From a New York Times bestseller, “a superb thriller . . . terrific” about a sportswriter who risks his own life investigating a suspicious death (San Francisco Chronicle). Dick Francis, Edgar-Award–winning master of mystery and suspense, takes you into the thrilling world of horse racing. When reporter Bert Chekov falls to his death, his colleague James Tyrone is suspicious. Chekov’s column had recently recommended some ‘can’t-lose’ horses, who then wound up out of the running on race day. Tyrone thinks he can prove it was murder, but he may not live to tell the tale. Because as the dead man has already made clear, there’s no such thing as a sure thing . . . Praise for the writing of Dick Francis: “Dick Francis is a wonder.” —The Plain Dealer “Few things are more convincing than Dick Francis at a full gallop.” —Chicago Tribune “Few match Francis for dangerous flights of fancy and pure inventive menace.” —Boston Herald “[The] master of crime fiction and equine thrills.” —Newsday “[Francis] has the uncanny ability to turn out simply plotted yet charmingly addictive mysteries.” —The Wall Street Journal “Francis is a genius.” —Los Angeles Times “Nobody executes the whodunit formula better.” —Chicago Sun-Times “A rare and magical talent . . . who never writes the same story twice.” —The San Diego Union-Tribune

This chronologically organized book is the first to provide comprehensive coverage of forfeits and successful protests of major league baseball games, educating the reader on the rules and prevailing styles of play at the time that each of the games was played. In addition to the date, location, and source information, this work provides capsule biographies of many of the principal characters involved (including, for instance, the obscure one-game umpire who perpetrated the first forfeited game in major league history in 1871).

Errata slip inserted. Includes bibliographical references and index.