This story from Book Trade News:

Booker Prize Plunge

Bookmakers William Hill say that one of the biggest Booker Prize gambles ever has propelled an unknown writer into the position of second favourite to win the literary world's top award, on the eve of the unveiling of this year's Man Booker Prize short-list.

With Ian McEwan's 'On Chesil Beach' having been installed as 3/1 favourite when the long-list was announced, William Hill made Lloyd Jones' 'Mister Pip' their 20/1 outsider of the 13 runners, but after a surge of support for the New Zealand based writer, Hills have slashed his odds from 20/1 to 5/1 second favourite. 'We have seen an unprecedented gamble on this virtually unknown writer, whose first novel this is to be published in the UK' said Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe. 'In a quarter of a century of Booker betting I cannot recall as spectacular a gamble before - Jones could even eclipse McEwan as clear favourite when the short-list is announced, and we could be looking at up to a six figure battering if the gamble pays off.'

Latest William Hill Man Booker Prize odds:

7/2 Ian McEwan, 'On Chesil Beach'
5/1 Lloyd Jones, 'Mister Pip'
6/1 Nicola Barker, 'Darkmans'
8/1 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' by Mohsin Hamid
9/1 Catherine O'Flynn's 'What Was Lost'
9/1 A N Wilson's 'Winnie & Wolf'
10/1 Indra Sinha's 'Animal's People'
10/1 'Consolation' by Michael Redhill
11/1 Anne Enright's 'The Gathering'
12/1 Nikita Lalwani's 'Gifted'
14/1 Edward Docx's 'Self Help
14/1 'The Gift Of Rain' by Tan Twan Eng
16/1 'The Welsh Girl' by Peter Ho Davies
Stewards enquiry I reckon...