I know everybody likes to refer to Peter Klein as "Australia's answer to Dick Francis" but I'm not sure that's necessarily fair to either author. Klein's writing books set within the Australian horse racing industry sure, but his central character is a professional punter (gambler) and whilst he has family connections in the training and racing side of the industry, there is a different viewpoint in the Francis books. There's also a substantially different tone to these books than the very English feel of the Francis books - not that surprising really.
Where they are similar (and I will confess it's been many many many years since I read a Dick Francis offering), is that they tell a great tale. Klein's books have a fantastic, flawed but not fraught central character in John Punter, with a realistic Australian sensibility. But more on all of this in the review to come.
From the Blurb:
A serial killer is stalking young, female strappers. No one knows who it is, why he's doing it, or who is next. The public and the racing fraternity seem powerless to do anything. The women are terrified and the union is threatening to go on strike and close down the entire racing industry unless security can be guaranteed. Meanwhile, John Punter's got problems closer to home to worry about. There's a protection racket afoot and his restaurant Gino's is getting leant on. Then there's his new girlfriend Maxine.
Opening Lines:
She was trouble and everyone seemed to know it but me.
A serial killer is stalking young, female strappers. No one knows who it is, why he's doing it, or who is likely to be next. The police and the race clubs seem powerless to do anything. The women are terrified and the union is threatening to go on strike and close down the entire racing industry unless security can be guaranteed and the killer caught.
Meanwhile, John Punter's got problems closer to home to worry about. There's a protection racket afoot and his restaurant Gino's is getting lent on. Then there's his new girlfriend Maxine. Everyone says she's trouble. She's the socialite daughter of a shock-jock announcer; the biggest rating name in radio and a major client of his father's stable. And he's made it clear he doesn't want Punter hanging around...
Back at the track, as the body count mounts, Punter finds himself involved in a desperate race against time to find a crazed killer.