Novels

Banker
"Dying is a relative term when it doesn't end in death."

Date of Publication: 1982 (PB)

Publisher: Fawcett Crest (PB)

Foreign Titles: Banker (or Galopp in Gefahr) German

Setting: London

Synopsis:
Young investment banker Tim Ekaterin suddenly finds himself involved in the cutthroat world of thoroughbred racing -- and discovers his unexceptional world of business blown to smithereens.

When the multimillion-dollar loan he arranges to finance the purchase of Sandcastle, a champion, is threatened by an apparent defect in the horse, Tim searches desperately for an answer. And he falls headlong into violence and murder. Even so, he cannot stop. He must find the key to the murders. And to Sandcastle.

Main Characters:
Tim Ekaterin, 32 yrs old
Judith Michaels
Gordon Michaels
Penelope Warner, pharmacist
Henry Shipton
Calder Jackson, tele-healer
Oliver Knowles, the meticulous new owner of Sandcastle
Ginnie Knowles, his 15 year old daugher
Ian Pargetter, vet
Dissdale Smith

Professions:
Tim Ekaterin is an investment banker.
Calder Jackson is a healer of horses.
Oliver Knowles owns a stud farm.

Comes after: Twice Shy / Comes before: The Danger

Villain and Motives:
Spoilers! Click here to reveal the villain!

Quotes:

One tended to want a life on saved to be of positive use in the world.

"I must confess I expected someone ... older."
There were several answers to that, such as "time will take care of it" and "I'll be older tomorrow," but nothing seemed appropriate.

"It's lovely up here, but too far from life."

"Very beautiful. Very brave. Quite mad."
"Does sanity lie in ugliness and cowardice?" I asked.
"Life does, pretty often," she said. "Haven't you noticed?"
"And some aren't happy unless they're desperate."
She quietly laughed. "Tragedy inspires, so they say."

Remorse and guilt could rise like dragons' teeth from good intentions, and there were in truth unexpected paths to hell.

Quiz:
highlight the area beneath the question to discover the answer

1. What does Tim's boss have hallucinations of?
men with white faces

2. What pill does Pen find on the floor that's so important?
warfarin

3. Who wrote the worrisome articles in the newspaper?
Alec, a colleague of Tim's

4. What was the element in the shampoo that caused the deformations?
Selenium

5. How much time does the book span?
three years

To Get the Book:

Related Links:
Kristi's Banker
Herbs for Horses
Stud-Farms.com

Pictures: