Dangerous Outsider

Roe's first entry in a planned series of English horse-racing mysteries isn't exactly a non-starter, but it doesn't belong in the same field as the novels of former champion jockey Dick Francis. The competent if complicated plot involves unidentified, powerful foes employing a variety of violent and underhanded tricks to undermine the success of County View, a racing complex in the Cotswolds (with international ancillary operations) run by ex-jockey turned trainer Jay Jessop and wife, Eva. The Jessops have plenty of their own formidable, wealthy backing, and when it becomes apparent they're being targeted, they take countermeasures almost immediately. The most obvious threat is the entrance of a relatively unknown Irish trainer, Quentin O'Connor, who begins to lure away owners' horses from County View by paying extravagant prices. Nothing illegal in that, but worrisome nonetheless. Worse follows, but Roe (A Touch of Vengeance ) fails to ignite his understated narrative, despite his impressive, knowledgeable descriptions of race courses and procedures. (Apr.)