The Walkover

The stakes were high, my odds were low, and I'd just bet the farm.

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Could the foiled hit on a high-court judge, and the murder of a bookie's clerk, be related to a gang war for control of Britain's racetracks? Could a horse run under another's name be somehow connected to a smuggling ring?

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It's the summer of 1919. Britons are trying to recover from four years of war and a pandemic that killed a quarter million of their friends and family. One distraction is a flutter on the ponies.

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Despite high unemployment, from the return of soldiers from France, many find a few pence or even pounds to wager at the track. Events like the Royal Ascot, where King George and Queen Mary could be seen in a landau, help to raise spirits but even there the occasion is tainted by racketeering.

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In this sequel to The Pipe Smoker's Cut, Daniel Turcotte, a photographer for The Buckminster Gazette and former equestrian, becomes embroiled in the underworld when a close friend suddenly disappears from the stable where he worked. In this fast-paced tale of crooks, cops, and even MI5, Turcotte rubs shoulders with notables of the time, from both sides of the law, and soon learns that a walkover is not as simple as it sounds.