Dark Horses [Hardcover]

John W. Russell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2002

Dark Horses is a work of fiction that was inspired to some extent by actual events that have taken place within the sport of Thoroughbred horseracing. The characters are not intended to represent any living person and most of the events are also products of the author’s imagination, but both real and imagined situations depicted within this story have been linked to add to the complexity of the plot. International intrigue, insurance fraud, attempted race fixing and murder are inextricably entwined to make a fascinating first novel.

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About the Author

John W. Russell, born in England, has spent his entire life connected with Thoroughbred racing. The son of a prominent English trainer, he left his homeland at an early age to pursue his own career as a trainer in America. After training several national champions in the United States and many other top class horses at racecourses from Paris to Hong Kong, he retired in 1995 and is now a consultant and free-lance writer for various Thoroughbred magazines including The Blood-Horse and Backstretch, and other equine trade journals. He has written and directed two videos on racing and been a guest speaker at various functions. He now lives in Southern California with his wife and two sons.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

PROLOGUE

In the failing light of evening, a large motor yacht eased away from its dock, powerful engines quietly throbbing as it slowly made headway out onto Long Island Sound. All eighty odd feet of it were illuminated from lights below decks, but the only sign of life was a single individual high up upon the bridge. As he steered the yacht past the shore lights that gradually faded into the summer haze, the barely visible figure switched on navigation lights and pushed the throttles forward to maximum power. The yacht surged forward, the sound of the engines increasing to a full-blown roar.

A brief smile flicked across the man’s face as he enjoyed the implied sense of power that the vessel transmitted; he was certain that the next few hours were not going to be entirely unpleasant. Dumping the body that lay below decks was not going to be the highlight of the evening, but considering his contempt for the victim and the finality of his association with him, there would be no regrets about seeing him go over the side.

The girl was another matter altogether. She was beautiful and, at last, completely at his mercy. He knew that when he released her that she would come out fighting; he admired her spirit. But since she would be unaware of the demise of the other fellow, he was sure that he would be able to convince her that he meant no harm, at least until he was finished with her. He hoped that would not be too soon. He fantasized for a moment about the possibility of spending the remainder of the weekend anchored somewhere off the New York shore, indulging his desire before he killed her. He refused to contemplate how he would do that, thinking that it was to his credit that he had never killed a woman before.

Checking the radar screen on the instrument panel, he could see that there were no other boats within five miles on his present easterly heading, so he would have at least fifteen minutes to go below and get rid of his old friend. Switching the steering mechanism onto autopilot and taking one last look to reassure himself that there were no other vessels in sight, and whistling a cheerful tune, he proceeded to go below.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corp (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401034659
• ISBN-13: 978-1401034658
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,854,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)