In another enthralling bestseller by "master yarn spinner" (Chicago Sun-Times) John Dunning， rare book dealer and relentless private eye Cliff Janeway unravels a deadly plot marked by stolen classics and stable secrets. When wealthy horse trainer H. R. Geiger dies， Denver bookman Cliff Janeway encounters the legacy of the man s wife， Candice， a true bookwoman who left behind an assortment of rare first-edition children s books. Sent to assess the collection， Janeway soon finds that several titles are missing， replaced by cheap reprints -- while other hugely expensive pieces remain. Why would a thief take one priceless book and leave an equally valuable volume on the shelf? Suspecting foul play， Janeway follows the trail of Candice s shadowy past to California s Golden Gate and Santa Anita racetracks， where he signs on as a racehorse hot walker. Eavesdropping on the chatter among the hands， he doesn t like what he hears. And when he goes to the house where Candice died to look for answers， Janeway finds much more than he bargained for.