Charles Todd is a painter, mostly of horses. He goes to visit his cousin only to find that their house has just been burgled and his cousin's wife murdered. Charles stays with his cousin, trying to help him deal with insurance, police, the clean up. But as time passes, it becomes clear that the investigation is stalled and his cousin is falling into a deep depression. Charles decided to take matters into his own hands and follows the clues to Australia.

Like all Dick Francis books, the pace moves pretty quickly, with lots of physical dangers and several horse races. This one features the Melbourne Cup.

I didn't enjoy the audio version as much as I usually do for some reason. I just couldn't seem to concentrate long enough. I'm not sure if it was me or if it was the narrator or what.

Always surprised at the twists the author has in his mysteries and always pleased. Engaging plot and characters. Extremely well narrated. Clean.


Might re-read to get a date on here..,

Like all Dick Francis books, this is a fast, suspenseful read. I liked the fact that the central character Todd is a painter (of racehorses, of course) and that the search for his cousin's burgled home (and wife's killer) takes him to Australia in time for the Melbourne Cup. The blokey friendship with Jik, a fellow painter from art-school days in England, and Todd's growing fondness for Jik's sulky-but-plucky new bride Sarah come across well. Todd shows admirable restraint in not judging - or acting on - what is bound to become a bad marriage, less admirable judgment in involving them in his manhunt Down Under for the violent perpetrators of fraud, arson, and murder. But he needs their help, and gets it in spades as Jik puts his personal trust funds at Todd's disposal, including several flights all around Australia & New Zealand visiting art galleries and posing as rich tourists interested in acquiring horse paintings (or passable forgeries) which are key to solving the puzzle. Of course, this all takes place in pre-internet/pre-GPS days, so there's a lot of shrewd guesswork on Todd's part about the whereabouts of the villains as well as their motives and methods. Eventually, the police are looped in, but not before Todd has to escape being bashed to death by waves against sharp volcanic rocks. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that so much of it unfolds in airports & hotels. Horseracing forms the backdrop. So it's up to the writing to carry the story. And it does, sailing over all the hurdles put in Todd's way as he chases down clues, coming in with a nice, strong finish at in the end.

Love Dick Francis! This book was a delight to read. Charles Todd is a wonderful character and the story was very good.