Punter's Luck: a John Punter racing Mystery by Peter Klein - New Holland (2007), Paperback [Our New Books - LibraryThing]
I've enjoyed a couple of books from this author - Punter's Luck is the first one and I just never quite managed to remember to pick up a copy for myself. Until I saw it last week. Another quest successfully concluded!
John Punter never expected his career of betting on horses to find favor with his father, a well known racing trainer. After all, he threw in those early starts cleaning out stables and riding trackwork to have a life and make a living on the punt. But his world is turned upside down when an old racing mate goes missing, big drug money disappears and bodies start piling up.
Somehow, Punter is always in the right place at the wrong time and the cops think he's their prime suspect. So Punter enlists the help of Kate, an old flame now a senior crime reporter to help him dig up the truth. But the more they look, the murkier the trail becomes and Punter soon finds that the financial dealings at the top end of town can be just as ruthless as the betting ring at any big day at the track.