Review by Booklist Review
In March 1988, Mickey Thompson, an auto-racing icon, and his wife were shot to death in the driveway of their home. Although there is material for a fascinating whodunit here (the man responsible for the murders has been convicted, but the actual shooters remain at large), Arneson, a motor-sport journalist, has opted for telling the man's life story, bracketed by the murder and its subsequent investigation. Thompson, whose name is not nearly as widely known as it ought to be, was a legend both as a record-setting racer and as a brilliant and innovative automobile designer and technician. Thompson lived life to its fullest, with abundant enthusiasm and a certain amount of recklessness. Arneson, who writes both as a biographer and as a fan, portrays Thompson as a wild adventurer and also as a loving husband and father. With the popularity of NASCAR growing daily, this biography fills a nice gap in the sport's history.--Pitt, David Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Thompson was a highly influential driver and promoter in the drag-racing field of motor sports. A hard charger and innovator, he lived life at 200 miles per hour and in the process developed a legion of fans and not a few enemies. Still, it was shocking when he and his wife were murdered in 1988, even more shocking when it took the authorities 15 years to solve the case, and surreal when a business associate was convicted of the crime nearly 20 years after it happened. Arneson (John Force: The Straight Story of Drag Racing's 300-MPH Superstar) relays the tale in a stark narrative that highlights Thompson's accomplishments, the facts surrounding his death, and the heroic fight of his family to keep the case in the spotlight until justice was served. Drag racing is a somewhat insular sport and doesn't have nearly as large a following as most other motor sports. It is good to see a biography of one of the sport's most important stars. Recommended for public and all motor sports collections.-Eric C. Shoaf, Univ. of Texas at San Antonio Lib. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
