Charlie is a misanthrope. When his mother, who owns the hotel where he works as the house dick, asks him what he would do with a million dollars, his response is that he'd like to buy a boat, anchor it offshore, and fish and read. (Sounds good except for the fishing.) If people wanted to come visit they could wave and he'd row over in the dinghy to get them, or not. His girl friends drop him because he's "not bold."

Charlie vows to find out who injured Victor, his friend, by running him down and stealing his camera. He discovers during the course of his poking around that an old mobster has been hanging around the hotel. That leads him to suspect the guy is planning to heist an armored truck that carries a substantial amount of money on a regular basis from the track. The police chief, when informed, scoffs, since it's the best protected run around and besides, there are so few roads for the thieves to escape on. Well, of course, Charlie has it nailed, but the links are not what he expected.

Mildly entertaining. Not as good as some of the other Dobyns I've read. 2.5 stars. really. ( )

Another in the fun series of Charlie Bradshaw mysteries set in Saratoga. Charlie's best friend Vic Plotz is run over (and revesed over) in a bid to steal the film from his camera. This sends Charlie on a mission to find out who did it and why. Not as good as Dick Francis but similarly nice books to curl up with. ( )