Dead Cert by Dick Francis
Originally published in 1962, Dead Cert was the first of the bestselling thrillers which have made Dick Francis one of the most popular and successful writers in the world.
Dead Cert is about Alan York, an amateur jockey, who finds himself tangling dangerously with a ruthless gang of crooks. A pretty girl, an intelligent child, a fuel on a horseback and a manhunt across the Sussex countryside are some of the ingredients in this gripping thriller about the shady side of the racing world. The background is superbly authentic and the pace would not shame a two-mile hurdle race.