The Dark Underside of the Equestrian World

CHICAGO - Sept. 16, 2024 - PRLog -- The world of horses calls to mind polo matches, fox hunts, young girls on expensive ponies taking riding lessons, competing for blue ribbons in horse shows.  But beneath the surface – the underworld of horses – was a dark place filled with greed and violence where the unsuspecting rich were sometimes cheated or threatened or worse, and where young girls were exposed to the most unsavory behavior and, too often, unimaginable abuse.

In his debut novel, UNBRIDLED, author Michael Springer shines a light on the little-known underworld of horses in the 1950s and 1960s.

UNBRIDLED is the story of two brothers – Cyrus and Morgan Caine.  Born into the itinerant world of horse racing, the brothers find success in the glamorous new business of show horses, selling overpriced mounts to the innocent daughters of the wealthy elite. Morgan is a war hero, a respected businessman.  His older brother Cyrus learned his trade on the mean streets of Chicago.  Known for his sharp trades and brutal tactics, Cyrus becomes the ringleader of the "Horse Mafia," a man so dangerous even the Chicago Mob gives him a wide berth.

The Caine brothers compete in business, in the ring – and for the affections of the same woman.  Their rivalry leads to murder, and to one of the most sensational trials in Chicago history.  But that is not the end of the Caine saga.

"True Crime Fiction"

Chicago is known as a city with big, gritty crime stories.  Michael Springer, a native Chicagoan, was always fascinated by the case of Silas Jayne, a well-known horse trader who was the head of the notorious Horse Mafia of Chicago.  In 1970, Jayne was charged with conspiring to murder his stepbrother, fellow horseman George Jayne, after years of bad blood.  UNBRIDLED is loosely inspired by that case, but Springer has taken it into a new realm he calls "True Crime Fiction."

"People are obsessed with true crime stories, in documentaries, podcasts and books," Springer says..  "But to be credible, true crime stories need to adhere strictly to the facts.  I wasn't interested in writing a 'who-done-it' so much as a 'why-he-done-it.'  In True Crime Fiction, the author takes the seed of the story from real life but makes it their own."

About the Author

Michael Springer grew up outside Chicago and attended Lake Forest Academy and Northwestern University.  Following a successful career as a publisher in Chicago, he has returned to his first love of fiction writing.  He and his wife divide their time between southwest Florida and the south of France.

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UNBRIDLED: A Novel of Murder and Revenge, copyright 2024 by Michael Springer.  All rights reserved.  ISBN-13: 978-1-66289-702-3.  Published in the United States by Mill City Press.  Available in print and e-book formats through Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and Ingram's.

For more information, press only:

Michael Springer (Author)

312.288.5361

Mdspringer1@gmail.com

Review copies: Contact author