Oversteer
By Ken Vose
Originally released in 1992 and now back in print, Oversteer is Ken Vose’s first novel, which combines the world of modern Formula 1 racing with a good, old-fashioned mystery.
The book’s central character is Peter Hawthorn a professional racecar driver and former F1 piloto whose career is beginning to lose steam. After being given a second chance with a back-marker F1 team, Hawthorn sets in motion a series of events that will ultimately force him to solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance in the Brazilian jungle 20 years earlier during the 1970 World Cup Rally.
While I found some of the racing sequences somewhat predictable, on the whole, Oversteer was a fast, enjoyable read. Vose does a great job of mixing past and recent motor racing history into the story. By the second half of the book, the plot kicks into high gear and from this point forward the book really hits on all cylinders. If you like mystery novels, Oversteer will be a very welcome read.
Our Rating: Recommended
Reviewed by Casey Annis
Dead Pedal
By Ken Vose
Ken Vose’s second book plunges hero Peter Hawthorn again into the fray when several members of an exclusive racing society are believed to be murdered. Based on his ability to solve the mystery of his father’s death in Oversteer, Hawthorn is hired to discover whether the victims’ mysterious deaths are racing-related incidents or due to their wartime involvement with the anti-Nazi resistance in France. The answer for Hawthorn ultimately lies somewhere on the course of the Mille Miglia Historica, provided he can survive long enough to see the finish line.
This book is a flat-out great read from cover-to-cover! Vose does an incredible job weaving both racing history and modern historic racing into a very clever and well thought-out thriller.
One of the aspects of this book that makes it so enjoyable for us enthusiasts (and likely spelled its downfall in the mass market), is the fact that it is written for someone with a knowledge and appreciation of racecars and their history. This, combined with a first-rate mystery, makes Dead Pedal one of those gripping books that you’ll have a hard time putting down. Available online from backprint.com
Our Rating: Excellent
Reviewed by Casey Annis
