What do you think?
Rate this book
Coley Killebrew #2
Fire Horse
Bill Shoemaker, the greatest jockey of all time, made a smashing fiction debut with his first novel, Stalking Horse, starring jockey-turned-sleuth Coley Killebrew. Now Coley is back, and this time he's up against the toughest odds he's ever faced.
It all starts when Johnny Rousseau, Coley's partner in the Horse's Neck Bar and Grill, finds himself saddled with a little problem named Paula Dresner. Gorgeous, rich, and spoiled rotten, Paula has Johnny twisted around her manicured little finger -- but he's not too love-blind to see that she's gotten herself mixed up in some very suspicious business. Johnny can't figure out whether Paula's trouble has to do with her father, Wilton Dresner, the ultra-conservative political pundit, or with her creepy brother Neil, who's left a trail of bad checks in Vegas. He enlists his old pal Coley to find out.
Paula's trail leads Coley to a peculiar passel of racetrack photos, a foul-mouthed, washed-up jockey with secrets to keep, some cut-rate hoodlums making nocturnal shipments of high-priced thoroughbreds, and one very dead body.
And then there's the surprising interest in the case evinced by one Raymond Starbuck, the man who once upon a time put Coley out of business as a jockey, and who just happens to be the protective father of Coley's beautiful girlfriend, Lea. Now, with the help -- and sometimes the hindrance -- of Lea and Starbuck, Coley begins to put the pieces together. As he does, things get hotter and hotter. It's a fire than may consume some of the finest thoroughbreds in the country -- and Coley, too.
It all starts when Johnny Rousseau, Coley's partner in the Horse's Neck Bar and Grill, finds himself saddled with a little problem named Paula Dresner. Gorgeous, rich, and spoiled rotten, Paula has Johnny twisted around her manicured little finger -- but he's not too love-blind to see that she's gotten herself mixed up in some very suspicious business. Johnny can't figure out whether Paula's trouble has to do with her father, Wilton Dresner, the ultra-conservative political pundit, or with her creepy brother Neil, who's left a trail of bad checks in Vegas. He enlists his old pal Coley to find out.
Paula's trail leads Coley to a peculiar passel of racetrack photos, a foul-mouthed, washed-up jockey with secrets to keep, some cut-rate hoodlums making nocturnal shipments of high-priced thoroughbreds, and one very dead body.
And then there's the surprising interest in the case evinced by one Raymond Starbuck, the man who once upon a time put Coley out of business as a jockey, and who just happens to be the protective father of Coley's beautiful girlfriend, Lea. Now, with the help -- and sometimes the hindrance -- of Lea and Starbuck, Coley begins to put the pieces together. As he does, things get hotter and hotter. It's a fire than may consume some of the finest thoroughbreds in the country -- and Coley, too.
- GenresMystery
298 pages, Hardcover
First published January 31, 1995
About the author
Bill Shoemaker
14 books7 followersA jockey who raced professionally from 1949 until 1990. He won 8,833 races.
After retiring as a jockey, Shoemaker turned to training horses. His horses won 90 races from 714 starts.
After retiring as a jockey, Shoemaker turned to training horses. His horses won 90 races from 714 starts.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 21, 2020
It was wordy, and hard to follow in some parts.
February 21, 2017
I picked this up out of curiosity. Shoemaker I knew as a jockey and I wondered if it would be comparable to the work of Dick Francis, who had also been a jockey. I wasn't disappointed but they each have their own slant and style.
Shoemaker has a lot of action going on and interesting characters. He puts a bit for sarcastic humour in than Francis. There are also some great left turns and close calls.
Ex-jockey Coley Killebrew is asked by his business partner, Johnny Rousseau to find out what is going on with Paula Dresner. Rousseau is smitten with Paula Dresner and sees that something is going on behind the scenes. Coley starts tailing her and finds out that there are some not-too-nice types, unusual racetrack photos and a few dead bodies that have ties to Dresner and her family. Bit by bit and piece by piece Coley puts things together and they all lead to an extremely volatile situation.
The pace is good and pretty steady. The characters are colourful. There are enough story lines to keep you guessing as you read.
Shoemaker has a lot of action going on and interesting characters. He puts a bit for sarcastic humour in than Francis. There are also some great left turns and close calls.
Ex-jockey Coley Killebrew is asked by his business partner, Johnny Rousseau to find out what is going on with Paula Dresner. Rousseau is smitten with Paula Dresner and sees that something is going on behind the scenes. Coley starts tailing her and finds out that there are some not-too-nice types, unusual racetrack photos and a few dead bodies that have ties to Dresner and her family. Bit by bit and piece by piece Coley puts things together and they all lead to an extremely volatile situation.
The pace is good and pretty steady. The characters are colourful. There are enough story lines to keep you guessing as you read.
July 11, 2008
FIRE HORSE - G+
Shoemaker, Bill - 2nd in sereis
It all starts when Johnny Rousseau, Coley's partner in the Horse's Neck Bar and Grill, finds himself saddled with a little problem named Paula Dresner. Gorgeous, rich, and spoiled rotten, Paula has Johnny twisted around her manicured little finger -- but he's not too love-blind to see that she's gotten herself mixed up in some very suspicious business. Johnny can't figure out whether Paula's trouble has to do with her father, Wilton Dresner, the ultra-conservative political pundit, or with her creepy brother Neil, who's left a trail of bad checks in Vegas. He enlists his old pal Coley to find out.
Paula's trail leads Coley to a peculiar passel of racetrack photos, a foul-mouthed, washed-up jockey with secrets to keep, some cut-rate hoodlums making nocturnal shipments of high-priced thoroughbreds, and one very dead body.
And then there's the surprising interest in the case evinced by one Raymond Starbuck, the man who once upon a time put Coley out of business as a jockey, and who just happens to be the protective father of Coley's beautiful girlfriend, Lea. Now, with the help -- and sometimes the hindrance -- of Lea and Starbuck, Coley begins to put the pieces together. As he does, things get hotter and hotter. It's a fire than may consume some of the finest thoroughbreds in the country -- and Coley, too.
As a Dick Francis fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this.
Shoemaker, Bill - 2nd in sereis
It all starts when Johnny Rousseau, Coley's partner in the Horse's Neck Bar and Grill, finds himself saddled with a little problem named Paula Dresner. Gorgeous, rich, and spoiled rotten, Paula has Johnny twisted around her manicured little finger -- but he's not too love-blind to see that she's gotten herself mixed up in some very suspicious business. Johnny can't figure out whether Paula's trouble has to do with her father, Wilton Dresner, the ultra-conservative political pundit, or with her creepy brother Neil, who's left a trail of bad checks in Vegas. He enlists his old pal Coley to find out.
Paula's trail leads Coley to a peculiar passel of racetrack photos, a foul-mouthed, washed-up jockey with secrets to keep, some cut-rate hoodlums making nocturnal shipments of high-priced thoroughbreds, and one very dead body.
And then there's the surprising interest in the case evinced by one Raymond Starbuck, the man who once upon a time put Coley out of business as a jockey, and who just happens to be the protective father of Coley's beautiful girlfriend, Lea. Now, with the help -- and sometimes the hindrance -- of Lea and Starbuck, Coley begins to put the pieces together. As he does, things get hotter and hotter. It's a fire than may consume some of the finest thoroughbreds in the country -- and Coley, too.
As a Dick Francis fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this.
September 7, 2016
DON'T EXPECT THIS BOOK TO BE ANYTHING LIKE A DICK FRANCIS MYSTERY!!!
This book was "okay." Not terrible, but also not worth recommending. The reason the protagonist goes on his detective mission is weak at best. The reason he continues when his "client" no longer needs him to is even weaker. It's very difficult to continue a story when you're forcing your character to behave in a way that does not make sense to the plot or character development. I think the worst part about this book is that every review on the back compares it to Dick Francis. Yes, there is a jockey as the protagonist and it is a murder mystery, but I assure you there is absolutely nothing similar to Dick Francis. The writing style, tone, plot development, setting, character development, type of characters, love interest, and actual mystery/bad guys are completely different from the Dick Francis model and certainly not for the better. It's very frustrating because I'm not sure this book would have been so disappointing if it hadn't so heavily advertised a Dick Francis comparison that simply is not valid.
This book was "okay." Not terrible, but also not worth recommending. The reason the protagonist goes on his detective mission is weak at best. The reason he continues when his "client" no longer needs him to is even weaker. It's very difficult to continue a story when you're forcing your character to behave in a way that does not make sense to the plot or character development. I think the worst part about this book is that every review on the back compares it to Dick Francis. Yes, there is a jockey as the protagonist and it is a murder mystery, but I assure you there is absolutely nothing similar to Dick Francis. The writing style, tone, plot development, setting, character development, type of characters, love interest, and actual mystery/bad guys are completely different from the Dick Francis model and certainly not for the better. It's very frustrating because I'm not sure this book would have been so disappointing if it hadn't so heavily advertised a Dick Francis comparison that simply is not valid.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews