The Long Shot

High stakes gambling, murder and cricket. An unlikely mix? Perhaps in the genteel days of games on the village green, but not so now. The introduction of sports betting has changed the game for players and fans alike.

Millions change hands with every match. As the financial incentive grows, so too does the temptation to cheat.

Perhaps even to commit murder?

A brilliant young South African batsman, Winston Olonga, is assassinated in a Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Enter Lucas Fox, commentator and private eye, who witnesses the killing and sets out to find the culprit.

Peter Meares has two passions – sport and books. He has written six non-fiction books on sport, but this is his first novel. A first-grade cricketer, he retired at 22 to become a sports commentator with the ABC. He worked at two Olympics and six Commonwealth Games, including the 1982 Brisbane Games, for which he was the TV anchor.

He lives on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast with his wife, Rhonda.