Usual good Dick Francis quality, with a cool twist on how it starts. A little frustrated with the conclusion but not painfully so.

What a wild ride this book was. I love the writing, it was funny and clever. The main character kept me on my toes and made me laugh when he was in the worst situations.

A very good and interesting book as in all Dick Francis storylines.

The ending was really interesting and one that I did not really see coming or how Roland was going to get out of trouble again – and get into trouble he did.

The story centres around Roland Britten, an accountant and steeplechase jockey, who as an accountant is pedantic and will not break the “rules”. And this leads to trouble.

Dick Francs is an excellent storyteller and this one does not disappoint.

As far as Dick Francis mysteries go, I felt this one fell a little short of his standard. It was still a fun read, but most of the book was dedicated to describing the protagonist’s hardships suffered while in captivity. He is abducted twice, then captured again in the final scene, all of which described exhaustively. Granted, he is an accountant with a flair for finding embezzlement, but I would have liked to see a bit more action than just his success on the racetrack.

First time I read this Francis novel all the way through. Not as good as his usual books, but ok.

Characters not very interesting, and neither is the plot. Years ago I had started reading this one, and never finished it. I can see why now. Very disappointing, but he has lots of other novels.

This is a great book with the main character a jockey/accountant. His adventure kept me turning the pages

What can I say that I haven't said before about Dick Francis? Roland Britton is an accountant and an amateur jockey. Both occupations get him into trouble. Britton is an honest accountant, and he thinks his clients should pay their fair share of tax. Not all of his clients agree. They see Britton as stubborn, narrowminded, unfriendly, even aggressive.

A few years ago, Britton put some bad guys in prison for fiddling their accounts. Now they are out, and they'd like some revenge.

But are they the only reason that Roland finds himself tied up in the sail locker of a sailing boat, for more than a week? Does Ro Britton have enemies he doesn't yet know about?

Highly entertaining.

Satisfying

I always like the characters in Dick Francis's books and this is no exception. Lots of research and well written.

Accounting is a hazard to your health!

Another area of a jockey's.life is explored in this racingmystery. I never realized how traumatizing being a hockey could be. What anybody can endure is astounding!

Dick F never let's me down

Read 1st time back in 2001 according to my notes. Taut drama dripping tension in many places, with a bit of surprise ending. Perhaps others will catch some clues that I missed, even at this 2nd reading (over 12 years later), that I missed pointing to the ultimate head criminal behind the kidnappings. Loved the way Mr. Francis wove the couple women into the story, and the way that he had them all interacting with one another.

I decided to reread this classic to analyze the POV for a webinar I was planning. The story is told in the first person past tense but so deftly handled you feel as if you’re there, in the present moment.