P.I. Bertrand McAbee never thought he’d see another harness race track after a near-death experience in Cassies Ruler. This former classics prof is hired to look into the beating and threatening of a harness horse trainer. As he engages with the case the story of a pacer – Phantom Express – emerges that begins to capture the attention of America. It also brings back some bad memories to some vicious people. In what occurs too often for McAbee’s taste, a simple case caroms into a complex case where death and mayhem lurk.