“A rapid-fire thriller filled with captivating characters, Betrayed in the Bluegrass is a must-read for all horse and horse racing lovers. This action-packed whodunnit packs a punch that will keep you guessing till the end. Betrayed is a riveting addition to Slachman’s Bluegrass horse racing series.”--Adrian Beaumont – Director of Racecourse Services for International Racing Bureau
Available on Amazon & Kindle
What Is Betrayed in Bluegrass About?
Lexington Thoroughbred racing’s “power couple” Harper Hill and her husband, Detective JD Cole unite in this, the second in Slachman’s “Bluegrass” horse racing series. When a mysterious man, beaten and tortured, stumbles into the police precinct asking for JD, then dies before he can divulge his secret, a series of events are set in motion that will put the couples’ detecting power to the test and Harper’s life in grave danger. Soon after, Aubrey Lowen, Harper’s second cousin, is found severely beaten by the side of the road. Hospitalized, he hovers between life and death as Harper heads to Keeneland’s backstretch to keep an eye Lowen’s head trainer, Henley Smythe, who seems up to no good. As Harper tries desperately to uncover the culprit and help Aubrey’s wife Millie save their once-successful Thoroughbred farm, a dangerous character from Harper’s past shows up on the backstretch. Amid the dark pool of danger swirling around Harper, JD announces that the Feds have stepped in, preventing the couple from continuing their investigation. Undeterred, the two work under the radar to stop a killer bent on destroying the Lowen legacy and anyone who gets in the way. As murder and greed haunt every step they take, the couple knows that buried deep in Keeneland’s chaos the killer lies in wait—but uncovering the murderer just may cost Harper her life.
Available on Amazon & Kindle
“A mesmerizing, fast-paced thriller, Beast in the Bluegrass dives deep into the heart of Bluegrass horse racing where Thoroughbred beauty and courage exist alongside danger and death lurking just below the surface. It’s an electrifying ride—from the rush of crouching atop a thundering Thoroughbred racing to the finish line to the deadly goings on in the breeding, training, and broodmare barns—whether the good guys win against all odds . . .You’ll be guessing on that one till the very end!”
~Hall of Fame turf writer Steve Haskin
What is Beast in the Bluegrass about?
Detective JD Cole has landed his toughest case yet, one that puts those he loves in the crosshairs of a dangerous but illusive foe. Called to a gruesome scene at a local broodmare barn, he finds the stallion manager dead in a stall. The question looms: Was this a tragic accident or a brutal murder? JD and Wes—JD’s former Special Ops partner with a “whatever it takes” rep and a loose moral code—set about finding the truth. As the case heats up, JD realizes that everyone has something to hide, and the killers are as cunning as they are heartless. Things turn more deadly when Cass, Eden Hill’s jockey, is kidnapped and a chilling message is sent—Back off or else! And just when things look darkest, Harper’s life is thrust into danger. With everything on the line, JD and Wes must pull out all the stops to save Harper and bring the killers to justice.
Available on Amazon & Kindle
“Horsewoman and novelist Virginia Slachman has crafted a fast-paced tale of mystery, highlighted by drugs, murder, love and family, against a backdrop of Bluegrass traditions. Action packed from the get-go and filled with unique characters, the book is hard to put down as it races headlong at full speed to the finish line.”
Barry Irwin, Founder/CEO Team Valor
What is Blood in the Bluegrass about?
Harper had put the past behind her. Or so she thought. Fleeing the flashy, high dollar world of Kentucky horse racing for NYC, she’d been content living the life of a successful painter. But escape isn’t an option after the accidental death of her sister sends her back to the Bluegrass, a horse racing world filled with hope and heartbreak. As the body count rises at Eden Hill, Harper becomes convinced her sister’s death was no accident. Probing more deeply, Harper realizes Paris’ death is tied to a dark and deadly secret, one she discovers is why her racehorses are dying. Solving her sister’s murder and saving her family’s stud farm will take every ounce of Harper’s wit and courage.
When seven skeletons are discovered on the grounds, and the barn with her best Kentucky Derby prospects is set on fire, Harper bears down to find the killer. The problem is, the culprit could be anyone: Is it JD, her childhood sweetheart, Marshall, their long-time trainer, or is it their nasty neighbor Red Cole, in partnership with her family for generations? Someone is on a killing spree, and though Harper doesn’t know why, she is sure of one thing—the murderer is someone she’s known and trusted her whole life.
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“A masterful first novel. Slachman’s characters are people worth knowing—challenged, full of honesty, heart and wit, revolving in the murder and mayhem going on in this fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of thoroughbred horse racing and breeding.”
Review from Lauren on Amazon
What is The Lost Ode about?
Literary scholar and amateur sleuth Julia has stumbled on a family secret . . . a secret steeped in the history of Kentucky’s thoroughbred country and linked to the descendants of poet John Keats and his brother George. When the owner of Brookfield Stud, Gray Burke, is arrested for homicide, Julia is left to solve the murder and prove his innocence while following the trail to the Keats’s lost fortune. Solving the murder may lead to love and treasure, but has Julia back the wrong horse in believing Gray Burke’s innocence?
Interview with St. Louis Post-Dispatch about “The Lost Ode”
Virginia Slachman, an adjunct professor at Washington University, has published her first novel, “The Lost Ode” (Cooper Dorian Books). The Lafayette Square resident says she loves the “intellectual puzzles at the heart of most good mysteries.”
Your first novel is a mystery set in Kentucky. Why there?
I was teaching at the University of Cincinnati when the idea for this book occurred to me. Kentucky bluegrass country, the largest and best thoroughbred breeding area in the country, is right over the river. Through a few contacts, I was able to actually live on a breeding farm to do my research.
Tell me about your heroine.
Julia is an academic who meets Gray Burke, the young, handsome owner of the stud farm where the action takes place. Her knowledge of the poet John Keats and his brother helps her search for a lost fortune noted in a journal she receives from the Burkes and aids in her solving murders taking place on the breeding farm.
How are you involved with racehorses?
I do volunteer work at a thoroughbred rescue facility — there are over a hundred racehorses that have come off the track due to injuries and various other reasons. We work with them one-on-one to help move the horses to a new life beyond the track.
Jane Henderson is book editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow her online at stltoday.com/books and on Twitter @stlbooks.
Published August 2013