It's the third death on Cheltenham Gold Cup day that really troubles supersleuth Sid Halley. Last seen in 1995's former champion jockey Halley knows all too well the perils of racing--but in his day, jockeys didn't usually reach the finish line with three .38 rounds in the chest. Yet this is precisely how he finds jockey Huw Walker, who only a few hours earlier, won the coveted Triumph Hurdle.

"Sid Halley, a private investigator, has a new left hand, having had a transplant since his last appearance in Refusal. After receiving death threats, an ex-jockey trainer friend calls Sid to ask for his help, but Sid has his own problems to deal with; like recovering from surgery and saving his crumbling marriage. When his friend's stable yard is torched, horses killed, and the friend is found dead, Sid can only blame himself for not helping sooner....