What do you think?
Rate this book
Steve Cline #4
TRIPLE CROSS: A Steve Cline Mystery (Book Four)
Product Description
Although 23-year-old barn manager Steve Cline doesn't expect to stray far from the horse world, he has enrolled in a private investigations course and is working on the final project. But when his father, racehorse trainer Chris Kessler, invites him to Louisville on a two-week, all-expense-paid vacation that will culminate with the running of the Kentucky Derby, how can he refuse? Except, it isn't really a vaction. Kessler has a Derby runner and needs a reliable fill-in when one of his employees is injured.
With only two horses to care for, the workload is light, and Steve decides to get that class project out of the way--a simple records search. But the very act of initiating the project triggers a chance encounter that plunges Steve into the world of the ultra rich. A world where greed and revenge and ambition drive some men to commit unspeakable acts amid the pageantry and glamour of thoroughbred racing.
In quick order, Steve finds himself the prime suspect in a murder investigation and the target of brutal thugs. From the relative security of the backside to the Derby festivities that transform downtown Louisville into Party Central to the opulence of a Lexington horse farm, Steve deals with his own personal demons and strained relationships as he attempts to stop a murderer before a power play culminates in shattered dreams and a bloody triple cross....
From Publishers Weekly
At the start of Ehrman's engaging fourth outing for barn manager Steve Cline (after 2005's Cold Burn), Steve visits Louisville for the Kentucky Derby, courtesy of his newly found biological father, trainer Chris Kessler, who yearns to have his talented son work full-time. But Steve, who lives in Maryland, is considering getting a PI license and uses the time in Louisville to complete a class assignment: find out all you can about someone. He chooses as his research subject Nicole Austin, a Churchill Downs employee he met only once. When Nicole's corpse turns up, Steve quickly becomes the primary suspect. While working to clear his name, Steve is invited into the rarefied world of wealthy racehorse owners by Rudi Sturgill, a cheerful playboy who may be the killer. Though Ehrman has yet to master the tightly focused plotting of jockey-turned-author Dick Francis, equine-minded readers will enjoy her capable, savvy young protagonist and authentic depiction of the gritty world of horse racing.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
When Steve Cline accepts his horse-trainer father's invitation to spend two weeks at Churchill Downs as one of two caregivers for Kentucky Derby contender Gallant Storm, he looks forward to an idyllic respite from his normal duties as a barn manager in Maryland. Cline wouldn't be in his fourth crime mystery at the tender age of 23 if he weren't a magnet for trouble, however, and within days of arriving in Louisville, he has befriended a young woman who soon turns up dead. Quickly, Cline has become the target of both the police and a couple of thugs bent on mayhem. His attempts to find out why the young woman was killed lead him deep into the exclusive world of Bluegrass bluebloods, where he becomes increasingly at risk as he gets closer to uncovering a shameful secret. There is plenty of action here, all set against the excitement and pageantry of the buildup to America's greatest horse race. Neither race fans nor devotees of suspense will be disappointed. Dennis Dodge
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
"Ehrman, Kit. Triple Cross. Poisoned Pen. Jan. 2007. c.336p. ISBN 1-59058-302-7 [ISBN 978-1-59058-302-9]. $24.95.
Although 23-year-old barn manager Steve Cline doesn't expect to stray far from the horse world, he has enrolled in a private investigations course and is working on the final project. But when his father, racehorse trainer Chris Kessler, invites him to Louisville on a two-week, all-expense-paid vacation that will culminate with the running of the Kentucky Derby, how can he refuse? Except, it isn't really a vaction. Kessler has a Derby runner and needs a reliable fill-in when one of his employees is injured.
With only two horses to care for, the workload is light, and Steve decides to get that class project out of the way--a simple records search. But the very act of initiating the project triggers a chance encounter that plunges Steve into the world of the ultra rich. A world where greed and revenge and ambition drive some men to commit unspeakable acts amid the pageantry and glamour of thoroughbred racing.
In quick order, Steve finds himself the prime suspect in a murder investigation and the target of brutal thugs. From the relative security of the backside to the Derby festivities that transform downtown Louisville into Party Central to the opulence of a Lexington horse farm, Steve deals with his own personal demons and strained relationships as he attempts to stop a murderer before a power play culminates in shattered dreams and a bloody triple cross....
From Publishers Weekly
At the start of Ehrman's engaging fourth outing for barn manager Steve Cline (after 2005's Cold Burn), Steve visits Louisville for the Kentucky Derby, courtesy of his newly found biological father, trainer Chris Kessler, who yearns to have his talented son work full-time. But Steve, who lives in Maryland, is considering getting a PI license and uses the time in Louisville to complete a class assignment: find out all you can about someone. He chooses as his research subject Nicole Austin, a Churchill Downs employee he met only once. When Nicole's corpse turns up, Steve quickly becomes the primary suspect. While working to clear his name, Steve is invited into the rarefied world of wealthy racehorse owners by Rudi Sturgill, a cheerful playboy who may be the killer. Though Ehrman has yet to master the tightly focused plotting of jockey-turned-author Dick Francis, equine-minded readers will enjoy her capable, savvy young protagonist and authentic depiction of the gritty world of horse racing.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
When Steve Cline accepts his horse-trainer father's invitation to spend two weeks at Churchill Downs as one of two caregivers for Kentucky Derby contender Gallant Storm, he looks forward to an idyllic respite from his normal duties as a barn manager in Maryland. Cline wouldn't be in his fourth crime mystery at the tender age of 23 if he weren't a magnet for trouble, however, and within days of arriving in Louisville, he has befriended a young woman who soon turns up dead. Quickly, Cline has become the target of both the police and a couple of thugs bent on mayhem. His attempts to find out why the young woman was killed lead him deep into the exclusive world of Bluegrass bluebloods, where he becomes increasingly at risk as he gets closer to uncovering a shameful secret. There is plenty of action here, all set against the excitement and pageantry of the buildup to America's greatest horse race. Neither race fans nor devotees of suspense will be disappointed. Dennis Dodge
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
"Ehrman, Kit. Triple Cross. Poisoned Pen. Jan. 2007. c.336p. ISBN 1-59058-302-7 [ISBN 978-1-59058-302-9]. $24.95.
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
17 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Kit Ehrman
8 books31 followersAfter discovering the works of Dick Francis, Kit Ehrman quit her government job and went to work in the horse industry. Twenty-five years later, she combined her love of horses and mysteries by penning an equine-oriented mystery series featuring barn manager and amateur sleuth Steve Cline. (E-book editions now available for $2.99) The series has received outstanding reviews in The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, etc.
www.kitehrman.com
www.kitehrman.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 10, 2021
This book is reminiscent of the Dick Francis novels and I enjoyed it tremendously, probably because I like anything to do with the horse racing world and because I was attracted to the main character and his relations with horses and people. Steve Cline accepts an invitation from his biological father to help at the Kentucky Derby where he has two horses running. A young woman that Steve meets briefly in the Derby stables "backside" disappears and his curiosity about what happened gets him in trouble with thugs and police. Lots of fast-paced action, intriguing plot, and fantastic details about high-strung horses being readied for the race of their lives in the Kentucky Derby and high-strung owners and trainers partying and bragging in the days before the big race. I enjoyed the horses more than the people.
February 18, 2021
It's a Winner!!
I just reread this series. Enjoyed it the first time I read, but enjoyed even more the second time around.
It was written so we'll I could almost smell the barns. Hay horse and human. Well done.
I just reread this series. Enjoyed it the first time I read, but enjoyed even more the second time around.
It was written so we'll I could almost smell the barns. Hay horse and human. Well done.
October 13, 2020
Loved it!
2nd time to read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it again. It's a good mystery with good characters. Hated for it to end.
2nd time to read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it again. It's a good mystery with good characters. Hated for it to end.
November 19, 2009
This is the fourth in the Steve Cline series. TRIPLE CROSS is set during the two weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Steve's dad has a horse running in the race, so Steve is there to help him.
Steve is also taking a course in detective work and as part of that he picks a person at random to research. When he does so, he stumbles on a major mystery when the woman disappears and is later found murdered. Steve is roughed up and robbed, his room tossed, and is then chased all around the city by men who think he has information they want.
It's obvious that the author has a firsthand knowledge of the city of Louisville. The streets, the Derby festival, the restaurants, and Churchill Downs are all spot on with her descriptions.
It's another wild ride for Steve as he works with the police to find the killer/killers.
Steve is also taking a course in detective work and as part of that he picks a person at random to research. When he does so, he stumbles on a major mystery when the woman disappears and is later found murdered. Steve is roughed up and robbed, his room tossed, and is then chased all around the city by men who think he has information they want.
It's obvious that the author has a firsthand knowledge of the city of Louisville. The streets, the Derby festival, the restaurants, and Churchill Downs are all spot on with her descriptions.
It's another wild ride for Steve as he works with the police to find the killer/killers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2011
While the horse details were dead on, for the most part, and other details were well researched, I personally didn't care for the story. I have read two of Ehrman's titles and simply can't warm up to the main character. I don't search out mystery novels but I do horse related novels. I'm going to have to say I'm skipping on this series from here on out. Also, I have a pet peeve about language and the use of more than necessary,in my opinion,trash talk.
September 4, 2010
An engaging read, especially if you live in the Louisville, Kentucky area, but not one of my favorites. If you're not familiar with the area (or the Kentucky Derby), you may frequently be lost.
December 29, 2011
I really enjoy this series- a mystery with a horsey side!
January 24, 2013
I enjoyed this book as much as the first three and really look forward to number 5.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews