I started reading Dick Francis after a chance encounter with an abridged version of Bolt which I found in an old Reader's Digest tome. I loved the male protagonist, Kit, in that story and figured that I should give more of Francis' books a try.


Slay Ride takes place in Norway and is about a missing English jockey who stole a large amount of money from a Norwegian racing club. Though it took a while for me to get into the story, it turned out to be a fairly quick read. I liked the protagonist, not as much as the one in Bolt, but well enough. Francis' writing style is very engaging and easy to read. The characters were well fleshed out. The only thing really lacking was the denouement of the chemistry between the jockey's wife and the protagonist.

Pretty standard fare for a Francis mystery novel, though the ending is very chilling. An enjoyable read because I enjoy Francis, but even though all the pieces are there it didn't take off for me.

I am rereading all my old Dick Francis novels. Some are better than others. This is an okay read but not my favourite. Good for bedtime reading. You can call asleep knowing that the hero will prevail in the end. But he violence is off putting. More so than I remember.

I thought this was well-crafted, as is typical for Dick Francis, but lacked the tension and excitement of most of his previous books. It is also the least "horsey" of the Francis works that preceded it, though the narrator is the investigator for the jockey club, investigating the disappearance of a jockey. The finale was interesting, but hardly gripping.

A Jockey Club investigator is sent to Norway to determine where a jockey went - with the day's take from a racecourse. It seems a simple puzzle - and then proves to be anything but.

I'm not altogether sure if it's because I read this book before that it seemed predictable this time around, but given that I last read it over 30 years ago and have read how many thousands of books in the interim it's anybody's guess why I knew so many twists and turns. Maybe because the book was just that meaningful?

Whatever the case, this one fell a little bit flat this time around. The envelope that becomes so important seemed to flimsy to start (blue pictures? TO a Scandinavian country??? in the 60s???) though I think the investigation was fairly solid and the pieces still came together nicely in the end. This is still as solid book, even after so much time. I'm glad I went back and re-read it.

I could feel the discomfort of being unprepared in cold weather! And learned about the inner workings of jockey clubs and investigators. Fun also that I have had the same problem as the main character regarding appearance. Really felt chuffed that I picked the baddie this time!

Today I am treating myself to an afternoon of purely-for-pleasure reading. Dick Frances is perfect for that kind of thing. I thought I'd read all of his books but don't remember this one, which is great, because I don't remember how it will end.

Here's a quote that shows one reason--maybe the number 1 reason--why I love Dick Frances's writing:

"Upon opening the passenger-side door I found that most of the interior was already occupied by a very large Great Dane. 'Lie down, Odin,' Erick said hopefully, but the huge dog understood no English, remained on his feet, and slobbered gently down my neck." p 146

I was at a writer's conference where an author (Eric Walters, maybe?) said there's a mystery novel in which the main evidence that a murder has not been a suicide is that the victim had a half-read Dick Francis novel on their nightstand. No one, the police concluded, would kill themselves in the middle of one of his books.

I wonder by PBS or someone like that doesn't turn all his novels into a murder mystery series. I'd watch all of them.

I bought this book from a pavement seller.A very old edition,which had seen some rough days.But how could I,a Dick Francis collector, let it remain there on the pavement.

It did help me complete my collection,but it isn't my favourite Francis.The setting is great,frozen Norway and its fjords.That is an aspect of Francis books I really enjoy,the books are set in so many interesting cities.

A British jockey disappears from a Norwegian race course,and money is missing as well.A jockey club investigator is sent to Norway to investigate.

But the plot is rather underwhelming,it's not among his best.

2.5 stars,rounded up.

4 Stars

Slay Rides by Dick Francis.
-stolen money
-a missing jockey
-crime and investigation
-action
-danger
-horse racing world
-mystery
-suspense
-tension
-drama
->2023 Reading Challenge.
->Glennie's Collection
Dick Francis novels were a familiar fixture in our household when I was growing up, as both my parents loved his books. He was amongst the first ‘adult’ reads that I explored at the time, and over the years I have read everything he’s written. I remember every time my mother read one of his books, she'd tell me about him and how he'd gone from being an RAF pilot to being the Queen Mother's favourite jockey, before retiring to become a journalist/writer.
Since my mother passed away over a year ago, I have been making my way through her book collection, finally. I decided to make reading her entire collection a part of my reading challenge for the next couple of years (she has a HUGE collection), as well as a way to pay tribute to my mum, who was such a voracious reader..... Reading her collection of books has stirred up a lot of memories, mostly of our shared love of reading. I am forever grateful that she passed on her love of reading to me.

Finalist 1973 Gold Dagger Award. An investigator for England's Jockey Club brings the venue of this suspense novel to Norway.

Racing related thrillers - David Cleveland - an investigator for the Jockey Club - is sitting in a dinghy in a pleasant little fjord in Norway. He's here to help the Norwegians find out why Bob Sherman, a visiting English rider, has done a runner with the racehorse takings. He thinks it'll be a straightforward job, and he'll get to spend some time with old friends. But when the dinghy is hit by a speedboat and Cleveland almost drowns, he realizes that there is more to this case than some missing money - especially when a dead body turns up. Now Cleveland knows the stakes are dangerously high. A sensible man would leave it to the police and go back home to England. Except, it turns out, that England isn't safe either.

Not many Dick Francis novels are set outside the UK/US due to the lack of horse racing, but I certainly wish he would have given us more. Apparently, he found enough in Norway though, and we are certainly glad he did.
Mr. Francis balances his portrayal of the scenery, culture and people with artful poise. The characters are not only believable but exceptionally lifelike; and are depicted over an engaging backdrop of Norse scenery and culture. The plot takes the reader on an immersive and exciting journey filled with plenty of Francis style twists.
I suspect he and his wife spent some time in the country doing “research” and it paid off, otherwise they couldn’t have achieved such realistic depictions of things such as the Bergen line. They didn’t have YouTubers like RailCowGirl back in the day to get that kind of detail remotely. An interesting fact about Finse, it was the location for filming the ice planet Hoth in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Ahem... where was I?
It's hard to tell that this book was written in 1973, it doesn’t seem to have aged, and this reviewer highly recommends it for the readers of today.

This is an early Dick Francis novel, and you can sense the development of the characteristics future books will showcase - an intelligent, witty protagonist with a hint of vulnerability who solves the challenge using not just the clues but his emotional reactions as well. The ending wrapped up a bit quickly for me, as I was hoping to see how the reactions of the other characters played out. Still, you have to love these stories and the intricate plots.