Dead Certainty

Wilson (Vendetta) kicks off a new mystery series with a premise that will sound awfully familiar to Dick Francis fans. Champion jockey Harry Radcliffe faces an uncertain future after a serious accident during a race. With time on his hands, he accepts a suggestion from his friend and trainer, Mike Grantley, to ghostwrite the autobiography of Elspeth Maudsley, “one of jump racing’s top lady trainers.” It seems like a benign-enough assignment, but it soon becomes clear that not every member of Elspeth’s family is keen on the project. Soon after Harry begins work, his Nottinghamshire home is broken into, his life is endangered, and a person he knows ends up dead. Elements of Harry’s personal life will also remind readers of Francis’s Sid Halley novels. In particular, he has a complex relationship with his estranged wife, whom he loves though she’s clearly moved on to another man. Harry is an engaging-enough lead, but Wilson will need to add more to future books to make them memorable. Agent: David Grossman, David Grossman Literary Agency (U.K.). (June)