The Bottom Line
Pros
- William Murray lives up to his billing as America's Dick Francis
- Very accurate account of life on a typical backstretch
- Interesting stereotypical characters add comic relief
Cons
- Sadly, Murray died earlier this year and this was his final book
Description
- Mystery jockey Jill Aspen brings to Santa Anita loads of talent but other baggage as well.
- Trainer Jack Fontana hires her as a stablehand.
- His top horses go off and win at longer odds when the mystery rider is named.
- She never hires Righetti as her agent, but they quickly become good friends
- Aspen's past comes back to haunt her, as Righetti tries to save her.
Guide Review - Review - Dead Heat
Santa Anita Park and its prestigious winter meeting is the scene in Dead Heat, published soon after author William Murray passed away at the age of 78. Backstretch life is accurately portrayed, amd he makes use of stereotypes for entertainment value. Eccentric owners with more money than sense, big-name trainers with the big-name egos to match, and compulsive gamblers ever hopeful for the inside tip to net them a big score, are people you would see at any track.A mysterious female jockey from Northern California visits trainer Jack Fontana and jockey agent "Bones" Righetti, looking for a chance to work with his horses as a stablehand and possibly earn her way to riding for him. Fontana has his doubts but gives Jill Aspen a chance, and she proves her horsemanship in the barn and on the track is top notch. However, she also came to Santa Anita to escape a past she prefers to not discuss. Eventually, her tormentors come back to haunt her, and frequent disappearances make Fontana question her trustworthiness, having skipped important mounts on stakes-bound horses.
Righetti had a shady past of his own, as a mob enforcer from New Jersey whose job was to collect overdue debts by use of physical threats. He too is bothered by Aspen's disappearances, and decides that he should do some "enforcing" of his own, to save his friend's career if not her life. The story develops at an excellent pace towards its surprise conclusion.
