When defence barrister Geoffrey Mason hears the judge's guilty verdict, he quietly hopes that a long and arduous custodial sentence will be handed down to his arrogant young client. That Julian Trent only receives eight years seems all too lenient. Little does Mason expect that he'll be seeing Trent again much sooner than he'd ever imagined... Setting aside his barrister's wig, Mason heads to Sandown to don his racing silks. An amateur jockey, his true passion is to be in the saddle, on a thoroughbred pounding the turf. But when a fellow rider is brutally murdered, Mason's racing life soon becomes all too close to his working life.

Dick Francis, CBE, has written 41 novels, a volume of short stories, the biography of Lester Piggott and his autobiography. He has received many awards, including the Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger. The Mystery Writers of America have given him three Edgar Allan Poe awards and made him a Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement. Felix Francis is the younger of Dick's two sons. He took on the role of managing his father's affairs in 1991 and over the last forty years has assisted with the research of many of his father's novels.

During a long career that has encompassed stage, television and cinema, Tony Britton has become a familiar face to millions through the long-running series Don't Tell Father and Don't Wait Up. Among his other TV appearances are The Royal, Doctors and The Way We Live Now, while his films include These Foolish Things.