Heliacal Star

Bahna debuts with a sturdy, suspenseful thriller set in the world of competitive horse racing. After visiting Long Island’s Belmont Park when he was 10 years old, Matt Galiano became obsessed with the sport and devoted himself to finding out the best ways to predict winners. That pursuit endeared him to his father, a mobster who was murdered when Matt was a teenager. Now 30, Matt is hoping to leave behind his work as a gangster’s bookmaker and finally go straight. However, when he accidentally gets inside information that the trainer of his favorite horse, Heliacal Star, is being ordered to throw a race, he’s pulled back into the fray. Shielding him from danger is Kristine Connelly, a beautiful trainer who’s made it her mission to thwart the proliferation of performance-enhancing drugs and money laundering in horse racing. As Matt’s past threatens to catch up with the duo, Bahna keeps the pace fleet and the violence sharp—a fitting combination that evokes the speed and brutality of racehorses charging around the track. Dick and Felix Francis fans will relish this. (Self-published)