3.5 stars. The thing that I like about Francis novels is how unique each one is, always with a different protagonist with a different job that is somehow related to horse racing, and that they are short and uncomplicated, for the most part. This one veers off into the longer and more complicated realm that didn't work for me. Tony Beech is a wine seller who is catering a party for a trainer when a horse trailer breaks loose, crashes into the tent and kills 8 people. There is a police investigation and at first they think that the crash was a deliberate attempt to kill a sheik who died but then it was determined that a child got into the trailer and released the hand break so it was all an accident. This takes up the first quarter of the book and is wholly unnecessary and has nothing at all to do with the rest of the story. The only thing that happened at the party that was relevant was that a man who owns a restaurant also died and just moments before the crash the party host was asking Tony if he would go to that restaurant and taste the scotch because he thought that they were selling cheep scotch and trying to pass it off as more expensive brands. And the party host mumbled something about this to the police when he was dragged from the party tent after the crash so Tony ends up at the restaurant the next day, tasting scotch and red wine and finding that they were indeed fakes. There could have been a much quicker and simpler way to get to that point. What follows is a long, convoluted search for the culprits that involved lengthy explanations about how to taste the difference between grain and malt liquor and the various different chemical components of scotch and wine which produce a DNA profile of sorts that should match up to other fakes from the same batch. When the wine manager at the restaurant turns up dead and thugs break into Tony's wine shop looking for the fake scotch and wine he took from the restaurant they realize that this isn't just a small time scam. And things turn dangerous for Tony when he is shot trying to stop the thugs from stealing his wine. After much tasting and talking about scotch and wine, they eventually trace the fakes to the caterer at the local race track which then leads them to the bottling plant and to the killers. Not bad but a bit too long winded for my taste.

Hijacking, fake liquor labels, a bizarre murder, and great characters

Dick Francis is always a dependable read. Wine merchant Tony Beach is employed to assist in an investigation on the hijackings of trucks carrying loads of liquor. And because of his talent of identifying various wines and liquors, Tony is also called in as a consultant about complaints of wine and scotch of lesser quality being sold under labels of a more expensive brand. The two cases merge when a bartender is murdered.
Very likable protagonist. I highly recommend.

I haven’t read a Dick Francis book in awhile and this was quite a good read. Not just about horse racing

Dick Francis never fails to bring his topic alive with his insider knowledge. This time a wine shop owner becomes involved in the investigation of shady dealings in the wine world. With little to go on, he tastes the evidence to find the source of the plot. A tragic accident at a friend's reception begins a train of events that lead to the murderer and his motive. Set firmly in the English racing world, Tony Beach is a complex character who struggles with his own insecurities and grieves over the loss of his young wife. A great bedtime read--no good for sleep but good for "one more page" reading.

I can't believe I took more than a year to finish this. There were alot of talking about horses, horse racing, wines and stuffs related to horses and wines in the most chapters. Me having next to no knowledge about neither of these two made it hard for me to get into the story but i was not going to leave it unread. So i pushed myself to complete this book in last couple of days and i did and i am glad i completed. Loved the thrill in the final chapters and how it unfolded. I had my mind racing if any of the character shown as good would turn out to be the villain in the end but well that did not happen. Would recommend to ones looking for thrillers.

I have seen this author with a plethora of copies of his books on the shelf at our library and wondered for years what they would be like. Now I know. Sadly, this left me luke-warm. I like mysteries and I love horses and I enjoy wine, so I thought this would be a winner. It was an ok mystery, but there just wasn't anything calling me to read to find out what happened. The characters were on the verge of being engaging, but not quite there. The storyline was on the verge of holding my attention, but not quite there. Plenty of people love this writer, so read one and form your own opinion. For me it was just 2.5 stars.

I picked this book up, seeming at random, because it was waiting for me at the library, but I don’t recall ever putting a hold on it.

So, of course I read it. The protagonist is so relatable, and his expertise was enjoyable to see, regarding scotch and wines. The plot was sometimes hard to get through, since it involved alcohol taxes, race horses, and catering contracts, but still and all, I liked those parts too.

I would recommend this book, as an enjoyable summer read. Too bad it’s the dead of winter. I’ll likely look into more Dick Francis books as the weather turns warmer.

There are times when I want to read a stand-alone mystery. There's no mental commitment to reading a whole series of books and no trying to remember what came before. For that sort of book, Dick Francis comes to mind. Usually there's at least a tangential link to horses and I feel like I will learn something new.

This time the industry is the wine/spirit industry. Wine merchant Tony Beach is the focus and "proof" has more to do than with spirits. Is there a decent life after the sudden death of a dearly loved spouse? Will Tony find courage? Can the hero prove who the villain is? Early in the book we find out there is indeed a bad guy, but who is he? How does everything tie together? The reader and the hero take this path together.

This is an excellent traditional mystery.

One of my favorites by Dick Francis. They all take place somehow in the horse racing world, but this one is indirectly. Learned a lot about wine too. Read this a looooooong time ago. May have to revisit. Thank you to my dad who turned me onto the author lo, these many years ago.

A good book for a Dry January read. Francis mixes horse racing with facts on whiskey and wine as a wine merchant is drawn into a conspiracy involving fake scotch, tanker trucks and racehorse sales and leasing. The details on whiskey making and wine nuances weave in nicely, and there’s one tense chase with the protagonist/narrator in peril in behind-the-scenes areas of a racetrack. Good character arc—as always in Francis works—for the one-off hero.

A rattling good read--or listen, in my case. One of Francis' best, in my opinion. Instead of the previous inner philosophical debates on the nature of good and evil, here we have an investigation into the anatomy of courage. Oh, the bad guys are still thoroughly bad, but not unbalanced; just greedy and egoist (which is, of course, the essence of greed--it's all about me and sod you.)

Our Hero is of course the standard clean-cut moral Brit in an acceptable middle-class job, but this time he is definitely a square peg. All around him are directly involved in the world of horses, but he himself is a wine merchant. I find this a common element in so many novels and plays written for the upper middle class of the UK: pleasant young adult with no drive to do much of anything discovers a talent s/he didn't know s/he had that not only permits them to earn the daily crust, but spreads it thickly with butter and even the occasional dollop of jam. I wish I could discover a hidden talent, but then I'm not British, nor upper middle class. Shame about reality.

The story begins with a disaster, only to segue into a rather quiet little plot that has very little to do with that gripping setup. At first I thought the quiet part was rather predictable; it was, in some respects, but in other more vital respects the gentle development kept me wrong footed until the end. What an end! A great ride. Like a good wine, cool on the tongue, light on the palate, it cheers and satisfies.

I must have read this back when it first came out, but remembered nothing beyond a phrase here and there. Tony Britton's reading is superlative as always; he could read a 1976 Bronx telephone book, and I'd listen happily. I was startled to realise that the voice went with the name of the actor who played in "Father Dear Father" which mad me giggle my way through my teens.

Book Description
Young wine merchant Tony Beach's exposure of a liquor scam sparks a brutal murder and forces the corruption in the liquor industry to spread into the realm of thoroughbred horse racing.

My Review:
This was my first Dick Francis book. I enjoyed learning about the different methods of making scotch. His characters were very interesting. I liked Tony and Gerard with their investigative skills and the crazy lady who shot her rifle up the chimney in order to clear the bird's nest was very humorous. I thought Francis' writing style was easy to read. My only complaint is that Dick Francis left a few things hanging in regards to the incident in the beginning of the book. Who really let the horse trailer go into the tent and why? I look forward to reading another of his books and I would recommend this book to those who love cozy mysteries about horse racing and making and distributing alcohol.
3.5 stars