EVEN MONEY

On the first day of Royal Ascot, the crowd rejoices in a string of winning favourites. Ned Talbot has worked all his life as a bookmaker ndash; taking over the family business from his grandfather ndash; so he knows not to expect any sympathy from the punters as they count their winnings, and he counts his losses. He''s seen the ups and downs before ndash; but, as the big gambling conglomerates muscle in on small concerns like his, Ned wonders if it''s worth it any more.When a grey-haired man steps forward from the crowd claiming to be his father, Ned''s life is thrown into far deeper turmoil. He''d been told since he was a baby that his parents had died in a car crash.Barely an hour later his newly found father is stabbed by an unknown assailant in the Ascot car park. Blood oozing from his abdomen, he warns Ned: ''Be very careful''. But of whom? Of what? Ned finds himself in a race to solve his father''s riddles, a race where coming second could cost him more than even money, it could cost him his life.