This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Privacy Overview
The Horse Book Review: Hush Money by Chuck Greaves
Hush Money was a find. Literally. I found it one day while restocking display shelves at the library where I work. It’s Chuck Greaves’ first novel and any press for it clearly flew under my radar as I recognized neither the author nor the title. From the spine, I could tell it was a newer mystery and when I pulled it out I found a cover featuring a briefcase overflowing with money embossed with a show jumper. A show jumper! That caught my attention. As a big fan of both mysteries and show jumpers I made a fast decision. This book was not going on any display shelf. Instead it went straight to my desk so I could check it out.
Hush Money, by Chuck Greaves
Now, if you’re a fan of horses and mysteries, you’re probably making the same mental leap I did. I was expecting a very Dick Francis-like mystery set in the show jumping rather than racing world. But Greaves’ book is something quite different. It’s more of a noir thriller along the lines of The Maltese Falcon complete with the fast talking private investigator and a full cast of femmes fatale. But this is a modern book set in sunny Pasadena, California, and it’s not as dark as a classic Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett. That said, Greaves does render the style well, especially its trademark witty dialogue and elements of danger and suspense.
Greaves’ detective is actually a lawyer. Jack McTaggert is a junior lawyer at the prestigious firm of Henley & Hargrove, where he was recruited by his longtime mentor Russ Dinsmoor. When a client of Jared Henley Jr.’s needs help while he’s away, McTaggert pulls the case. Socialite Sydney Everett’s horse is dead. But he’s not just any horse, he’s Hush Puppy, an Olympic contender. And the vet thinks he’s been poisoned. Turns out, he also isn’t the first of Everett’s horses to die under mysterious circumstances. So, who’s got the most to gain— Everett herself; her rider, Barbara Hauser; or Hauser’s main rival, Tara Flynn? As McTaggert delves deeper into the case he becomes a target himself and once Dinsmoor turns up dead, a suspect, too
Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.
TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.
Start your free account today!
Already have an account?
and continue reading.
Written by:
Jenny Pedersen, MLIS
Related Articles
Alfalfa or Grass Hay: Which Is Better for Winter Warmth?
Managing the Hard-Keeping PPID Horse
Tips for Getting Horses to Eat Medications
Will Coaxing a Nervous Horse Reinforce Her Nervous Behavior?
Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with
FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com
Sponsored Content
Ask a Pro: Green Bananas—The Equine Gut Superfood
Drugs, Devices, and Decisions: Understanding Your Options in Managing Equine Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD)
Identifying Scratches and Effective, Innovative Treatment Strategies
Weekly Poll
Readers’ Most Popular
Top Categories