Book Review: Bullet Work by Steve O'Brien

" Tim, how the hell they steal my mare off the grounds?" Hank Skelton yelled. ....

"I mean, come on, someone can bring in a trailer, load up one of my horses, and just drive right by your f--- security guard," Skelton screamed, pointing a finger at Belker. "What the hell is that?" (p. 55

Title: Bullet Work. Paperback: 349 pages.
 Publisher: A & N Publishing; 1st edition (March 22, 2011)
Source: The Cadence Group. Genre: mystery, horseracing

Comments: Intriguing look at horseracing, the stables, the men who ride, run, and keep the horses in the "backside" - behind the scenes. Intensely focused on the world of horses, those who are into horseracing will find this a fascinating novel and mystery. I would have liked some substories, subplots to add variety to the main plot.

Product Description:  "Behind the glamorous exterior of horse racing lies the gritty reality of the backside. Within this fiercely competitive world of owners, trainers, vets, and jockeys something has gone terribly wrong. As opening day approaches, one racehorse is poisoned, another has her leg crushed by a lead pipe and a third mysteriously disappears. Shock and horror grip the racing community. Then it all makes sense. Greed. Extortion.

Despite all security efforts, the brutal killings continue. For Dan Morgan it becomes personal when his precocious two-year-old filly is targeted. Dan befriends AJ Kaine, a lonely, “horse whispering” young man. AJ is a hotwalker, the lowest of jobs in the backside food chain. But AJ has a secret--perhaps a secret that can corner a killer. With AJ’s help, Dan must crack the extortion scheme or risk becoming the next victim."

Objective rating: 3.5/5

About the Author: Steve O Brien is an attorney, author, and former thoroughbred owner. Bullet Work is his second novel. It follows the critically acclaimed Elijah's Coin, recipient of nine literary awards. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Thanks to the Cadence Group for the review copy of this book.

Even Money by Dick Francis and Felix Francis, a review

Ned Talbot has been running his independent bookmaker business at racetracks since his grandfather Teddy started it years before. Everything is routine until a customer shows up one day and claims to be Ned's father, who was supposed to have died years ago. The man is then killed in front of Ned by a mugger demanding money.

Ned confirms that the mystery man's fatal stabbing was not random. He gathers more information about this man who claimed to be his father and finds out about his relationship to the horse racing business.

Sub-plots: Three sub plots add to the interest of the main story: the amusing love life of Ned's assistant Luca, the touching story of Ned's wife Sophia, and Ned's family history.

Comments: Easy reading, spare prose, excellent dialogue and character development, a solid plot and good subplots worked easily into the overall book. I enjoyed this mystery and also learned quite a bit about modern day horse racing in Britain.
Thanks to the Penguin Group for an ARC of this book.

Here's a review of Second Wind by Dick Francis by Rose City Reader.