REVIEW OF BULLET WORK BY STEVE O'BRIEN

Do you like horses and horse racing? Then read Bullet Work and enter into the world of the Sport of Kings.

They lived for that one chance; the chance to get home first. They waited for that one second. For that moment when they broke into the clear down the home stretch, and no one was going to catch them. Behind the glamorous exterior of horse racing, lies the gritty reality of the backside. Within this fiercely competitive world of owners, trainers, vets, and jockeys something has gone terribly wrong. As opening day approaches, one racehorse is poisoned, another has her leg crushed by a lead pipe and a third mysteriously disappears. Shock and horror grip the racing community. Despite all security efforts, the brutal killings continue.

For Dan Morgan it becomes personal when his precocious two-year-old filly is targeted. Dan befriends AJ Kaine, a lonely, "horse whispering" young man. AJ is a hotwalker, the lowest of jobs in the backside food chain. But AJ has a secret—perhaps a secret that can corner a killer. With AJ's help, Dan must crack the extortion scheme or risk becoming the next victim.

About the Author-

Steve O Brien is an attorney, author, and former thoroughbred owner. Bullet Work is his second novel. It follows the critically acclaimed Elijah's Coin, recipient of nine literary awards, including Best Young Adult Fiction, National Best Books Awards, and Best Novella, Next Generation Indie Book Awards. He lives in Washington, D.C.

My Thoughts-

While I was in college, I had the opportunity to work in OTB and I learned a little about horse racing. Mr O'Brien wrote a realistic novel with a mysterious twist. The character I liked the best was the hotwalker AJ. He had a way with horses and was able to feel their emotions. Throughout the story, AJ is harassed by grooms and other hotwalkers and he still kept on going. The author recently wrote a wonderful post about AJ on my blog and after reading the post, I had a better understanding of AJ. There was sadness, greed, murder, and revenge all wrapped up in a well written novel. The ending was unpredictable but very sad. I will never tell. If you are a fan of horses then this is the book for you.


Author's Website.

 
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the Cadence Group for my honest review and I was not compensated for my review.