The story in one page
Wally Wilson spends his days playing high-stakes poker using telepathy to read his opponents' minds. When the Kentucky Derby approaches, Lieutenant Delancey begins sniffing around, convinced Wally is planning a massive fix. Barcelona, a rival with his own agenda, sends Nora Taylor to keep tabs on Wally’s every thought. As the pressure mounts, Wally orchestrates a scenario that forces his adversaries into a corner. By manipulating the expectations and mental broadcasts of those around him, he maneuvers his way out of the investigation and the fix entirely, proving that even in a telepathic age, the biggest scams are the ones played in the mind.
Who's who
- Wally Wilson
A telepathic gambler who outwits his rivals during the Derby.
- Joseph Barcelona
Wally's rival and overseer who attempts to control the race.
- Nora Taylor
A woman assigned to monitor Wally's thoughts and movements.
- Lieutenant Delancey
A law enforcement officer hunting for proof of race fixing.
What it's really about
- Mental Espionage
- Privacy vanishes when thoughts are public data.
- Corporate Deceit
- Greed remains constant despite advanced cognitive abilities.
Why it's memorable
- A poker game where thoughts of a full house are just bluffs.
- Two hundred thousand people screaming as horses run without human interference.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
Wally escapes the fix unscathed, leaving the crowd to watch the horses while he and Nora focus on each other. He concludes that for all the mental noise, people are fundamentally unchanged.
For your book club
- Why rely on horses if you can control minds?
- Can a secret exist if your rival is a telepath?