The Black Jersey

A Novel

By: Jorge Zepeda Patterson, Achy Obejas

Narrated by: Henry Levya

A fast-paced mystery where Murder on the Orient Express meets the Tour de France - someone’s killing off cyclists one by one.

There are cyclists willing to die to win a single stage of the Tour, taking suicidal descents at more than 90 kilometers per hour, but now I know there are cyclists willing to kill to win.

Marc Moreau, a professional cyclist with a military past, is part of a top Tour de France team led by his best friend, an American star favored to win this year’s Tour. But the competition takes a dark turn when racers begin to drop out in a series of violent accidents: a mugging that ends in an ankle being crushed, a nasty bout of food poisoning, and a crash caused by two spectators standing where they shouldn’t. The teams and their entourages retreat into paranoid lockdown even as they must continue racing each day. The mountain inclines grow steeper and the accidents turn deadlier: a suspicious suicide, an exploded trailer, a loose wheel at the edge of a cliff. Marc agrees to help the French police with their investigations from the inside and becomes convinced that the culprit is a cyclist who wants to win at any cost. But as the victim count rises, the number of potential murderers - and potential champions - dwindles.

Marc begins to have the sickening realization that his own team has been most favored by the murderer’s actions, and in the final stages of the race Mark himself emerges as the only cyclist left who could possibly beat his best friend and win the Tour. Whom can Marc trust? Whom should he protect? What decision will he make if he’s asked to choose between justice, loyalty, and glory?

Praise for The Black Jersey:

“Men, mountains, machines, speed, greed, and murder...Making a tour de force of the Tour de France, Jorge Zepeda Patterson does for cycling what Dick Francis did for horse racing. Warning! Strap on your helmets! This is no tale for wimps.” (Alan Bradley, author of the Flavia de Luce series)

“The world of competitive cycling is stressful enough without adding suspicious accidents to the mixture. But that is exactly what happens in this thrilling and intrigue-filled novel. The Black Jersey has the pace and excitement of a world-class race.” (Alexander McCall Smith, author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series)

“The Black Jersey is a joy from start to hair-raising finish line, even for someone like me who prefers a good meal to any kind of competitive sport. Bravo!” (M. L. Longworth, author of the Provençal Mystery series)

©2019 Jorge Zepeda Patterson (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Set during the Tour de France, this thrilling mystery from Mexican author Patterson boasts as many twists and turns as the treacherous bicycle race that winds through the Alps and the Pyrenees....This meticulously plotted novel about riders willing to die - and possibly kill - to win cycling’s biggest race will have readers guessing until the very last page. Patterson should win a wider American audience with this outing.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Although the amateur bicyclists I know are generally nice people, the professionals depicted in this thriller about murder and mayhem at the Tour de France are anything but.... Does Patterson’s shocker of a denouement inspire hope for the future of professional bike racing? Hardly.” (The Washington Post)

“For fans of Le Tour, Jorge Zepeda Patterson has crafted the perfect mystery novel, and for all mystery fans he opens up the fascinating and ferocious world of bike racing. The Black Jersey is a feat of storytelling, as fast-paced as any stage of the Tour de France, and with an ending ten times more unpredictable and exciting.” (Mark Pryor, author of the Hugo Marston mystery novels)

Very entertaining

I love watching the Tour de France, and I've gotten some understanding of strategy over the years so this book was both an intriguing mystery and a tutorial on Tour strategy and conditions. The reader was excellent, the only fault was his pronunciation of French towns and cities. I enjoyed this, great listen.

A whodonit and bicycle race strategy

I enjoyed the mix. It is a detective story. The part I really enjoyed though is the way the strategy for racing and wining is depicted. I never imagined all that is going on in a bike race.

As many twists and turns as Alpe d'Huez

Intrigue for cycling enthusiasts. You're not only in the pelotón but also in the mind of a racer. Interesting insight even though it's a novel.

Murder and Tour de France

If you love bike racing and mysteries, this is terrific book. Good pace that follows the stages. You feel the intensity of the race along with the suspense of story.

Good book

The overall story flows great, wasn’t great ending though.. too many coals left on the fire

Great thriller/sports epic even for cycling novices

The main character/narrator makes this work. Mostly orphaned by his own parents, his resulting devotion to the friends who become his de facto family as an adult make him believably naive. He wants to stay loyal to the people he loves and think the best in everyone. But without this backstory, it would have been hard to swallow how un-critical he is.

Something I was not expecting is that the sports epic side of the story is just as fun, maybe even better, than the whodunnit side of the story. The whodunnit aspect is still there a little bit. But alone it would have felt a little bare bones. But when I wasn’t trying to solve the mystery, I was consumed with who would win the Tour de France. The personalities and contributions are heartwarming and heartbreaking. I was invested in them like my 10 year old self watching the Mighty Ducks. I’ve never followed cycling in my life. So this was a real triumph on the author’s part to both make the sport understandable and make the competition thrilling.

A disappointment

An unenergetic narrator and a pretty awkward/unwieldy translation, with an underlying story that seems unrealistic. Too bad because the insights into the TDF are so interesting, but overall hard to listen to

the explanation of strategy and sacrifice

I started this book knowing nothing about bike racing. The strategy and sacrifices are so much the same as they are in auto racing. I have a greater respect for cycling and those who live it.

Interesting

Reader was really not up to the job. Story a little bit unrealistic but enjoyable! The reader just couldn’t give the dramatic voice necessary to make book engaging , the only voice he tried was girlfriends Irish accent. Other than that it was really pretty blah. Liked to hear about internal workings of tour not I think
It could have been a little more in depth . So many riders who love the details , but that seemed to be lacking . So many layers to a team of elite world class cycle team. But the book seemed to want to give one broad explanation and leave it there instead of really exploring the under belly of the sport I think there is another high quality book in this. Just my opinion . I would say if u love a mystery , and you love the “Tour” you will enjoy this book.!

If you enjoy biking, this is awesome

I like mountain biking and commuted to work on a single speed for 3 years. This book crossed my love for mysteries and my enjoyment of cycling. Highly recommend if you like both.