Blind Switch - LP [Large Print] [Paperback]

John McEvoy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 13, 2006

Desperate Jack Doyle accepts a sketchy job which leads to a deadly game of fixing horse races and murder--of the four-legged kind.... One-time amateur boxer Jack Doyle, an irreverent and rebellious advertising account representative, goes to work one fine Chicago day and finds his desk--and his job--both gone. A two-time loser at the marriage game as well, Doyle, usually ultra-confident, fishes himself out of a bottle to take stock, realizing, "with a thumping finality, that Life sure as hell did have his number and was crunching it."~At loose ends, Doyle accepts a most unusual offer from an acquaintance, Moe Kellman, "furrier to the Mob," to fix a horse race. The context of making the deal, a Cubs game at storied Wrigley Field, sets the tone for the drama that follows. Thus begins a chain of events that will lead the FBI to Doyle's door where they "coopt" him into a quest after people who are maiming or killing thoroughbred horses for their insurance values. Their number one target is a loathsome media mogul who can't bear to lose at anything.~Built upon recent factual events, spiced with satire and peppered throughout with engaging loonies, Blind Switch is a noteworthy first novel with a hero forced to ask in its ultimate line, "Where have I gone right?"

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This accomplished first novel set in the world of horse racing is bound to be compared to the novels of Dick Francis, though McEvoy may be a little broader and perhaps sunnier than Francis. Unemployed ad man Jack Doyle—so appealing he might be described as freewheeling instead of plain old irresponsible—decides to help gym acquaintance Moe Kellman, a tiny man with a Don King explosion of hair, fix a horse race. He finds the assignment interesting, though he's distinctly uncomfortable with its illegal nature. After the race, Doyle is not only relieved of his payoff by two erstwhile pals, but the FBI swoops in and threatens to prosecute him if he doesn't help them with another crime involving race horses. Doyle agrees, and is given a job on the estate of the evil Harvey Rexroth. Rexroth's eccentricities, insisting that a babe perpetually rollerblade on a track around his pool area, for example, are amusing if a little strained. Rexroth's farm manager, a good-hearted New Zealander, suspects that his boss is having horses killed—in ingenious ways that look like natural deaths—for insurance money. The denouement wobbles toward an ending that could have been stronger, but a mesmerizing, all-too-human protagonist, a playful tone and exceptionally lively language more than make up for any flaws.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Forecast: As the former Midwest editor and senior correspondent for Daily Racing Forum (and author of five nonfiction books on thoroughbred racing), McEvoy is in a good position to promote this book, starting with a signing at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame."   --Publisher's Weekly, starred review

"Easy prose, always interesting subject matter (shades of Dick Francis!), and an admirable protagonist make this a satisfying first novel."     --Library Journal

"...if you have any interest in the sports he so expertly dissects, you'll probably wish the sequel was waiting on the nightstand."     --Chicago Tribune

 

"It’s a good tale, fleshed out with plenty of colorful character and a finely realized rac­ing setting at home on the track or in the barns."        --Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

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Product Details

• Paperback: 457 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; Large type / large print edition (June 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590581237
• ISBN-13: 978-1590581230
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,073,342 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Saddle Up and Hold On - It's a Fun Ride!!, December 12, 2004

By 

John R. Linnell (New Gloucester, ME United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blind Switch (Hardcover)

I love books that deal with horses. I especially look forward to those which deal with horse racing. Add to that setting a hero with some serious defects in his character, an interesting scenario which puts him on the side of the angels, several villians whom you will love to hate, some people you will genuinely care about and a generous sprinkling of serious nut cases and you have a very readable, thoroughly enjoyable first novel by John McEvoy. I have read most of the writings of the late, great Dick Francis and in my judgment, references to his writings in comparison to this story is comparing apples to oranges. Both authors have an interesting way of telling their story, but there is little comparison to how they go about it. This is a story that will hold your interest, tickle your funny bone and satisfy your sense of justice. That's a trifecta worth betting on!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Races, August 13, 2004

By 

L. B. Borland - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blind Switch (Hardcover)

Blind Switch is worth the read! A lively book with full blown interesting, and some despicable characters, this book kept me going. McEvoy makes the world of horse breeding and racing a seductive one and one I would like to visit again. He blends the good guys with the bad guys as the story weaves from Chicago to Kentucky and en route we watch the main character grow and ultimately flourish.

A fast and refreshing story!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, July 28, 2004

By 

Teoman Sinan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blind Switch (Hardcover)

Blind Switch is a great ride - lots of unusual and goofy characters - some are people you'd like to know, including Jack Doyle, the main character. He starts out in a "blind switch", essentially boxed in by life, though in part by his own doing. He evolves and revolves through the world of thoroughbred horse racing. You will too. Great suspense, life lessons, and peripheral romance. You'll hate the bad guys and enjoy the good guys, with lots of laughs. The Chicago references are fun for us Chicagoans. Ever wonder why horse racing is actually a clean sport? Because the FBI, the mob, and the industry itself need and want it to be. It's a great read! I didn't want it to end. I'm waiting for McEvoy's next move.