A Horse's Head

by Evan Hunter

The author of the 87th Precinct series presents a riotous story of the gamblers, mobsters, and other colorful characters who hang around Aqueduct Racetrack.

Andrew Mullaney has the money to get to Aqueduct Racetrack, but nothing to bet once he gets there. It's a tragedy, because today he's got a sure thing: a filly named Jawbone who's guaranteed to win. Desperate, Andrew asks every hood he knows to spot him fifty bucks, tapping chess hustlers, pool sharks, and hoodlums of every stripe, until, finally, he asks the wrong man--who responds by tossing Andrew out the door and down a flight of stairs. For this degenerate gambler, life is hard . . . and it's about to get a hell of a lot harder.

When a gleaming black Cadillac pulls up in front of him, and a man hops out wielding a Luger and telling him to get in the car, Andrew has no choice but to say yes. Little does he know, he's just stepped into the adventure of a lifetime, and by the end of it, he'll be rich, dead, or something far, far worse.

A suspenseful, humorous yarn perfect for fans of Prizzi's Honor or Analyze This, A Horse's Head is one of the wildest New York stories ever written. From legendary Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Ed McBain, every page is a laugh-out-loud delight.

Genres: Novels, Fiction

223 pages

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Better known by his pseudonym Ed McBain.

Born Salvatore Albert Lombino, he legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in 1952. While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.

Reviews

[Brett Axel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a teenager and I remember absolutely loving it. About a middle aged guy who realizes he will never be rich or happy in the life he has so he leaves his wife and encyclopedia sales job to become a professional gambler. Instead he becomes poor and gambling addicted to the extreme, at one point gambling on a jax game with little girls for nickels.

I would like to read it again and see if it is as good to me now as it was then.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book when I was a kid, and read it multiple times - in my childhood journal I mentioned having already read it repeatedly when I was 13. I remember exactly nothing about it and was a little astonished at how racy it is, but it's also very funny so I am impressed that Kid Me obviously appreciated the humor. I'm sure I checked it out originally thinking it's something to do with horses, but it's not, other than the protagonist being a penniless gambler who has a hot tip on a racehorse, then gets unintentionally involved with quite a lot of mafia types who are chasing down a half million stolen dollars. I enjoyed it but am still a little baffled about how it ended up being one of my favorite books way back then (and it's definitely the same book - I clearly remember Evan Hunter, and the picture on the cover way back then).

[Aynatn · Rating 2 out of 5]

No es que este libro no me haya enganchado, es que no soporto a su protagonista.
Para mí, esta novela está protagonizada por un ludopata que se ve involucrado en unos acontecimientos de los cuales es muy difícil salir.

[Milkman3367 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun page-turner.

[Marion B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odd and exciting

I found this book to be oddly exciting. Twists and turns to where you never knew who done it! Ending well

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable saga as a gambler gets caught up with two groups of gangsters - as usual with McBain some gentle humour along the way. My 88th book by this author.

[Laura Poppenwimer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a hard book to read, seemed the plot had no direction and meandered all over the place. The characters not likeable nor interesting. I kept hoping that the plot would find a direction and never did, sorry I wasted time reading this.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

didn’t like the “humorous” style