Hotwalker
When police fail to solve the murder of a Guatemalan groom on the backside of Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby festival, the victim’s hotwalker son hires local private investigator Jim Guthrie to bring the killer to justice. In doing so, Guthrie uncovers other crimes including blackmail, extortion, and illegal drug use but still finds time to romance a seductive veterinarian. Several violent encounters occur during the investigation as the private eye uses a racetrack tip sheet to provoke the killer into making a mistake. Guthrie’s debut in Hotwalker is a fast-paced classic private detective mystery featuring a complex storyline, surprising twists, quirky characters, off-beat humor, and a vivid sense of place. The book is extremely topical, as well. Many characters are Central American immigrants who must live in fear of being deported by ICE. The plot also mirrors real-life crimes for which two top trainers were recently charged by prosecutors in New York.
Hotwalker is available at the website of my publisher Literary Wanderlust, and the other booksellers listed below.
Hotwalker Reviews
“A delightful whodunit with a remarkable hero and sublime Southern setting.”
- Kirkus Reviews
“I loved the way Rick Neumayer created the mystery and built the suspense in this engaging novel. Hotwalker gets a rating of 4 out of 4 stars because it is a very captivating read.”
- OnlineBookClub.org (Read full review)
“Want to sample the Kentucky Derby scene? Mount up with author Rick Neumayer's splendid Jim Guthrie, P.I. mystery, Hotwalker. This riveting, action-packed novel made me laugh out loud even as the suspense spurred me to read on. Neumayer’s characters and Louisville life along the Ohio River seem amazingly real, and his witty, tough, carefully ethical detective someone you’d like to know.”
- Sena Jeter Naslund
Author of Ahab's Wife, Four Spirits, Abundance, The Fountain of St. James Court & The Disobedience of Water: Short Stories
“Fast paced, action packed, and intricately plotted, Rick Neumayer’s Hotwalker is a winner straight out of the gate. If you like the Kentucky Derby, smart-mouth detectives, and plenty of fisticuffs and gunplay, this novel is a must read. The finely crafted story, vivid characters, and sharp dialog make Hotwalker one of the best detective novels I’ve read in years. In fact, it’s so good that I wish I’d written it.”
- Chris Helvey
Author of novels The White Jamaican, Flowers for Sergeant Schiller, Dancing On The Rim, and The Yard Man
Subscribe
Sign up for free updates and get a free new short story about Journeyman heroes Pate and Stan in Mexico!
© 2021 Rick Neumayer