The Queen's Mare

by John Birkett

Overview

All bets are off when it comes to kidnap, mayhem, and murder …

When the "Grand Dame of Kentucky Racing" enlists private eye Michael Rhineheart to deliver the ransom for a kidnapped broodmare and her foal, Rhineheart thinks it will be a speedy transaction.

But what should have been a simple mission turns into a deadly double-cross, and soon Rhineheart is on the hunt for the horses … and a ruthless killer.

Fans of Dick Francis will love Birkett's hardboiled gumshoe and his Kentucky bluegrass flavor.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062356208
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/17/2024
Series:	Michael Rhineheart, P.I.
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	235
Sales rank:	332,791
File size:	758 KB

About the Author

John Birkett is the author of The Queen's Mare and The Last Private Eye, both to be re-released by HarperCollins Publishers. He is a winner of the Shamus Award, given by the Private Eye Writers of America.

Editorial Reviews

Birkett's ( The Last Private Eye ) second whodunit again features private eye Michael Rhineheart, an old-fashioned gumshoe with a stack of unpaid bills, a smart-mouthed secretary and a confidential mission that could happen only in Kentucky bluegrass country. Rhineheart is called in by ``the Grande Dame of Kentucky Racing'' to deliver a million-dollar ransom for a kidnapped broodmare and her foal. The pressure is on to complete the transaction quickly, since the mare belongs to the Queen of England, scheduled to visit in less than a week. But the simple ransom-exchange plan turns into a double-cross, and soon Rhineheart finds himself looking for the horses, the ransom money and a ruthless murderer who already has killed twice. Though Rhineheart is amiable enough, the story itself is overplotted and talky. The social events involving racing's glitterati are unconvincing in depicting the glamour and essence of the horsey set. Birkett's hard-boiled dialogue is lifeless, and the story has a derivative feel to it, as though all of the author's research took place in a class on detective fiction. (July )

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly