Harry Radcliffe is a race jockey in a hard-boiled British
tale which bears similarities to the early Dick Francis
books. Back in the saddle after a knee injury, he rides
over a steeplechase course for the first time in six
months. There's an earlier book in this Harry Radcliffe
series, and the shadows of that misadventure are still
darkening his life. DEAD ON COURSE takes up with threats
being made by a convict who's about to get out of jail; he
wants a word with Harry about the convict's deceased
brother.
Jockeys take their reputations very seriously as shady
connections lead to suspicions of race rigging, so I was
surprised that Harry doesn't tell the police about the
threats but goes to meet the violent Jake Smith. He does
tell his trainer, though, a wise move. Harry's personal
life takes some sorting out. His wife has left him and is
expecting another man's baby, yet she still faith heals
Harry. While not looking for company, Harry feels entitled
to consider himself single though he's not looking for a
divorce. Harry drops in that he writes a newspaper racing
column, which must have helped with income while he was
injured, but we don't see him write. Jake Smith's sister
has died in a car crash. He believes the car had been
tampered with and wants Harry to discover who caused her
death. While it's plausible that a criminal wouldn't trust
the police, his choice of investigator seems odd to me. But
they have acquaintances in common, and some of these people
are suspects.
As Harry asks around, the names coming back to him are
connected, until it gets to seem almost incestuous. Smith's
sister was a call girl and in a car with a wealthy older
man. The car collided with the back of a horse lorry,
killing the pair. Online hook-up sites enter the picture
but Harry is drawn inexorably back to the horse connection,
maybe because that is what he knows best. We follow him at
a wedding in a posh golf resort and at racecourses. The
jockey's healthy diet includes Dover sole, asparagus tips
and peas, with an occasional beer. Jump jockeys can be
heavier than flat jockeys as they ride older horses. Even
for a jockey, though, I felt Harry takes a lot of injuries
and he'd have no body fat to cushion the blows. He also
discovers an awful lot of bodies in this tightly plotted
adult thriller. Maybe there's too much violence for me, but
I certainly like the equestrian setting and the way that
horses are treated as characters. DEAD ON COURSE by Glenis
Wilson expertly takes us behind the scenes and shows us
modern racing with traditional characters. It's a fast ride.
A fast-paced mystery set in the cut-throat world of horse-racing: second in the new Harry Radcliffe series.
Back in the saddle and race riding again after weeks recuperating from a serious accident, champion jockey Harry
Radcliffe reckons his life is back on course. That’s before local gangster Jake Smith, newly released from gaol,
makes contact. Knowing of Harry’s success in finding out who killed his brother, Jake now wants him to discover
who murdered his sister, Jo-Jo. Refusing to accept the official verdict of accidental death, Jake is prepared to use
whatever violence necessary to uncover the truth. He’s determined that somebody pays the price for his sister’s
death – and if Harry doesn’t find out who’s responsible, it’ll be him.
Once again forced to turn detective, Harry is about to enter a world of greed, corruption and treachery in order to
unmask a ruthless killer.
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