Cactus Jack: a Novel

Starred review from May 1, 2020
Smith has always grazed among multiple genres, contentedly mixing elements of country noir, caper novel, thriller, and western. Usually, though, there's a collection of outsiders, leaning toward misfits, at the heart of the story, and so it is here, as Smith makes a welcome return to horse racing, which provided the backdrop for his superb All Hat (2003). This time the lead misfit is self-deprecating but steely-willed Billie Masterson, who has been drifting through life in Ohio when she's summoned back to Kentucky upon the death of her father, whose small Thoroughbred farm hovers on the edge of bankruptcy. Before his heart attack, however, Will Masterson was counting on a two-year-old colt, Cactus Jack, to put the creditors at bay. Billie is perfectly happy selling Cactus Jack to unscrupulous billionaire and dilettante horse owner Reese Ryker and then skedaddling back to Ohio?until she gets a peek at what a racist pig Ryker is. Gathering about her a horse-crazy preteen with sense beyond her years and a boozy trainer with horse sense but seemingly little else, Billie sets out to race the untested Cactus Jack, but that means outmaneuvering Ryker and his hardball-playing thugs. Yes, it's a classic Bad News Bears scenario, but Smith injects the formula with gallons of heart, a healthy dose of backstretch realism, and his signature side-of-the-mouth wit. A delight, from paddock to finish line.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)