The False Favorite

A classic mystery in the style of Chandler & Hammett with a modern twist...and Derby hats.



One month before the Kentucky Derby, a wealthy thoroughbred owner turns up dead. Can his widow solve the crime in time to save her prized racehorse? When she hires private detective Cal Tyson to investigate, they find big money holds a strong influence on the horse-racing industry. Several key players may have wanted Sterling Halcott dead, but why? And how far are they willing to go to protect their interests?



Cal Tyson and the widow Harper Halcott must navigate mansions, parties, wealth, power, romance, and the lingering vestiges of the antebellum South in this novel set in Lexington and Louisville during the weeks leading up to a "photo finish" in the most exciting two minutes of sports, The Kentucky Derby.