publication Date: 08-26-2008
Pages: 352
Measurements: 9.30in X 6.30in X 1.44in X 1.55lb
