American Ringer

To most, it would seem that English businessman and horse-racing aficionado Richard Montrose has it all, with three successful businesses-a car dealership and a small farm in Norfolk, England, and a development corporation in Barcelona, Spain-as well as the affectionate devotion of the beautiful Jennifer (who loves him unconditionally). But he still wants more. Ambitious and determined, his dream is to have a horse of his own run in the Kentucky Derby and win-a dream that gets just a bit closer to becoming a reality when he stumbles across a unique family of thoroughbreds, all of which look identical (despite their varied ages). Recognizing their once-in-a-lifetime potential, and with his head filled with revitalized dreams of horse-racing glory, he purchases them and begins to plan.

Unfortunately, between a dishonest bank manager who carefully pins the blame for his illegal activities on Richard, threatening to implicate Jennifer unless he takes the fall, and the Spanish mafia, who've taken offense at his doing business in Barcelona without kissing the proverbial ring, his luck with horses isn't carrying over to his interactions with animals of the two-legged variety, most of whom have schemes and dreams of their own, not all of which are legal or even survivable.

Although fictionalized, "about 65 percent" of American Ringer, a story of love, deceit, danger, and determination, is based on experiences gained from the author's actual life. Of course, this begs a very simple and intriguing question: Which parts of this story actually did happen?