The Black Jersey

April 8, 2019
Set during the Tour de France, this thrilling mystery from Mexican author Patterson (Milena) boasts as many twists and turns as the treacherous bicycle race that winds through the Alps and the Pyrenees. When a series of tragic events begins forcing participants out of the grueling 23-day race—such as the brutal assault on a cyclist while on a practice run and another’s apparent suicide—the detective in charge of investigating the incidents enlists the help of Marc Moreau, a French cyclist with military police training. But as Moreau—who is on a top team led by former champion Steve Panata—investigates the increasingly desperate attacks on riders, he must also deal with his own pressing issues, which includes a girlfriend and mentor who believe Moreau can, and should, step out of his longtime supporting role to Panata and win the yellow jersey for himself. This meticulously plotted novel about riders willing to die—and possibly kill—to win cycling’s biggest race will have readers guessing until the very last page. Patterson should win a wider American audience with this outing. Agent: Marina Penalva, Casanovas & Lynch (Spain).

April 15, 2019
A brilliant and devious criminal turns the Tour de France into a life-or-death race. Following a glossary of cycling terms and a cast of characters, the story kicks off in the arch narrative voice of Marc Moreau, a "domestique"--that is, a nonleading member of a cycling team, "from the French for 'servant.' " He's been aware of both the star quality and cockiness of American cyclist Steve Panata from the moment they both joined the tour in 2006. Ten years on, Steve is at the top of his game and he and Marc have developed a deep synchronicity. As the extended 2016 race proceeds in stages, with regular updates of the leaderboard for the reader, British cyclist Saul Fleming is found dead in his bathtub, his wrists slit. At first his death looks like suicide. But after police comb through the crime scene, they decide it was probably murder, for Fleming drowned with bruises on his body as if he'd been held down. When the police confidentially share their findings with Marc, asking for his help getting inside the cycling circuit because he's a former military policeman, he seizes the role of amateur sleuth. His close relationship with the other cyclists is complicated by his new love, the mechanic Fiona. Worried that this wonderful development may compromise his synchronicity with Steve, Marc still manages to identify one of Steve's chief rivals as the likely killer, but how to prove it? When a suspicious accident lands Steve in the hospital, Marc realizes just how urgent it is to catch the killer. Patterson (Milena, 2017) offers complex character portraits, a dramatic depiction of the Tour de France, and a nifty whodunit.

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May 1, 2019
For three weeks in July, cycling fans across the globe follow the most famous bicycle race in the world, the Tour de France. Patterson, a Mexican journalist, brings an original twist to the event with this thriller about murder and deadly sabotage among the competitors. Marc Hannibal Moreau, a French Colombian professional cyclist, is the domestique for the Fonar Team, and his job is to lead American superstar Steve Panata to his fifth Tour crown. After a series of suspicious accidents, Moreau, who has a military background, is summoned to provide leads for investigators from his perspective inside the peloton. Everyone is suspect: top rivals, coaches, mechanics, soigneurs (therapists), even members of the Fonar team. It's a bit of a stretch for a professional racer like Moreau to compete for 23 days covering 2,000 miles at the top level while expending energy on the investigation (and spending nights with his lover, Fiona Crowley, a mechanic and International Cycling Union (UCI) official), but the fast pace and numerous plot twists will keep readers in suspense until the end, when the cyclists cross the finish line at the Champs-�lys�es.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)