The Last Virginia Gentleman

A potent mix of sex, money, politics and murder propels the plot of Kilian's action-filled Washington-based suspense thriller. Ambitious White House chief of staff Robert Moody, working to win Senate passage of an environmental treaty, has failed to deliver on a promise he made to his billionaire best friend Bernie Bloch to bid on a thoroughbred horse in Bloch's behalf. The horse goes instead to Moody's disaffected daughter May, who buys it as a gift for David Showers, a rider who has impressed her with his sportsmanship. Showers realizes that the animal's papers are phony and decides to investigate the previous owners, especially since the Queen Tashamore bay is clearly worth far more than the price May paid. Showers's job at the State Department involves the aforementioned treaty, a complication as Moody pressures him to sell the horse to Bloch. Ensuing events produce a wake of dead bodies, human and equine. Although many of the characters are stereotypes (the horsey set is insufferably WASPy) and much of the action is based on real events that have lost their timeliness, Kilian's ( Looker ) depiction of the political arm-twisting is dead-on and the powerful resolution delivers a strong surprise. (June )