Third Monday in May - A novel by Ross R. Moore

Publication Date: May 15, 2017
Paperback, 338 pages
ISBN: 978-1-937968-34-2

Available from Small Press Distribution

It is spring 1875, and in an effort to boost the prestige of his new racetrack in Louisville and the first running of his Kentucky Derby, Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. has invited the most famous couple in America to attend. Abraham and Mary Lincoln, living in retirement in Springfield since the end of his eventful years as president (nearly cut short by a failed assassination attempt), accept his invitation to revisit their home state. But for Alexander Delacroix, a New Orleans gambler, this presents the opportunity for him to exact long awaited revenge for the defeated Confederacy. As the Lincolns make their way to Kentucky, a dark conspiracy takes shape against the backdrop of final preparations for the opening day of the track. Together with a cast of thoroughbred horsemen and African-American trainers and jockeys all dreaming of racing glory, their fates will collide on the…THIRD MONDAY IN MAY.

In this richly imaginative debut novel, the first running of the Kentucky Derby serves as the backdrop for a story of what might have been had Abraham Lincoln survived his assassination and lived to retire with Mary to Springfield. Derby historian Ross R. Moore provides an accurate account of the origins of the famous race, while creating a detailed and entirely plausible world through which the Lincoln's journey to Louisville to meet old friends and to face another deadly threat. Part horse racing saga, part travelogue, part historical fantasy, part suspense thriller, chock full of sly bits of "stealth history" befitting its educator author, and peopled with memorable characters both real and imaginary, the result is an entertaining and engaging yarn and rewarding read.

Ross R. Moore is an educator, storyteller, and singer-songwriter living in San Diego. A native of Kentucky where he attended Murray State University and the University of Louisville, he was for many years a museum educator at the Kentucky Derby Museum, sharing the history of the race with visitors. Now his brings this story to a wider audience, drawing upon his knowledge of Derby lore to form the backdrop of this, his first novel.