One of my favorite Dick Francis stories.

There are two scenes that I particularly enjoyed: the first was when
Phillip Nore makes a gift of a candid photo of fellow amateur photographer George Millace to George's widow, and finds himself overwhelmed by her emotional reaction of joyful gratitude; the second is when he discovers the "Price" George had demanded from his blackmail victims.

Phillip then decides to demand the same price from George's killer.

I never tire of the horse racing based plots of these novels. Even though the subject matter is somewhat the same, each plot line is fresh and different. This is the kind of book you can sit down to read and finish in once sitting. The end seems to come very quickly but without leaving you feeling like so aspect of the plot was missed.

Simon Prebble is the narrator for the audiobook version of this novel.

When I was in elementary and middle school, my mother volunteered reviewing audiobooks for an audiobook magazine so she was always listening to books on tape in the car. My favorites were the Dick Francis books. I loved horses, and I loved mysteries.

Still do. It’s good to see I still consider Francis a solid mystery writer. The protagonist, Phillip, is very likable, and Francis writes in a manner that is straightforward without being dry.

Another good puzzler from Dick Francis. Unpopular but talented racing photographer George Millace dies abruptly in an auto accident. Soon after, jump jockey Philip Nore is told to throw a race by the horse's owner. The connection between those two events takes the whole book to resolve. Along the way Philip interacts with a number of interesting characters: from his estranged grandmother who has despised him from his birth; to a powerful racing Steward, Lord (pure as the driven) Snow; to a younger sister he didn't know existed; to Clare, daughter of one of his childhood caretakers; to Igor den Rengen, a ruthless aspiring member of the Stewards, and others. A painful but satisfying conclusion waits for our protagonist.

Phillip Nore, jockey and amateur photographer, is drawn into solving the puzzles left by a professional photographer whose death in a car crash might not have been an accident. Dick Francis is always a good read, but this one is really special and probably the best Francis I have read so far. Its many threads are successfully drawn together in a story that held me there right up to the end and kept me guessing. It may be the perfect book to start with for anyone new to the author and interested in trying him out.

Former jockey to the British Royal family, Dick Francis writes fast-moving mysteries centering on horses or steeple-chasing. Reflex follows jockey Philip Nore as he investigates the circumstances of a racetrack photographer's death. Was it an accident or murder?

On this third reading over the years since its 1981 publication, it still remains my favorite of all his work, with Break In as next best.

For middle school and up

This one struck a chord with me. One of the main character's name is Clare, spelled the correct way! Tough childhood and chosen family found along the way.

One of my favorites so far in the HAWGYK (Horsin' Around Will Get You Killed: The Dick Francis Challenge.

If "Whip Hand" is Dick Francis best novel, "Reflex" in my opinion is his next best novel.

Absolutely one of my favorite Francis novels. I will say I'm biased because photography is one of my special interests as well as horses so I'm predisposed to like it. That said, it's genuinely a good book. Lots of puzzles and possible bad guys, somehow non-stop with the action while creating interesting relationships. I also love that the main character is for once NOT a top of his profession person. He feels more realistically imperfect and average than Sid Halley. I wish there had been more Philip Nore books.

I think I've read all of Dick Francis' books, but this is the first one I've read in a long time. One of the things I've always liked best about them is that you learn about a topic--survival skills, glassblowing, etc.--in addition to getting an engaging mystery.

I'm happy to report that this one holds up, 40 years later. It was interesting to read about old-school photographic techniques in the age of digital cameras, and the story is still gripping. It's not in my top 5 favorites, but it still works very, very well. If you like Francis, you'll like this one.

This is the 5th Francis novel I’ve read and my fav thus far. Enjoyed the descriptions of the process of developing photographs and the puzzles involved in solving the crimes.