AT RISK

At 21, Steve Cline is among the youngest barn managers in Maryland’s horse country, and he loves the job, loves being good with animals. It’s the two-legged species that sometimes unsettles him. Steve’s people problems get rapidly worse when, during a nocturnal break-in at Foxdale Farms, seven horses are hijacked along with one human—Steve, of course, attempting to forestall three men in ski masks who take turns whaling away at him before tossing him into a van, to be dealt with further at their leisure. But Steve, as resourceful and resilient as a Dick Francis hero, wriggles free of his bindings, overcomes the agony of broken ribs, and escapes his captors. Is it a case of plain unvarnished larceny? That’s his question when Detective James Ralston of the Maryland State police comes calling. The answer isn’t obvious, Ralston acknowledges, though it’s clear the crime was not isolated. A few months earlier, he tells Steve, a nearby stable owner was beaten to death after having seven (!) horses stolen from him. It’s hardly a stretch, then, Ralston says, to conclude that Steve is lucky indeed to be living and breathing, however painfully. Next, a favorite cat is hanged showily, and vandals strike and leave threatening messages aimed at Steve. Is all this a cover-up for some convoluted scam? Or is it, Steve wonders, as personal as it’s starting to seem?

Ehrman’s lively debut is not without its rough spots—mostly in the plotting—but the smart money could make the unusually likable protagonist a favorite in the Francis Stakes.