Acid and Bribery

Based on the author’s personal experience of racing a racehorse in Colorado, Acid and Bribery is the fictional product that has come from Jeanne Ann Off’s pleasant experience. Off’s novel focuses on sixteen-year-old Kelsey and her single mother, Loren, who work in Colorado at Derbyrun Downs racetrack with racehorses, getting them ready to compete. One of the horses, Tomar El Oro, is one of Kelsey’s favorites and happens to be one of the best horses in the stables compared with all the owner’s other horses. Kelsey and her best friend, Saira, the daughter of Eustacio Rios, the jockey who rides Tomar, work with the horses in the field along with cleaning their stalls to ensure positive physical and mental health for the horses and workers. Blaine, a nineteen-year-old security guard on the racetrack grounds, plays a role in Kelsey’s life, but it will take some time for her decide if it is positive or negative. After the abrupt loss of her father when she was eleven, Kelsey must learn to trust men again in her life.

The story soon becomes a mystery when, within the first chapter, we learn that something is “off” when Kelsey discovers the screen to Tomar’s stall is torn. Later, he becomes very sick, as do other horses in the stables. Kelsey hears voices in the stalls discussing the advantages of removing Tomar from the competition, but with no identification of the voices or evidence otherwise, she finds herself in the middle of a self-proclaimed investigation. Kelsey finds herself in danger’s way multiple times but must work with those closest to her to figure out who wishes to and has succeeded in inflicting harm on the horses; she must also work on her feelings toward other people in her life.

While reading, you learn much of the lingo used among those who work with horses, which I found very interesting. While this story was not too long, it was still able to provide a full storyline with suspense, suspects, and a little romance. Because it was shorter, I found myself expecting more action or more suspicion among certain characters, much like a longer book would contain, but it was pleasant to have a simpler storyline. There are several grammatical errors in the text that can easily be fixed, but they did not hinder the storyline. I can see how having personal experience in the area of horse racing would be a must when writing a story about this topic. I also loved having a glossary in the back for horse-terms as well as applicable Bible scripture.