Mike Barnett, Man Against Crime #3

When a prized racehorse dies mysteriously after a race, Mike Barnett investigates the suspicious circumstances, uncovering a hidden sabotage and a web of deceit at Lamont Park. As he follows leads from a disgraced jockey to a dead bookmaker, the case takes a darker turn when a murder at a racetrack apartment reveals a killer with a personal vendetta. With no fingerprints and a locked safe, Mike must piece together a puzzle where every clue seems to vanish—just as the truth begins to take shape.

In "Bad Medicine," Colonel Corn tries to explain why he can't pay Korny Kobb ten dollars, leading to a hilariously tangled chain of wordplay involving aviators, pilots, aces, and the phrase "no jack." The misunderstanding escalates when Colonel Corn claims he can't remember the name of a medicine, only to finally recall it as "Carter's Little Liverpools," leaving Korny utterly exasperated.

Mike Barnett, the two-fisted private detective, is thrown into a dangerous mystery after a near-fatal car crash leads him to a blazing chemical plant fire in Ellenville—just as he was about to meet Hunt Mallory, a man who suspects his ex-partner, Brian Kent, of arson. As the investigation unfolds, a red car seen fleeing the scene and a chilling smile from Kent himself become key clues in a case that ties revenge, betrayal, and a fire that may not have been an accident.