"The Little Book of Horse Racing Law" by Charles A. Palmer and Robert J. Palmer (ABA Publishing, $19.95) is an intriguing and fascinating book on an unusual subject.
This well-designed 140-page trade paperback covers a lot of legal territory, but isn't at all boring; it provides 21 chapters that deal with a variety of interesting facets on the law.
This books is written by two experts in the field, Charles A. Palmer, Professor of Law at Lansing's Thomas M. Cooley Law School and his son, MSU and Cooley graduate Robert A. Palmer, who is an associate attorney at the local law form of Sinas, Dramis, Brake, Boughton & McIntyre, P.C.
Two separate prefaces personalize the book, offering insights into the Leslie family of horseman who are exceptionally knowledgeable about legal matters.
Even though many different cases are briefly analyzed, the writing is not done in a heavy-handed manner; the authors show how the cases originated and explain the often convoluted legal processes.
As expected, numerous decisions are overruled by other courts; frequently those rulings are further challenged by an assortment of appeals. Just because one state's court makes a decision regarding a legal matter does not necessarily mean that another will necessarily agree.
Chapters cover various subjects such as ownership, injuries, betting and insurance; the Palmers briefly examine major cases involving famous races, drug usage, prize-winning horses and even cloning.
Other chapters explore syndication of horses, publicity rights, misrepresentation, race conditions, interference and the plight of African-American jockeys.
The Palmers delve into one of racing's unsolved mysteries - what happened to Shergar, the European Horse of the Year in 1981 and winner of the Epsom Derby, England's highly prestigious race.
This was not a simple theft; in February, 1983, Shergar was kidnapped (or in this case horsenapped!) from stud stables in Ireland.
Armed gunmen held the caretaker and his family hostage; the caretaker was forced to assist others in loading a horse trailer with the exceptionally valuable animal.
Authorities never discovered who was responsible. There were many ransom attempts but all were hoaxes; Shergar's body was never found.
The new book features line drawings and many photos; the authors are working on another volume in the series, "The Little Book of Automotive Law".
Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing's Curious Book Shop,
has reviewed crime novels and Michigan books regularly since 1987.
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This review was originally published by the Lansing State Journal on June 29, 2014.
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