King of the Roses

A horse-racing mystery for horse lovers and fans of suspense alike! Jockey Chris Englund has won five Kentucky Derbies tying the record. But his take-no-prisoners personality and his clashes with the power structures of Thoroughbred racing have stalled his career. Theres also his uncompromising honesty in a world full of lures to game the system. At 47 Chris is still sure hes the best. He just cant seem to prove it anymore.Out of the blue hes offered the ride on the odds-on Derby favorite Knidos who is owned by billionaire industrialist Simms Mulraven. But his hopes for a triumphant Derby week turn to ashes when hes offered half a million dollars to hold Knidos and set off a betting bonanza for criminal cartels around the world.And thats nothing to the choices he must make when Mulravens idealistic young daughter Jessica demands he sacrifice whats left of his career not to mention his life to save Knidos from people who would ruin the great horse for their own financial gain.As the Derby draws near the greatest spectacle in sports becomes a testing ground of Chris Englunds courage. When he unravels the secrets behind the fix he must choose between honesty and his life between a love he never expected to feel and a truth more fragile than any he ever knew. The race itself becomes a violent clash between defiance and sacrifice as Chris faces the brutal costs his honesty demands.