A really enjoyable murder mystery from Dick Francis in which we know who the villain is, but the hero has to get the evidence to be able to convict him. Tense, edge-of-the-seat stuff, set in Canada mostly on a train travelling across that huge nation, it seems to be reminiscent of Agatha Christie and also Hamlet!

So much fun to read! A creative and engaging mystery with a unique twist-you know who the villain is from the start, but you are trying to figure out what he's going to do next. Also loved the setting.

A not particularly interesting account of an investigator attending the trial of a murderer. The chemistry between the lead pair was lighthearted and fun, but nothing much beyond that.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery! A friend lent it to me since it involves a cross-Canada (well, Toronto to Vancouver) rail trip and Mr. G and I are leaving tomorrow, travelling VIA Rail Winnipeg to Vancouver. This book has really put me in the mood. It's the second Dick Francis I've read and I expect I will read more whenever I want some easy reading. Tor Kelsey is an undercover investigator for the English Jockey Club and Julius Apollo Filmer is a racecourse villain likely responsible for the murder of a groom. Unfortunately the airtight case broke down when the witnesses were initimidated. Filmer has threatened to get back at the international racing world. In Canada, a Great Canadian Mystery Race Train is being promoted to increase interest in Canadian racing. Horses, owners, racegoers, crew, and a cast of actors will journey together and races will be held in Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. When it comes to the attention of the Jockey Clubs that Filmer has bought a place on the train, Tor Kelsey is sent to observe and hopefully prevent any unwelcome events. He takes the part of an actor for the staged mystery, pretending to be a dining car waiter. This was a good-paced mystery, suspenseful and with just a touch of romantic interest. A very entertaining read!

I would say this is second-rate Francis, but even second-rate Francis is pretty darn good. Tor Kelsey is a rich young man with no remaining family who grew up in the racing world. He takes a job with the Jockey Club doing security (more like intelligence) work because he is an “invisible man” able to blend in anywhere and observe. And then they put him on a Mystery Race Train across Canada to keep an eye on a villain who has escaped before.

The book is just a bit overstuffed: there’s the train, racing, AND the actors playing out a mystery for the passengers’ entertainment. Plus a cross-Canada travelogue. I felt the research was more obviously dumped in here than is always the case with Francis (but maybe I just noticed it more because the setting is somewhat familiar—I haven’t taken the train across Canada, but my parents have). Some of the details of working on the train crew are fun, but did I need to know the measurements of Union Station in Toronto or how many km/miles it is across Canada? No, I did not.

Still there is lots to enjoy here. Tor is the usual unassuming, intelligent and decent Francis hero, uncertain if he’ll be able to rise to physical heroism when called on (he does, of course). And there are some interesting supporting characters, including Mrs Baudelaire, an elderly lady who acts as his messenger system when he’s on the train, and his boss, Brigadier Catto. Others seem more like caricatures.

My reading experience was enlivened by the library patron who had scribbled caustic comments in the margins. S/he is right that I’ve never heard a Canadian say “eh?” as much as George the conductor (but he’s great) and that some of the privileged characters are let off the hook for their bad behavior. I can’t say I share this reader’s annoyance with Francis heroes, though, even if they are a little too good to be true. Tempted to award a 4th star for the fun this person added to my reading, even if you really should not deface library books.

Let me say first off, Dick Francis is one of my all-time favorite authors. He has written a couple stinkers, and a few mediocre books and quite a few good ones. But at his best, no author I know can bring a character to life as he does. His best books are among the best I have ever read.

This is one of the great ones. Set against the backdrop of horse racing and the Canadian Railroad System, our hero Tor uncovers mystery and mayhem aboard the Canadian Transcontinental Mystery Race Train. He is charged with defeating the as-yet-unknown plans of a violent gangster if he can do so without ending up dead.

Hugely recommended for racehorse lovers, train lovers and anyone who loves a really well-written mystery.

Another amazing mystery by Dick Francis. We are on familiar turf (horse racing), yet the setting is far away, on the `The Great Transcontinental Mystery Race Train.'' in Canada. Notice the words 'Mystery' and 'Race'?
The train from Toronto to Vancouver carrying racing horses, their owners, race enthusiasts and actors who stage a mystery onboard.
The setting alone deserves 10 *.

Ironically the Hero Tor Kelsey stands out as a perfect undercover detective as he can blend unobtrusively with the surrounding.
Here, the crime hasn't yet happened. He is there to stop bad man from doing any mischief.

The book was published in 1988, so obviously the technology and communication methods are dated. But it was fascinating to read how cumbersome the communication modes were. For eg, how do you communicate between 2 trains moving on the same track? How does the detective on board the train convey his findings to his boss who is on another continent?

Dick Francis deserves all the praises for coming up with unique mysteries even though they have a common thread of horse- racing. We learn new information in every book. He doesn't even repeat his heroes, though they have very similar endearing traits. That's what I like about stand alone books. Pick up any book without bothering about how the characters evloved.

Dck Francis is now firmly on the top of my Favorite Authors list. I was never interested in horse racing (still I am not), I have always enjoyed these thrillers.

If I tell you that I am reading a book that has a mystery on a train, then I am sure you will end up saying that I am reading Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Because Agatha Christie's book is so iconic, you can't help but draw parallels between the overall plot line of Dick Francis' book.

Obviously if you had an option of reading an Agatha Christie book, then read that and avoid this book altogether; you will not be missing out. This is an easy read, but the ending and overall plot are predictable and sadly not the best. I will not recommend it, as it will be better to read or even re-read a much better book.

Book Summary
Tor is a wealthy guy who can do anything he wants, so he chooses to be a private investigator. He has a flair for disguises and works with discretion.

To promote Canadian horse racing, they have created a transcontinental mystery race where the participating horses, along with their owners and caretakers are traveling by a luxury train across Canada. There will be horse races along the way and then a final race at the end.

But a blackmailer has made it his mission to spoil all the fun. To ensure nothings goes wrong in the trip, Tor is sent to the train disguised as a waiter. Will Tor be able to spoil all the villains plans? You can read and see.

Even if you don't enjoy the book, you will enjoy the descriptive scenery of Canada and will wish to be in a train just like in the book. It sounds extremely fun and adventurous if there is no nefarious villain trying to spoil everything.

Train travel through Canada, stopping at various cities for horse races. Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Banff, Lake Loiuse and finally Vancouver. I felt like I was on holiday with them!

This was not one of my favorite Dick Francis novels and it tool me awhile to sort out why. It certainly had all the right components in the protagonist, Tor Kelsey. Orphaned (sort of): check. Average guy with above average talents: check. Instalove with slow build up: check. Clever bad guy: check. Even more clever good guy: check.. So what was missing? For me, it was the lack of a relationship between Tor and the bad guy.

Julius Apollo Filmer (bad guy) doesn't even know Tor exists. Tor works for the Jockey Club as a sort of "invisibles man" who effortlessly wanders race courses in disguise, looking for people breaking the rules. No one knows he exists and the lawbreakers are always stunned when they get caught. Filmer is good at getting other owners to turn their horses over to him. The owners are afraid to tell the Jockey Club why. One owner kills himself, a stable lad who hints at knowing what Filmer is doing turns up dead.

When Filmer joins a Canadian train trip for racehorse owners, the Canadian Jockey Club decides to employ Tor to thwart whatever Filmer is planning. In addition to three horse races along the route, there is also a mystery being played out during the ride. Remember when those staged mysteries were popular? The book was a lot of fun but there was very little tension, as Filmer didn't know of Tor's existence, so he was really never at risk. I generally enjoy Francis' s ability to write an interesting nemesis for our hero to take down, but this one was a little too removed for my taste. It's like if someone tells you about something horrific that happened to a friend of a friend of a friend...just a little too far removed to really kick you in the gut (or maybe that's me being cold blooded). Anyway, not quite enough bang for my buck here.

Any mystery book could be taken from a shelf and be as substandard as The Edge, by Dick Francis. Intriguing mysteries should include: character development that tells a story in of itself, a conflict filled plot where a reader is in suspense, and a climax with a satisfying ending or cliffhanger. In this novel, a young man is assigned to imitate an employee of a train in an attempt to spy on the antagonist who is expected to commit a string of crimes. Since the plot is anticlimactic and the protagonist develops few relationships, this novel is an average story that does not coherently match up to the criteria for an intriguing book.
t
Throughout the mystery, pages of anticipation eventually lead to an anticlimactic climax and the characters were minimally developed which led to a mediocre story. The suspense of the scandals that loom ahead, never actually occur and the main character only develops two bonds with other characters. Throughout the book, the main character is constantly asked what his job is and how he made his fortune. He deflects these questions which deters him from creating interesting relations from a reader’s perspective. The sole task that the protagonist must compete is preventing the crimes that may transpire. But, the cruel crimes do not take place and rather smaller events occur which leads to the antagonist getting locked up which makes all of the buildup futile. Overall, most of the plot was unnecessary due to the excess amount of suspense and the lack of friendly relationships the protagonist fosters which makes this novel a drab read.
t
Most of the characteristics that compose an intriguing storyline are lacking in this mystery partly due to the main character’s lifestyle and the humdrum plot. The criteria used to evaluate this book is important as it helps provide a reader with tangible reasons why other books are more immersive. Additionally, all of the characters are apart of an older generation, so a young adult is not able to connect to the cast. Despite this author being world-renowned, there are other mysteries that are more engrossing with characters that readers are able to root for and share emotions with.

Even though I enjoyed this story, I'm moving it on as I don't think I would read it again.
It was a satisfying read, with once again good descriptions of characters and a plus for me, descriptions of the excellent cuisine on board the race train.
The ending was fitting for the crimes and suffering inflicted by Julius Apollo.