Bullet Work

Steve O’Brien
A&N Publishing (2011)
ISBN 9780982073599
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (6/11)

By the time I finished chapter one, I knew I was in for a fast ride of an action-packed plot, strong character development, and a glimpse into the competitive edge that drives and motivates the world of horse racing. Award-winning author Steve O’Brien did not let me down any of the above.

Drawn by the cover art of “Bullet Work,” I quickly flipped to the back cover to get a glimpse into the storyline. I then perused the inside of the book by leafing through the pages to find a reader-friendly format and font with a clean appearance.

I noted that the book is divided into four parts. Each division begins with a parallel to the stages of the race: Part One – Out of the Gate, Part Two – Onto the Back Stretch, Part Three – Into the Turn, and Part Four – Down the Stretch.

As an early fan of Dick Francis, I was again pulled into the aggressive, ruthless world of the racetrack, where race horses are sovereign. Stable hands, trainers, owners, and track management all are a part of an industry where odds become the addictive drivers that make winners the victors and losers the victims.

As opening day approaches, Fairfax Park in Northern Virginia prepares for its annual meet. The racing community of trainers, stable hands, jockeys, and vets set up their temporary offices, trailers, sleeping quarters, and stalls among the shed-rows that line the backside of the track. Each stable represents a vicious competitive business out to take first place.

A new awareness of trouble brewing swept through the backside when a race horse was found poisoned, a second horse disappears, and an extortion plan is unveiled. More horses are injured, one killed, as shock, horror, and anger fuel the backside community. Owner Dan Morgan, an attorney, takes note of a young hot-walker, AJ, who communicates with the horses in a unique, unexplainable way. The suspense, mystery, and intrigue crescendo into a final climatic conclusion as Dan participates in protecting his interests as an owner.

“Bullet Work” is a page turner, a roller coaster ride with adrenaline highs, a brief reprieve of information thrown in preparing the reader for the next adrenaline rush.

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