I'd forgotten just how good the classic Dick Francis books are. That opening paragraph grabs you right by the scruff of the neck and doesn't let you go.
It's pretty much got it all: the trademark details that make you feel as if you know a new subject (in this case it's small-plane aviation), the twisty plot as to who did what and why, the well-developed characters, in this case involving several people who might in another book have been cardboard caricatures or villains but turn out to be sympathetic, and of course the edge-of-the-seat thriller elements. And the setting in the author's beloved racing world, here seen from the point of view of a short-hop taxi pilot who ends up befriending the family of one of his racecourse passengers.

We can't help feeling sorry for the friendly dim Duke, or the transferred enchantment of dying Midge's last golden summer. And it's probably the only thriller in which the villain's fatal flaw is his failure to apply mascara!

The first Dick Francis novel I read. I must have been 12.
Again, I didn't remember the plot but I did remember the twins and the sweet romance that blossoms in the background.
As usual, the book was instructive about not just racing but also, in this case, flying and the world of private jets and air taxis as well as insurance! :)
A great read from start to finish!

It has withstood the test of time better than some of the other Dick Francis novels. Although... taking a plane instead of a taxi?!!! Hmmm

Great twists

Loved the flying sequences! Thoroughly enjoyed the “don’t get involved, but I want so desperately to get involved” playlet within the story. Very readable.

I have read all of the Dick Francis novels and just decided to start reading them again. Little did I realize that Rat Race was written in 1970, 50 years ago! It is a typical Francis mystery with a likable protagonist and a good plot with horse racing interwoven along the way.

Forgot that I’d read this book, but quickly remembered why I’ve loved Dick Francis novels for years. A routine trip turns into anything but routine. Protagonist, pilot Matt makes this story the special experience it is. If you like flying and/or racing, this mystery will keep you entertained..

3 Stars. Life is not going well for Matt Shore. He's just into his new job with Derrydown Sky Taxi piloting trainers, owners and jockeys to horse racing meets around England when his plane, the company's new Cherokee Six, explodes on the tarmac. It was only his "We'd better land" precaution in mid-flight, the levers were sluggish, that saved his life and passengers including Colin Ross, the nation's leading jockey. Matt's been dropping in job level; now he's broke and being harassed by almost everyone: the Board of Trade air transport regulators, his ex-wife, his unsympathetic employer, and the competition Polyplane. But no one seems to be investigating these terrifying incidents, so he takes it on. Maybe he'll see Nancy more often, the sister of Colin Ross. Dick Francis' writing style demands you pay attention to every conversation if you want to have some idea of the plot. Do that and you'll find it a nice little story. (January 2018)

DAME AGATHA AND HER PEERS
BOOK 62
Is there ANYTHING Dick Francis hasn't done and/or any subject from whice he can't spin a good story? Granted, we are still in the world of horse racing...but actually, above it in the air.
CAST - 4: Matt Shore, pilot of a taxi-flying service (I had no idea there is such a thing) rises to heroism in this outing. Francis' heroes are just on this side of unbelievable, but that's fine, everyone likes them: Matt provides us with pure entertainment on a 'comfort read' level. Matt can't keep a job, stays in all kinds of trouble, and might be fired from his pilot position throughout the book. Matt's love interest is the lovely and smart Nancy, who is learning to fly as the story progresses. Nancy has a sister, Midge, who is ill. (In this author's "Forfeit" , the hero himself, James, has a wife who is an invalid.) Nancy and Midge live with their brother, Colin Ross, the superstar of the jockey set (a counterpart to Matt, a man heading toward superstardom himself if he can stay alive long enough). Chanter is a rather nasty piece of goods, chasing Nancy, grabbing at her, etc., at the most public of moments. (This would NOT happen in today's novels.) Then there are a couple of villians and they are up to something. But what is it? Very good cast. Almost forgot to mention: A Duke who isn't very smart and sees everyone as nice has a great, family relationship with a nephew and they both love playing with train sets. But the nephew (12 years old) is far more sensitive to the bad guys than the Duke. (I've a feeling the way the relationship is written couldn't be presented as such today, about 50 years after the publication of this book: an uncle and nephew spending a summer together, alone? Nope, unpublishable today. Sad.)
ATMOSPHERE - 5: To me, this is a set/an atmosphere I'm totally unfamiliar with and thus found fascinating. I learned much about planes and flying and, oh, I had no idea of the number of things that can go wrong during a flight. I learned how the richest of the racing world travel from race to race to villainous meetings. Francis knows his subject: he owned and ran, with his wife, a taxi plane service for 7 years then sold the business way back when, but that business is still in operation today (from the introduction). The entire story feels just right: you just know Francis has nailed it. There are 2 brilliantly written thrill/set pieces that could ONLY take place in the world of airplanes, both leading to a final climax involving planes and pilots at a horce race. PERFECTLY executed world providing too me an unexpected education.
PLOT - 3: I can't say much here other than the bad guys are gonna make lots of money and are willing to kill for it. The mystery is 'what' and 'when' and 'how' are the villians gonna get rich quick. And this is, at heart, a typical 'get-rich-quick' con game that we've encountered often.
INVESTIGATION - 4: Matt is on his own to pull himself up and out of the mess he is in. He does have help from the Duke and Nancy and even one of the suspected villains. There are some good red herrings like Larry, Matt's predecessor, has apparently resigned and taking off to Turkey. Did he really? And how far will Chanter go in his chase for Nancy when he realizes Nancy actually prefers Matt? There are just enough red herrings to throw a reader off track from the truth, and a singular absolutely thrilling rescue-in-midair that's as good as any thriller scene I've read. And just when I thought I'd read it all...
RESOLUTION - 4: ...Francis takes us down to a few seconds then...oh, just read the book. This isn't just an explanation of what's going on, but it's one accompanied by a final thrilling scene.
SUMMARY - 4 Stars for 4 reasons: 1) A beautifully portrayed atmosphere new to me and 2) thrill scenes that are among the best I've read in a long time and 3) Matt is the hero we all look for in books and 4) the following exchange:
COLIN ROSS (famous jockey talking to Matt): "...if you don't feel like going on [would you] care to let me take you home for the night? Then you can finish the trip tomorrow. It might be a fine day tomorrow."
MATT: "It might, but I could stay in Cambridge..."
COLIN: "Call your wife too,"
MATT: "Haven't got one."
COLIN: "Oh?" He [Colin] looked at me [Matt] with speculative curiosity.
MATT: "No, not that. Married 12 years, divorced three."
COLIN: "Better than me. Married 2 years, divorced 4."
At this point in the story, we've got a bromance brewing, at minimum. Colin is very famous, very
handsome, but very private (his focus is on family: his sisters Nancy and Midge who live with him.)
And that's the way Francis handles 'that': nice, firmly and people move on. It doesn't bother Matt that Colin sorta wants to know, Matt simply says "No," and has no hard feelings. And that's what regular people do: clarify and move on, issue resolved. It'd be great if everyone had that attitude in today's world.
It's true Francis has a certain formula, but it seems to me that formula is perfected here in the author's 9th "horse racing/crime novel." This was a one-sit read for me, and now I have two go-to-comfort reads: Christie AND Francis.

A rare non-traditional ending for a Francis book.

One of the earlier Dick Francis novels and he had the talent even back then. Mixing an air taxi pilot with a horse racing plot is a little peculiar, but Francis makes it work with a taut mystery which keeps you guessing until the end. A fun read.

A Francis Favorite

The king of horse racing mystery writing. Comfortable as an old sweater. Francis books are crafted with the building blocks of life - courage, honesty, friendship and doing the right thing.

Rat Race by Dick Francis follows the story of Matt Shore, a young man who works as a steeplechase jockey in England. Matt's life takes a dangerous turn when he becomes caught up in lies and money surrounding a businessman's attempt to control the racing industry in England. As Matt dove deeper into the mystery, where he is betrayed and there is much danger to get into. With the help of his trusted friends, Matt races against time to discover the truth and protect those he cares about. Rat Race is a capturing story of courage, loyalty, and the pursuit for what is right in the sport he loves. I would give this book a solid ⅘ stars. I find it hard to give a book a full 5 star rating because there will always be something I don’t fully enjoy. With this book and many others that Francis wrote, the backstory and setup for the book takes longer than I would appreciate. The book takes some crazy twist and turns as it investigates what someone with too much money can do to an industry. I would recommend this if you like a solid mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat, at least most of the time.