In 1973, Richard, riding the giant black Australian 'chaser Crisp, carrying the huge burden of 12 stones, led from the Canal Turn fence on the first circuit, going 25 lengths clear at one point, before being caught in the shadow of the post by the most famous Grand National horse in history, Red Rum, to whom Crisp was conceding 23lbs.

Besides writing with his former workmate Joe McNally, Richard has written six non-fiction books including the racing biography of the Queen Mother

Joe McNally first took an interest in racing when he was just 12. His early hero was one Richard Pitman aged 22. Joe followed Richard's career, even keeping a scrapbook, as Richard and trainer Fred Winter dominated the 1970s with horses like Pendil, Crisp, Lanzarote, Killiney and many more stars.

Joe and Richard first met in the early 1990s when both worked for racing broadcaster Satellite Information Services. Joe had some plot ideas Richard liked and the fiction-writing partnership grew from there.

Joe went on to become marketing manager at Aintree for nearly five years with two other notorious Grand Nationals coming in his time - the void race in 1993 and the bomb scare in 1997.

Joe was born in August 1953 in a small Scottish village dominated by the local coal and steel industry. Second oldest in a family of fifteen, Joe abandoned school at the age of 14 to try and find a job working with racehorses.

Joe's weight meant a career as a jockey was never going to be a realistic hope and aged 18, he took a job in the betting industry. Twenty two years after watching Red Rum on TV beating the Richard Pitman-ridden Crisp to win the first of his three Grand Nationals, Joe stood by the graveside, just one of four people present at the burial of Red Rum. Joe was marketing manager for the Grand National by then and he looks back on his years at Aintree with fondness.

Richard lives near The Valley of The Racehorse - Lambourn and is now retired. Joe is semi-retired and living in Scotland, travelling south from time to time to figure out with Richard what mystery can next be thrown at readers.

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