Lyndon Stacey

First Line: Twelve hundred pounds of charging horseflesh hit the wooden railings chest high and somersaulted into the north stands.

27-year-old Ross Wakelin is in Florida trying to drink himself out of the nightmares he's having when British colleague Lindsey Cresswell offers him a fresh start with a new job riding for her uncle who has a show-jumping yard in Wiltshire, England. Ross grabs at the chance, but when he arrives at Oakley Manor, he's thrown right into the thick of it. A horse is show more poisoned, the overseer isn't at all friendly, one of the grooms actively obstructs Ross's every move, and a ring announcer goes out of his way to put the young rider in a very unfavorable light.

One of the owners is being blackmailed. Whenever he tries to thwart the blackmailer, one of his horses is killed or seriously injured. The owner brings Ross into this on the quiet, hoping the American can help shed light on the identity of the villain. In no time flat, things begin to escalate, and Ross's integrity isn't the only thing that's in danger.

This is Stacey's debut novel, and it shows a bit. At 576 pages, it's about 200 pages too long, and the plot creaked a bit with some well-worn devices. But the good far outweighs the awkward.

This book is a gem for anyone who loves horses and would like to know a bit more about the world of show jumping. Every time Ross schooled a horse or rode one into the ring, the story took flight and I was mesmerized. Stacey has written more books with an equestrian theme, and I look forward very much to reading more. If there are any Dick Francis fans out there, I think you'd enjoy giving Lyndon Stacey's books a try, too. show less

In Murder in Mind, by Lyndon Stacey, Matt Shepherd is a steeplechase jockey, a rising star in the world of hurdles horse racing, until a young woman, known in England's West Country as something of a slut, turns up dead and Matt's friend Jamie, also a jockey, is accused of her murder. Unfortunately, Jamie was the woman's most recent boyfriend and they'd had a very public argument at a large birthday party just hours before she was found dead, by Matt. Matt knows his friend would never commit show more such a crime and he promises Jamie to do what he can to find out what really happened. But once on the case, Matt seems to start ruffling a lot of very powerful feathers, and before he knows it, he is fighting for his own career, his relationship with his girlfriend and indeed, his very life....I quite enjoyed this tale, although I must admit that as Matt's career is being deliberately destroyed bit by bit by unknown enemies, I was finding myself terribly worried about what would happen to him, so much so that at times I was almost scared to pick up the book to read more! Which I suppose is an endorsement of the writing, if you think about it. It appears that the author, Lyndon Stacey, sets all of her novels (she has 6 or 7) in the same general milieu, with horse-racing and dogs featuring one way or another, and I suppose it might become repetitious to read all of them back to back, but this particular book was quite entertaining and filled with thrilling steeplechase meets that are realistically described. In addition, Matt is an engaging character, enough so that I would be quite happy to read another novel featuring this individual jockey. Despite my trepidation over Matt's future from time to time, overall I found the book to be a relatively light read, and although there's a bit of the old deus ex machina in the climax, it was still satisfying and could plausibly be explained away by an earlier detail. So, recommended, especially if you like horses! show less

from James:

A good enough diversion read, but not Stacey's best effort. She's often compared to Dick Francis and I think she started the dog-handler series in an effort to set herself apart a bit. However and ultimately, horses and racing are still involved in the story. You can take the kid out of the paddock, but you can't take the paddock out of the kid.

The title of the book doesn't quite live up to the expectation. It reminds me of the movie, There Will Be Blood. Going in, you had a clue show more that there would be blood. In this case, I kept expecting everything to be a lie, but it wasn't quite. Maybe it's the ultimate red-herring: suggest one thing with a title, but then don't do that one thing. Tricky.

If you're a Dick or Felix Francis fan, you should give Stacey a try. Her earlier books, especially Cut Throat, are slightly more brutal, but also slightly more entertaining. show less

I still think Dick Francis is the best at these racing mysteries. But Lyndon Stacy comes close in characterisation. Francis could write a tight plot and build really strong, 3D characters. Stacey comes close but lacks that Francis honesty and realistic edge. Her ending here is a bit mushy and smacks of tying up the ends rather too obviously.

It's a good read. Anyone liking horses will enjoy it. Matt Shepherd is a likeable character and his efforts to help his friend, Jamie, when the police show more accuse him of murder, makes for an exciting plot. If Matt's girl friend is a bit wet, well she's not yet twenty.

Well written, fast paced and a good solid read for anyone who likes mysteries.

No stars because my personal rating should not be used to affect the sales of this book. I'd like a two tier rating system, one public and one private which we can opt to use for each book. show less