Author John McEvoy's Jack Doyle Mysteries are set within the sport of horseracing. In his newest, The Significant Seven, a group of old college buddies with a similar affinity for horseracing form a racing partnership corporation. Fast forward about seven years, and suddenly members of The Significant Seven are dropping dead, one at a time, and all within a very short period of time—but without any evidence of foul play. Doyle is convinced, however, that these deaths are no accident.

In the meantime, Jack Doyle is also working undercover for the FBI with a respected trainer, to determine who is sponging racehorses to alter race outcomes. Sponging is the act of inserting a small piece of sponge material into a horse's nostril, blocking air, which causes the horse to run markedly slow, and as a result, affects gambling payouts.

McEvoy spent years as a racing journalist, and his knowledge of the inner workings of racing is evident. But the excruciating overuse of detail strangulates the story and makes for arduous reading. The plot and pace of The Significant Seven is done fairly well—until the author fully drops the ball near the end. For example, once Doyle discovers who has been sponging the horses, he agrees not to report the person, and the FBI shrugs its figurative shoulders and essentially says, "Okay, Jack, if you don't want to tell us, we're fine with that." Sorry, I don't think that's plausible in any universe.

Neither do I believe that the FBI and other law enforcement are as dimwitted as McEvoy makes them out to be. And, frankly, Doyle doesn't do much except hang out, and doesn't seem smart enough to crack any cases. It's only due to happy accidents that these cases get resolved at all. Although I like the premise for the story, it was poorly developed.