Odds on Death

Jay Jessop Racing Thriller #2

by Graeme Roe

International intrigue, murder, kidnapping and huge gambles puzzle the police and the racing authorities as twists and turns follow the race for the Trainers Championship. The plot moves from the Far East to the US and from South Africa to Europe. A glamorous and rich amateur rider and a wealthy and powerful Oriental businessman add to the heady mixture, which leaves the reader guessing to the end. The description of the races against the backdrop of National Hunt Racing is so clearly illustrated that nonracing readers will find it compelling. The great race meetings at Cheltenham, Aintree and Sandown are described in vivid detail, but the excitement and special atmosphere of less glamorous tracks are equally captured.

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2007

About the author

Educated at Hampton Grammar School and the University of Nottingham, Graeme Roe had a marketing career working for major international companies.

He then founded and built an extremely successful advertising agency. At the age of forty he decided to take up riding and under David Nicholson's guidance gained an amateur National Hunt licence. For ten years he rode both on the flat and over hurdles and fences. His biggest success was winning the Ayr Yeomanry Cup on Dom Perignon.

He then took out a Jockey Club permit quickly followed by a full licence. Amongst his many winners were All Bright, Dom Perignon, Kitty Wren, We're in the Money, Le Grand Maitre, Fairly Sharp and Bad Beatrich.

Graeme now runs a communications firm and successfully self-published Touch of Vengeance and Odds on Death.

Reviews

[Rania Kalogirou · Rating 1 out of 5]

WARNING THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS... (even though I never finished it so I can't tell you what happens at the end) :)

I have really tried to finish this book... I swear. I have picked it up at least 15 times in the last week but everytime I can't go more than 5 pages because I get sooo bored.
So the book stars with a couple of murders which even though initially you can't tell, are somehow connected to the world of horse racing...Who murdered them and why, I will never know because I will never finish this book. Unless someone wants to tell me??? :) Anyway, I never felt like I cared about who murdered those poor fictional people and neither did the characters in the book for that reason. They just went on with their everyday lives: taking care of the horses, discussing their training routines and in which courses they will be running, ordering dinner and blah blah blah. This is pretty much 70 % of the book. What they ordered for dinner and which horse is suitable for which track.. So many names, so many details.. I never felt connected to any of the characters because I was too busy trying to figure out who is who. The fact that two of the main characters are called Jay and Jed didn't help at all.
Then at somepoint a woman gets kidnapped.. at that point you think that the "action packed thriller" that you were promised is finally here but nahhh. They save her, she goes home. Let's go back to talking about horses...


P.S Don't waste your time but if you do.. tell me what happens!

[Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s unbelievable I finished this book, it felt like ploughing through a big pile of horsesh*t! It does not even qualifies as a novel, it is more like reading the daily schedule of a horsetrainer. I am really in doubt if I ever read something this bad!