Dead Certainty

April 27, 2015
Wilson (Vendetta) kicks off a new mystery series with a premise that will sound awfully familiar to Dick Francis fans. Champion jockey Harry Radcliffe faces an uncertain future after a serious accident during a race. With time on his hands, he accepts a suggestion from his friend and trainer, Mike Grantley, to ghostwrite the autobiography of Elspeth Maudsley, “one of jump racing’s top lady trainers.” It seems like a benign-enough assignment, but it soon becomes clear that not every member of Elspeth’s family is keen on the project. Soon after Harry begins work, his Nottinghamshire home is broken into, his life is endangered, and a person he knows ends up dead. Elements of Harry’s personal life will also remind readers of Francis’s Sid Halley novels. In particular, he has a complex relationship with his estranged wife, whom he loves though she’s clearly moved on to another man. Harry is an engaging-enough lead, but Wilson will need to add more to future books to make them memorable. Agent: David Grossman, David Grossman Literary Agency (U.K.).

Starred review from June 1, 2015

Champion jockey Harry Radcliffe is recuperating from a serious riding accident that may end his racing career. It is grating to him that he has been reduced to ghostwriting a biography of racehorse trainer Elspeth Maudsley. But as Harry researches Elspeth's family history, his cottage is broken into and arson attempted, he's involved in a severe automobile mishap, and dead bodies keep appearing. With the assistance of best friend Mike Grantley, and Annabel, his ex-wife, Harry muddles his way through the tangled threads of Elspeth's life. When someone threatens the life of his half sister, Silvie, who is incapacitated with Rett Syndrome, Harry is outraged. VERDICT The comparisons to Dick Francis will be inevitable, but this intricately and ingeniously plotted series debut by a British crime and romance writer stands well on its own. The writing is fresh, Harry is an appealing sleuth, and Leo the cat is a great sidekick. Wilson's alluring equine mystery will ease the pangs of those still mourning Francis and enrapture readers of Kit Ehrman or John Francome.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2015
When jockey Harry Radcliffe is seriously injured during a race, it seems his riding career may be over. Waiting to get final confirmation of this devastating possibility from his doctor, he's feeling very sorry for himself. At first, when a friend brings him a proposal from Elspeth Maudsley, one of British horseracing's most famous trainers, to write her biography, Harry rejects it. But since he needs money, he eventually agrees to take on the project. Almost as soon as he starts delving into Elspeth's life, however, deadly accidents begin to happen: his house is nearly set on fire, he's run off the road, and a staged car crash nearly costs him his life. There is something in Elspeth's past that someone is desperate to hide, but what? A twisted plot, plenty of suspense and action, a likable hero, and a stunning conclusion make this horsey tale a winner long before it crosses the finish lineand, of course, a perfect choice for Dick (and, now, son Felix) Francis fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)