DEAD PEDAL

A Formula One Thriller

"Vose has also done some racing himself and . . . does a credible job of offering a pretty good driver's-eye view of the sport, both on and off the track . . . a mystery which keeps you interested." – Larry Edsall, AUTOWEEK

"This one is just the ticket for the hard-core motorsports addict . . .written by a very believable honest-to-goodness racing driver." – Mike Mooney, KEEPIN’ TRACK OF VETTES

“Sometime racer himself, Vose has written a sharply focused picture in such authentic detail that one can appreciate why Formula One is the highest form of the art." – JAGUAR JOURNAL

"This is a wonderful book for anyone who wants to find out what automobile racing is all about . . . Frankly, you'll get more out of a late night under the blankets with a flashlight and a book like this than in ten showings of DAYS OF THUNDER." – AUTOMOBILE Magazine

Pete Hawthorn’s solving of the decades-old riddle surrounding his father’s disappearance in the Brazilian jungle during the World Cup Rally, as told in OVERSTEER, has led to another, equally puzzling mystery: the seemingly accidental racetrack deaths of three members of an elite French racing fraternity. Three men with but one thing in common other than racing: all were part of an anti-Nazi resistance group in occupied France during World War Two. There were rumors someone in the group had collaborated with the Gestapo to save the life of a beautiful woman, but no proof was ever found.

Now the last living member of the group, Andre Montand, has received notice of his own imminent demise—a package identical to those received by the other three racers who have already died. It contains a small slab of machined metal often placed in the footwell of racecars to keep the driver’s left leg from bouncing around in the cockpit; a pedal that doesn’t move—a ‘dead pedal.’

As for the other drivers, Montand’s pedal came wrapped in a map of the specific track where he will have his fatal “accident” . . . in this case, the twisting, dangerous one thousand mile race around Italy, the Mille Miglia. Pete agrees to drive in the race along with Montand in order to try and protect him and unmask the killer. But is he prepared for the twists and turns along the way, in one of the most demanding races ever run . . . and a dark tale of treachery and betrayal that stretches back to the darkest days of the Nazi occupation?

About the Author

After more than 25 years’ experience in film and television as an editor, writer, producer and director, Ken Vose made the transition to full time author in 1985. Vose, who lives in northeastern Pennsylvania, is a member of The Mystery Writers of America, The Author's Guild, and The Dramatists Guild of America.
In addition to his novels and non-fiction books, he’s written for Provincetown Arts, International Auto Style & Sport, Millimeter, Super Car & Classics, Accent, Forum, and Cigar Aficionado. Ken hosted The Driver's Seat, a syndicated television show. In 2001, Ken was guest curator for the exhibition FANTASY AND FINS: The Artist and the Automobile at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles featuring the work of British-born Magic Realist painter Nicola Wood as well as other artists such as Claes Oldenburg, Benny Andrews, Frank Romero, Betsabee Romero, and Dustin Schuler
Ken Vose and co-author Jordan Rhodes’ theatrical play PAPA: The Man, The Myth, The Legend, about Ernest Hemingway which premiered in 2002, was filmed in 2010. The film was subsequently awarded “Best Historical Drama” at the New York International Independent Film Festival.