The Walkover

The stakes were high, my odds were low, and I'd just bet the farm.. 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?. 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.. 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.. In this sequel to The Pipe Smoker's Cut, Daniel Turcotte, 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.