KING OF THE ROSES

by V. S. Anderson ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 3, 1983

Kentucky Derby week at Churchill Downs--as an aging star-jockey deals with a lame horse, a rocky new love affair, and (in a so-so plot à la Dick Francis) a ruthless scheme to fix the Derby. Five-time Kentucky winner Chris Englund, 47, considered an overage has-been by many, has been chosen by tycoon/owner Simms Mulraven to ride front-runner Knidos in this year's Derby. But, as Derby Week begins, Chris is in a tense muddle. Though famous for his life-long honesty, he's been offered $250,000 if he'll throw the race--with threats (from an anonymous source) to kill him if he doesn't oblige. Meanwhile, Chris keeps urging Mulraven (a novice owner) and trainer Frank Vello to have a vet examine Knidos' slightly lame foot; but they're terrified of adverse rumors spreading. And, also meanwhile, Chris--who has played around but never settled down--has begun a secret affair with Mulraven's daughter Jessica, a volatile sort who's upset about Knidos' foot. . . and about her shaky, adulterous mother, who seems to have disappeared. So Chris has a lot to think about, along with assorted flashbacks, as the plot thickens through the week: Chris' old chum, shady Cass, appears--and seems to have something to do with the fix; someone sabotages Chris' reins during a mid-week race; both Vello and Cass are killed, with Chris framed for the latter murder; the pressure on Chris to go along with the fix (which turns out to have a mildly surprising mastermind) seems overwhelming. But on Derby Day, which is reconstructed in moment-by-moment detail, Chris exposes the fix scheme to the public, rides to win. . . and there's a violent showdown (involving True Love Jessica) between Chris and the bad guys. Routine storyline, workaday prose, dullish central characters--but, with strong Derby/racing specifics (from horseshoes to groupies and reporters), this is passable, good-hearted entertainment, at its best when not offering pale-imitation Dick Francis.

Pub Date: May 3, 1983

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1983

Categories: FICTION