by Dick Francis
First published 2004
Gene Hawkins dreads his upcoming three weeks of vacation. The English agent knows he will spend the time alone with memories that refuse to fade. His boss offers him an alternative: help American millionaire Dave Teller track down a valuable stallion that has vanished without a trace. Hawkins accepts the assignment and crosses the Atlantic. He expects routine investigative work, but the case pulls him into dangerous territory. Teller's socialite wife makes unwelcome advances. His boss's teenage daughter develops feelings that complicate everything. The horse thieves prove more ruthless than anticipated. The criminals who stole the prized stallion will kill to protect their operation. They target Hawkins directly, determined to silence him before he can expose their network. The agent must navigate romantic entanglements while staying ahead of killers who want him dead. His search for one missing horse becomes a fight for survival.
Genres: adventure, suspense, mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: England, Atlantic Ocean, United States
Period: 20th-century
288 pages · Mass Market Paperback · G.P. Putnam's Sons