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Murder in Mind
The brilliant new thriller from the critically acclaimed author of Cut Throat and Time to Pay.
Sophie Bradford was pretty, blonde and an accomplished flirt. When she is found murdered, jockey Jamie Mullin is the prime suspect. He was her latest boyfriend and they had had a very public row just minutes before.
Jamie protests his innocence, but even though he is a popular figure in the racing world, the media attention surrounding the case very quickly begins to undermine his career. As Jamie spirals into a breakdown fuelled by frustration, self-pity and drink, it is left to friend and fellow jockey, Matt Shepherd, to try and fight his corner, little knowing that the consequences of his efforts will have a similarly devastating effect on his own life and career. Can he find the truth behind what seems like a motiveless killing?
As Matt gets ever closer to the murderer it seems probable that the guilty party is someone he knows well and he finds himself facing some harsh decisions, but loyalty won’t protect him when the chips are down, and before he knows it he is fighting for his life.
Sophie Bradford was pretty, blonde and an accomplished flirt. When she is found murdered, jockey Jamie Mullin is the prime suspect. He was her latest boyfriend and they had had a very public row just minutes before.
Jamie protests his innocence, but even though he is a popular figure in the racing world, the media attention surrounding the case very quickly begins to undermine his career. As Jamie spirals into a breakdown fuelled by frustration, self-pity and drink, it is left to friend and fellow jockey, Matt Shepherd, to try and fight his corner, little knowing that the consequences of his efforts will have a similarly devastating effect on his own life and career. Can he find the truth behind what seems like a motiveless killing?
As Matt gets ever closer to the murderer it seems probable that the guilty party is someone he knows well and he finds himself facing some harsh decisions, but loyalty won’t protect him when the chips are down, and before he knows it he is fighting for his life.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
10 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Lyndon Stacey
19 books24 followersLyndon Stacey lives in a quiet village in the Blackmore Vale in Dorset, with three assorted dogs and a cat, and her books are set in the surrounding counties.
Although she started writing fiction as a very young child, she worked in many and varied jobs after leaving school, alongside which she gained a very good reputation as an animal portrait artist. Writing was always her first love, however, and when she hit on the winning combination of everyday (if tough) heroes and a rural background abounding with dogs and horses, her first publishing deal was not far behind.
Her many interests include reading (unsurprisingly!) horse riding, Canicross, animal psychology, gardening, music & dance, genealogy and motorcycling, but her overriding passion is for dogs, their training, and all kinds of dog sports.
Although she started writing fiction as a very young child, she worked in many and varied jobs after leaving school, alongside which she gained a very good reputation as an animal portrait artist. Writing was always her first love, however, and when she hit on the winning combination of everyday (if tough) heroes and a rural background abounding with dogs and horses, her first publishing deal was not far behind.
Her many interests include reading (unsurprisingly!) horse riding, Canicross, animal psychology, gardening, music & dance, genealogy and motorcycling, but her overriding passion is for dogs, their training, and all kinds of dog sports.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 6, 2020
A decent read. Good plot with believable twists. Nice character development - no unbelievable super heros. More than a 3, but not a 4.
March 12, 2015
In Murder in Mind, by Lyndon Stacey, Matt Shepherd is a steeplechase jockey, a rising star in the world of hurdles horse racing, until a young woman, known in England's West Country as something of a slut, turns up dead and Matt's friend Jamie, also a jockey, is accused of her murder. Unfortunately, Jamie was the woman's most recent boyfriend and they'd had a very public argument at a large birthday party just hours before she was found dead, by Matt. Matt knows his friend would never commit such a crime and he promises Jamie to do what he can to find out what really happened. But once on the case, Matt seems to start ruffling a lot of very powerful feathers, and before he knows it, he is fighting for his own career, his relationship with his girlfriend and indeed, his very life....I quite enjoyed this tale, although I must admit that as Matt's career is being deliberately destroyed bit by bit by unknown enemies, I was finding myself terribly worried about what would happen to him, so much so that at times I was almost scared to pick up the book to read more! Which I suppose is an endorsement of the writing, if you think about it. It appears that the author, Lyndon Stacey, sets all of her novels (she has 6 or 7) in the same general milieu, with horse-racing and dogs featuring one way or another, and I suppose it might become repetitious to read all of them back to back, but this particular book was quite entertaining and filled with thrilling steeplechase meets that are realistically described. In addition, Matt is an engaging character, enough so that I would be quite happy to read another novel featuring this individual jockey. Despite my trepidation over Matt's future from time to time, overall I found the book to be a relatively light read, and although there's a bit of the old deus ex machina in the climax, it was still satisfying and could plausibly be explained away by an earlier detail. So, recommended, especially if you like horses!
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October 10, 2014I still think Dick Francis is the best at these racing mysteries. But Lyndon Stacy comes close in characterisation. Francis could write a tight plot and build really strong, 3D characters. Stacey comes close but lacks that Francis honesty and realistic edge. Her ending here is a bit mushy and smacks of tying up the ends rather too obviously.
It's a good read. Anyone liking horses will enjoy it. Matt Shepherd is a likeable character and his efforts to help his friend, Jamie, when the police accuse him of murder, makes for an exciting plot. If Matt's girl friend is a bit wet, well she's not yet twenty.
Well written, fast paced and a good solid read for anyone who likes mysteries.
No stars because my personal rating should not be used to affect the sales of this book. I'd like a two tier rating system, one public and one private which we can opt to use for each book.
It's a good read. Anyone liking horses will enjoy it. Matt Shepherd is a likeable character and his efforts to help his friend, Jamie, when the police accuse him of murder, makes for an exciting plot. If Matt's girl friend is a bit wet, well she's not yet twenty.
Well written, fast paced and a good solid read for anyone who likes mysteries.
No stars because my personal rating should not be used to affect the sales of this book. I'd like a two tier rating system, one public and one private which we can opt to use for each book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews