Mickey Rhineheart is called in to investigate a missing
racehorse groom. He's a PI and the lady reporter who
entrusts the job to him, knew him from school. That's a
long time ago, but it's better than Mickey knows horses.
Still, how hard can it be? At the time of the Churchill
Downs great racing festival, when horses are being primed
for the prize of the Kentucky Derby, THE LAST PRIVATE EYE
finds that a great deal is at stake. Maybe enough to be
worth killing for.
The first thing Mickey finds in his quest for groom Carl
Walsh is a fit young woman willing to sleep with a total
stranger. The next is a dead man. This man is another
racing groom, for a different stud farm. Is something
going
on? Both studs have colts entered in the Derby. The
connection is tenuous but enough to keep Mickey
investigating. A colt called Royal Dancer is among the
field, and Carl was his groom. The colt's owner seems all
too keen to get the matter resolved before race day, on
the
grounds that it is adverse publicity. Competition between
the two stud farms is fierce, but would they stoop to
murder?
We see the insides of stable yards and expensive bluegrass
country homes, learn that money can't buy you happiness
and
that even winners on the track can be losers in life. This
tale was written in 1988 and feels like it. There are no
mobile phones, net searches or social pages; on the other
hand we are reminded of how little life has changed in
other areas. The PI meets the traditional informers -
waitresses, low-paid workers, scared girlfriends of
missing
persons - and the usual antagonists - the wealthy,
bookmakers and police who hate anyone interfering and
removing evidence. I absolutely could not believe the
socialite wanting to get together with the PI, but others
might disagree.
If you like shamus stories, John Birkett has produced a
fine, traditionally gritty example of the genre in THE
LAST
PRIVATE EYE. Horse lovers will see less of horses and
more
of people than we could have hoped, but then again horses
don't provide tips or threats, do they? The next in this
series is called The Queen's Mare and I'm looking forward
to the read.
Nasty horseplay at the Derby lands Rhineheart in a race
against time to stop a murderous scheme …
Michael Rhineheart is a Louisville private eye with a
taste
for bourbon and a nose for trouble. He's as tough and
savvy
as they come. His sleuthing secretary, Sally McGraw, is
desperate to learn the ropes. Their pal Farnsworth is a
crusty old pro who hasn't lost his touch.
Together this hardboiled trio sets out to solve a
mysterious
disappearance at the racetrack. Soon they are galloping
onto
a trail of lust, greed, and murder … and enough dirty
deeds
to turn Kentucky's bluegrass red with shame.
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