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Swift Horses Racing
A murder. A victim. A cop.None are what they seem to be.Aeronautics legend Karl Schuler is murdered on a quiet expressway in the early hours of New Year’s Day, in what looks like a gang hit. Detective James Ruiz and his wife Reyna witness the shooting, and James Ruiz hears the man’s strange dying words. San Jose Homicide detective Mario Flores interviews the couple and begins the search for the man’s killer.
It soon becomes clear that Schuler was not who he seemed to be. The murder itself is not exactly what it appears to be. What happens after the truth is discovered? When the unthinkable happens? In Swift Horses Racing, the past reaches into the present with devastating results. Despite a deadline, an atmospheric river and a painful personal betrayal, Detectives Ruiz and Flores must work together to find a killer who has everything to lose--and is ready to kill again.
From the Amazon “An amazing book right out of the gate”
“A page turner you won’t want to put down!”
"Well-developed characters, crisp repartee and a suspenseful and believable conclusion."
It soon becomes clear that Schuler was not who he seemed to be. The murder itself is not exactly what it appears to be. What happens after the truth is discovered? When the unthinkable happens? In Swift Horses Racing, the past reaches into the present with devastating results. Despite a deadline, an atmospheric river and a painful personal betrayal, Detectives Ruiz and Flores must work together to find a killer who has everything to lose--and is ready to kill again.
From the Amazon “An amazing book right out of the gate”
“A page turner you won’t want to put down!”
"Well-developed characters, crisp repartee and a suspenseful and believable conclusion."
- GenresMystery
290 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 20, 2021
7 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 10, 2023
A page turner with interesting characters and plot twists. I didn’t want to put it down… but somebody had to fix dinner.
January 16, 2022
What a great, intriguing mystery novel! I enjoy Victoria's style of writing...I love the way she describes people, places and feelings. She really draws the reader in from the moment of the murder until the very end. I just got the second book and am looking forward to reading it next. Keep them coming Victoria!!
May 5, 2021
Read this in one sitting!
I was riveted from beginning to end. Well developed characters, crisp repartee and a suspenseful and believable conclusion. A true pleasure.
I was riveted from beginning to end. Well developed characters, crisp repartee and a suspenseful and believable conclusion. A true pleasure.
April 19, 2021
Here is a Silicon Valley murder mystery that packs a lot. The twisting plot offers all the forks in the road of a good whodunit, plus a lot of social commentary that doesn’t rudely intrude on the flow of the story, plus some romance, some previously unexplored history, and even some local color for visiting travelers who are not familiar with the San Jose area. I enjoyed this book a great deal.
Full disclosure: the author, Victoria Kazarian, is a friend and fellow founding member of a writers’ group I’ve met with monthly for a half dozen years. I know how she takes her coffee. So you will be forgiven for any skepticism about my objectivity. But seriously, it’s a good story anyway.
Detective James Ruiz and his wife Reyna witness a murder while driving home from a San Jose party in the wee hours of New Year’s morning. Ruiz has worked for many years on the police force of a well-off suburb called Monte Verde, but he develops a camaraderie with the San Jose detective assigned to the case, Mario Flores. Although Flores maintains control of the investigation, Ruiz’s personal connection as a witness to the shooting draws him close and the two officers collaborate.
Karl Schuler had the reputation of a modern-day saint. He worked in aeronautics for decades, helping to design planes and rockets that moved mankind into a new age. But more importantly, he did everything he could to help those less fortunate. He delivered meals to seniors. He tutored and mentored children in economically underprivileged neighborhoods. He helped kids escape the cycle of poverty that had trapped their families for generations.
Why would anyone want to kill Karl Schuler? Was the shooting random? Gang-related? Someone jealous of his achievements and influence in the community?
In the course of the investigation we gain insight into the real-life tension tearing Silicon Valley apart even today. Tech entrepreneurs and their highly paid employees have driven the cost of living far out of reach of the working-class families that had put down roots there long before the advent of personal computers. For instance, when Ruiz’s son Jacky asks for a computer game that his schoolmates have recently gotten, the father tells the boy he’ll have to work extra and save his allowance.
Flores, on the other hand, comes from a family with money. Attractive and single, he draws attention from women when he enters a room. Ruiz notes that his younger counterpart owns an iPhone and an Apple watch, and wonders why he needs both.
The investigation explores the underside of the valley’s glittering exterior, the history of the aeronautical industry, and the thinking behind police investigative methods. The truth behind Karl Schuler’s murder will send shock waves through the community he devoted his life to. Along the way, we also see how the real-life pressures of daily life in the 21st Century can shape our fates.
Full disclosure: the author, Victoria Kazarian, is a friend and fellow founding member of a writers’ group I’ve met with monthly for a half dozen years. I know how she takes her coffee. So you will be forgiven for any skepticism about my objectivity. But seriously, it’s a good story anyway.
Detective James Ruiz and his wife Reyna witness a murder while driving home from a San Jose party in the wee hours of New Year’s morning. Ruiz has worked for many years on the police force of a well-off suburb called Monte Verde, but he develops a camaraderie with the San Jose detective assigned to the case, Mario Flores. Although Flores maintains control of the investigation, Ruiz’s personal connection as a witness to the shooting draws him close and the two officers collaborate.
Karl Schuler had the reputation of a modern-day saint. He worked in aeronautics for decades, helping to design planes and rockets that moved mankind into a new age. But more importantly, he did everything he could to help those less fortunate. He delivered meals to seniors. He tutored and mentored children in economically underprivileged neighborhoods. He helped kids escape the cycle of poverty that had trapped their families for generations.
Why would anyone want to kill Karl Schuler? Was the shooting random? Gang-related? Someone jealous of his achievements and influence in the community?
In the course of the investigation we gain insight into the real-life tension tearing Silicon Valley apart even today. Tech entrepreneurs and their highly paid employees have driven the cost of living far out of reach of the working-class families that had put down roots there long before the advent of personal computers. For instance, when Ruiz’s son Jacky asks for a computer game that his schoolmates have recently gotten, the father tells the boy he’ll have to work extra and save his allowance.
Flores, on the other hand, comes from a family with money. Attractive and single, he draws attention from women when he enters a room. Ruiz notes that his younger counterpart owns an iPhone and an Apple watch, and wonders why he needs both.
The investigation explores the underside of the valley’s glittering exterior, the history of the aeronautical industry, and the thinking behind police investigative methods. The truth behind Karl Schuler’s murder will send shock waves through the community he devoted his life to. Along the way, we also see how the real-life pressures of daily life in the 21st Century can shape our fates.
February 10, 2023
Swift Horses Racing is a compelling story in which Kazarian presents characters who share the role of protagonist. Two are detectives, one is the wife of a detective, and the fourth is a murder victim. The premise is solving the murder, while Kazarian delves deeply into her characters’ personalities and mores.
The interaction of the primary characters held me close. I wanted to meet each of them in person, shake them by the collar, and at the same time hug them. Kazarian excels in building a sense of love while exposing the deep flaws her actors own.
The protagonists disappointed me more often than they pleased me. However, by the end of the story, I had a deep affection for them all. I can’t say I had any respect for the secondary characters.
There were a couple of bothersome police issues. First, how would an officer with less than a year of service become a detective? Not likely. Detectives drive undercover vehicles with concealed lights, sirens, and a police radio—not personally owned vehicles.
I enjoyed the story, as it pulled me into the lives of the four protagonists. I recommend Swift Horses Racing.
The interaction of the primary characters held me close. I wanted to meet each of them in person, shake them by the collar, and at the same time hug them. Kazarian excels in building a sense of love while exposing the deep flaws her actors own.
The protagonists disappointed me more often than they pleased me. However, by the end of the story, I had a deep affection for them all. I can’t say I had any respect for the secondary characters.
There were a couple of bothersome police issues. First, how would an officer with less than a year of service become a detective? Not likely. Detectives drive undercover vehicles with concealed lights, sirens, and a police radio—not personally owned vehicles.
I enjoyed the story, as it pulled me into the lives of the four protagonists. I recommend Swift Horses Racing.
November 2, 2021
I didn't guess the ending
There are few novels where I had not figured out the "who" in a who done it. This proved to be the exception to the rule. Now I want to start the next one.
There are few novels where I had not figured out the "who" in a who done it. This proved to be the exception to the rule. Now I want to start the next one.
August 29, 2021
Well developed characters
Victoria cazarian does a great job creating characters and suspense, in a real world in a real way. Highly recommend this book.
Victoria cazarian does a great job creating characters and suspense, in a real world in a real way. Highly recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews