Front Runner
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3.7 • 6 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Things are hotting up in this gripping thriller from bestselling author Felix Francis
'Grabs you from the start and keeps you hooked. A fast-paced book that you can't put down' 5***** READER REVIEW
'A great story, suspenseful with lots of twists and turns' 5***** READER REVIEW
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Jefferson Hinkley is back.
Operating as an undercover investigator for the British Horseracing Authority, Jeff is approached by the multiple-champion jockey, Dave Swinton, to discuss the delicate matter of his losing races on purpose.
Little does Jeff realise that his visit to Swinton's house will result in a brutal attempt on his life.
Shortly after Jeff narrowly escapes a certain and grisly death, the charred body Dave Swinton is found in his burnt-out car at a deserted beauty spot in Oxfordshire.
The police think it's suicide, but Jeff is not so sure. He starts to investigate those races that Swinton could have intentionally lost, but soon discovers instead that there are those who would prevent him from doing so, at any cost . . .
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Praise for Dick Francis and Felix Francis:
'From winning post to top of the bestseller list, time after time' Sunday Times
'The Francis flair is clear for all to see' Daily Mail
'The master of suspense and intrigue' Country Life
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the start of bestseller Francis's entertaining second novel featuring British Horseracing Authority investigator Jeff Hinkley (after 2014's Dick Francis's Damage), Dave Swinton, a champion steeplechase jockey who's the public face of the sport, confesses to his friend Jeff that he intentionally lost a race, a breach of the BHA's rules that could bar him from racing for a decade. Dave refuses to say more, though he later tells Jeff in confidence that he was blackmailed into doing so by a person who threatens to tell the tax authorities that the athlete neglected to report sizable gifts. This makes the situation even more awkward for Jeff, who urges Dave to admit he made an error and pay what he owes to the revenue service. When Dave's burned corpse turns up in his car in what appears to be a case of suicide, Jeff investigates. Francis again offers an imaginative variant on the racetrack-related thriller plots of his father, Dick.
