Betting agency Ladbrokes has halted betting on the winner of this year's Man Booker Prize after a proliferation of punts on Tom McCarthy's book 'C'.
The prize, which will be awarded on Tuesday, 12 October, has been "subject to one of the biggest Booker Prize gambles in recent history" according to Ladbrokes.
Spokesperson David Williams said: "The money for Tom McCarthy has set alarm bells ringing. He was the only name being backed and the other candidates are friendless. We've decided to take a breather after a frenzied 24 hours."
McCarthy was at odds of 7/1 during the summer, 2/1 at the start of the week and 4/6 before Ladbrokes suspended betting.
Irish author Emma Donoghue ('Room') and Damon Galgut ('In a Strange Room') were Ladbrokes' joint second favourites at odds of 5/1, followed by Peter Carey ('Parrot and Olivier in America') at 6/1, Andrea Levy ('The Long Song') at 9/1 and Howard Jacobson ('The Finkler Question') at 10/1.
