Freddie Croft, retired steeplechase jockey, now runs a fleet of horseboxes A rule for all his drivers is never to pick up hitchhikers, but one day they do, and when they reach base the passenger is dead Freddie is swept into a conspiracy that has him fighting to save his business and his life, punching at shifting shadows, trying to outwit adversaries whose existence he only suspects, and not knowing who to trust or what to believe He is led into dangers very different from the old perils of jump racing, and forced to search for unexpected answers