Diligently researched, and written with the rhythm of a good mystery novel, Taking Shergar takes readers to the 1980s boom times of the international Thoroughbred industry. By introducing his audience to a colorful cast of historical figures, and shedding light on a truly remarkable incident, Toby has made an important contribution to horseracing's historical tapestry.
~James C. Nicholson, author of The Notorious John Morrissey: How a Bare-Knuckle Brawler Became a Congressman and Founded Saratoga Race Course and The Kentucky Derby: How the Run for the Roses Became America's Premier Sporting Event
Relentlessly and meticulously researched by an award-winning master of his craft, Taking Shergar is a tour de force of investigative reporting and a hard-to-put-down account of the day the world of Thoroughbred racing stopped in its tracks.
~Mary Simon, three-time recipient of the Eclipse Award
The exhaustive exercise Toby undertook and describes in Taking Shergar delves into many layers of intrigue, possibility, and probability. Shergar's story hinges on so many disparate factors—the Irish Republican Army's appetite for violence, the Aga Khan IV's position as the breeder and original owner of the Epsom Derby winner, questionable police work, seers' attempts to locate the horse, and the profit-making instincts of the insurance industry—which are addressed in voluminous but colorful detail.
~Edward L. Bowen, former editor-in-chief of The Blood-Horse and author of twenty books on Thoroughbred racing
With an eye for detail, Toby presents the definitive account of Shergar's theft, written now with the benefit of distance and with access to previously unpublished material. These include a report that was previously only available to shareholders in the stallion. In the course of his writing Toby is able to dismiss a number of conspiracy theories surrounding the taking of Shergar, while also putting under the microscope much of the circumstantial evidence that has tied the involvement of the IRA with the crime. This is a book that will enthrall anyone who ever followed the story of Shergar and his abduction, and will introduce a whole new generation to a mystery that, sadly, may never be fully solved.
~The Irish Field
Toby's true mystery novel has everything to offer to every level of reader and horse fancier. Loaded with history, suspense, grand theft, mystery, conspiracy, murder, and twisting side stories bound to captivate even the shortest of attention spans. Taking Shergar paints a very true, yet murky and dark picture of where sometimes-spectacular pageantry crosses path with political putridness, a plot line that seemingly repeats itself over and over in our world's history.
~Corbin News Journal
Taking Shergar is a fascinating read for anyone who loves a mystery, loves history, and loves racing. It's a story steeped in tragedy, but an important look at a troubling time and a great mystery in racing history.
~Horse Nation
This book is altogether a fascinating read, and Toby's just the man to have written it.
~Mensa Bulletin
