photo by Roger McMillian
Story Photos>>Charles Street

excerpt from AT RISK

I left the harbor behind and headed north on Charles Street.

Five blocks later, I stopped in front of the wide plate-glass windows of a jeweler’s store and glanced at the sign above the door. Geoff and Teal Jewelers. Behind me, a horn blared, followed by the high-pitched squeal of poorly-adjusted brakes. The sound bounced and ricocheted off high walls of concrete and glass. I looked at my watch and saw I was ten minutes early.

“Steve?”

I turned around.

She held out her hand. “Marilyn,” she said. “Nick’s sister.” She kept her blond hair short, and a pair of large wire-rimmed glasses couldn’t hide a dusting of freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose. Based on Nick’s comments, I assumed she was in her early forties, but the animation in her eyes made her appear younger.

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racehorse
party scene
Louisville, KY
the high life
K i t   E h r m a n . . .
AT RISK FUN LINKS . . .

Columbia Horse Center is the "real-life" Foxdale Farm, Steve's base of operation.

The folks at the Laurel Police Department were a big help to me regarding police procedural questions.


Site content copyrighted 2006/2013 by Kit Ehrman.   top of page
Louisville Skyline photo by Fleur-Design.net
Horse photo by Mike Corrado
TRIPLE CROSS
TRIPLE CROSSTRIPLE CROSSTRIPLE CROSS
TRIPLE CROSS
Poisoned Pen Press
Hardcover
October, 2002
ISBN:  1-59058-036-2
$24.95

Trade Paperback
August, 2006
ISBN: 1-59058-265-9
$14.95

REVIEWS . . .

"It's amazing what horses can do for a mystery. Kit Ehrman's debut novel, AT RISK, reeks of authen-ticity, and the hunters and jumpers that are boarded at this no-frills garage have personality to burn. When seven of these horses are stolen in the dead of night, Stephen Cline, the 21-year-old barn manager . . . in the honored tradition of a Dick Francis hero, vows to track down the thieves..."
~ The New York Times

"The smart money could make the unusually likable protagonist a favorite in the Francis Stakes."
~ Kirkus

"Both horse lovers and crime fans who've never stepped into a stirrup will relish Ehrman's riveting debut . . . Ehrman treads Dick Francis territory with a sure foot [and] has created a mem-orable cast.  With his youthful zeal and perseverance, Steve Cline makes a captivating hero and sleuth, one readers will be eager to see again."
~Publishers Weekly

"At best, only a small fraction of first novels turn out to be first in a series (why assume that success for AT RISK?)  The over-arching reason is that its author is thoughtful and clever, as well as skilled.  Ehrman's writing is unob-trusively crisp . . . The plot is intricate, intriguing, and solid in the best tra-ditional style . . ."  (see the complete review-->)
~ The Drood Review

"AT RISK by Kit Ehrman is suspense on steroids and one of the best debut novels to hit the crime literature racetrack since Dennis Lehane's A DRINK BEFORE THE WAR.  Clear ample shelf space for a Steve Cline series because Ehrman, a real-life horse farmer, has hit for the literary trifecta."
~ Andrew McAleer of Austin Layman's Crimestalker Casebook