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HIGH STAKES is touted as a mystery about a killer targeting retired racehorses that are now being used for research at veterinary schools. That story is in the novel, but if you're looking for a racetrack mystery, you may be disappointed. John McEvoy seems to realize quickly that he has neither the character depth nor the story complications to sustain the retired-horse tale for 300 pages, so in very short order, he adds two murders for hire, a threatening billionaire, mob connections, international intrigue, inept FBI investigators, and a multitude of other twists just to fill things out a little.
Jack Doyle, around whom all this action swirls, is less an amateur investigator than merely an observer who happens to be in a lot of right places at the right (and sometimes wrong) time to let us follow along. And following along is fun, in spite of the fact that convenient coincidences play a big role.
The novel begins with the FBI requesting Doyle's help in solving a series of "mercy killings" of retired racehorses plus a plea from Doyle's friend Niall Hanratty's wife in Ireland asking Doyle to investigate attempts on Hanratty's life. Doyle owns a racehorse and has lots of connections at the Chicago racetrack, so he agrees to ask around about the mercy killings. He also flies to Ireland a number of times to look into the threats against Hanratty.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, Doyle's own life is at risk when a man he put in prison hires a hit man to take Doyle out. Although all of this - along with a number of more minor subplots - means lots of bad things are happening to good people, the tension is never terribly high, but the pace is quick. Short chapters and the multitude of plot lines keep pages turning. The characters aren't deeply developed, but many of them are quirky and likeable enough to hold the reader's interest. The mysteries are mostly investigated off stage, so there's no real following of clues or unraveling of puzzles, but everything is wrapped up neatly (a bit too neatly, perhaps) by the end. All in all, the novel is entertaining, but perhaps the biggest takeaway is that it would be fun to visit western Ireland.
§ Meredith Frazier, a writer with a background in English literature, lives in Dallas, Texas
Reviewed by Meredith Frazier, January 2015
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