Pulse

Dr. Christine Rankin, the fraught narrator of bestseller Francis’s moving fourth thriller set in the world of British horse-racing (after 2016’s Triple Crown), suffers from panic attacks and an eating disorder. Her troubles mount with the death of a patient under her care, an unidentified middle-aged man who was found unconscious in a Cheltenham Racecourse restroom and later died while she was attending to an accident victim. After a complaint is filed against Rankin, she’s suspended from work, and suicidal thoughts lead to her confinement in a psychiatric institution. After she’s released and finds work as a doctor at the Cheltenham Racing Festival, she eagerly finds out more about the dead man’s identity and the circumstances of his death. Rankin’s obsession grows after she learns that an injured jockey she’s treating lies to her about recognizing the dead man. Francis devises a subtle, clever scheme for the heart of the mystery, and he excels at making his broken lead credible and sympathetic even as she engages in reckless behavior. Agent: Ed Wilson, Johnson & Alcock. (Oct.)