{"product_id":"shadows-in-the-pleasure-gardens-regarding-robberies-and-race-horses-9781685136123","title":"Shadows in the Pleasure Gardens: Regarding Robberies and Race Horses","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs a crucial witness to the \"biggest scandal\" early-nineteenth-century Fairmount has seen, lives hang on the balance of Chester Carter's true and complete testimony.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChester is an unambitious - or independent- minded - apprentice to Mr. Tate of Tate's Banking and Loans when he witnesses a bank robbery and finds himself serving as Sheriff Hoogkirk's justice-seeking assistant. His newfound role in law enforcement introduces him to gambling, carousing, and horse racing at the town's pleasure gardens, and he is drawn to its excitement at the expense of his courtship and professional career. When an acquaintance from the racetrack is implicated in the robberies, Chester worries he must choose between truth and justice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eShadows in the Pleasure Gardens\u003c\/em\u003e weaves together timeless themes, including the personal search for purpose and fulfillment, pressure to conform to societal expectations, corruption of the powerful, and how horses help us escape it all, if only for a bit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGriffin, Elaine Mary:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Elaine works as a lawyer in St. Louis, Missouri. She was previously the horse identifier at Fanduel Park in Collinsville, Illinois, where she met many wonderful horses and people. This is her third work of historical fiction. When not working or writing, she's probably at the barn with her horse, Nico, a former race horse.","brand":"Black Rose Writing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51384215830802,"sku":"9781685136123","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ee1b04e4-a77a-48eb-a699-5f2a5873ce81.jpg?v=1750166242","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/shadows-in-the-pleasure-gardens-regarding-robberies-and-race-horses-9781685136123","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}