Raamatu kaanele on kirjutatud "Kriminaalromaan" ning tõtt-öelda ootasin sellelt midagi muud. Pigem on tegu põnevusromaaniga (meeletult actionit seal siiski ei ole, aga natuke küll).

Kõige enam meenutab "Luumurd" mõnd sellist veidi vanemat Holliwoodi filmi, mida telekast pühapäeva hommikuti näha saab. Esmalt on mingi dramaatiline sündmus. Siis hakkavad asjad aina paremaks minema ning vaenlastest (vms) saavad sõbrad. Üsna lõpus leiab aset mingi pöördeline sündmus, mis pöörab asjad taas halvaks. Ja lõpus on happy end nagu ikka.

Filmile ebatüüpiliselt puudus armastuslugu, ent olemas olid hobused.

Ma küll kindlalt ei tea, aga oletan, et "Luumurrust" on päriselt ka film tehtud.


Mõnus ajaviiteromaan on ta igal juhul ning ka peategelase maailmavaade ning olustikukirjeldused on nauditavalt humoorikad. Aga on ka paremaid...

Not as enjoyable as earlier books

Dick Francis is one of my cozy mystery favorites

Dick Francis never disappoints!

Neil Griffin helps his father out after Dad's leg is shattered in a car crash. Neil steps into the job of racehorse trainer temporarily, and into a VERY sticky wicket!

I would have given this book a five but for the cruelty to horses. I realize it’s just a book. However, I have a strong passion for protecting animals. Especially equine! I grew up in this industry, so I know that this is real. Never before have I seen it to this extent. However, I do know it can and does happen. I don’t condone and I don’t like it! This was an incredible read. Dick Frances kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Definitely recommend for those that want to get into Dick Francis’s other novels.

[7/10]
I didn't much care for this one in the beginning. It felt a bit too predictable, too much like a typical Dick Francis thriller: here's the quiet but determined bystander, here is the bully villain without conscience or remorse, add some love interest and place everything in or around Newmarket. I felt like i read it all before and I'm on autopilot.

I'm glad I've sticked with it, because the story soes pick up in the second half, and the main actors get enough depth to make me invested in their fate. Also, compared to other books by the author, this one really goes to the races, and is not putting the spotlight on flying or banking or other alternate pursuits.

Dick Francis may be predictable, but he has the knack of wrenching those heartstrings time and time again. I know I will get back to his books soon.

I am grateful for the friend who recommended Dick Francis to me. I know I can pick up any one of his books and it will be a good who-done-it based on horse racing. Lots of insights into healthcare, training and racing of horses.

Cracking read with excellent plot

While his father is hospitalized, a young man is running the stable. He is kidnapped, and ordered to use a certain jockey or else. He tries to get to the bottom of things.

Satisfactory.

Well jeepers. I actually quite enjoyed this book.
Given the stark 70's cover, the lame title which got far less attention than the bolded Dick (Francis) sprawled across the top, and what little information I could glean from the staccato critic's blurbs on the back, I was expecting some good ol' Rich White Chap snobbery, restrained misogyny and condescending action. I'm quite pleased to be wrong!

I can't quite call this a mystery, or a thriller, or a suspense novel, though I think it's meant to slot into those categories. It is, ultimately, a fathers-and-sons story that takes place in the world of horse racing, with some blackmail, threats and violence creating the actual plot.

Francis writes affably; smoothly, even. He transitions easily between character development, action, exposition, education and setting, never settling over-long on any of them. From a modern point of view, I really love that the protagonist doesn't suddenly remember some self forsaken crack-spy training or reluctantly emerge from some sort of enforcement-related retirement to grab a gun or go all ninja and out-violence the villains. Neil Griffon is an intelligent, moral guy who wins by out-thinking, out-maneuvering, and being just generally up-standing.

Sure, it's implausible that your average fellow can remain so calm while being threatened and coerced, but Neil is solid and likeable enough that you can shrug off some disbelief.

Sure, there is a slightly amused, patronising tone when Francis talks about his female characters, but they are all satisfyingly nuanced. I was actually impressed; each of the women he spent any time on had a strong sense of competence and independence which was subtly applauded but mostly just stated as though it was taken for granted, which feels enlightened for a book published in 1971.
And sure, the plot wraps up too neatly, and far nicer than real life (and human nature) would normally allow for, but there is some really thoughtful character development that happens, and it's quite nice to get a solid win for this particular good guy.

I mostly write "reviews" or critiques for my own sake - to slow myself down and try to absorb some of what I've just experienced. ( I have entirely forgotten years worth of reading, and I hate that.) The truth is, I'm not likely to remember much about this plot, or it's characters, or the very little I learned about horse racing. But I'm glad I read it. I had a good time and I thought it was well written. I have a list of authors that I pull out in used book stores, and make a lazy hobby of collecting their bibliographies, not passionately but for good fun and leisurely reads. Mr Francis may just have made enough of an impression to get his name added. How fun!

Twenty some years ago I read through every Dick Francis book my public library had and I wanted to read one of his again to see if I still liked them. I did! But it is funny how this book is clearly set in the 1970s. As always, the main character is smarter than the other characters, a womanizer, and witty.

A two day page turner. Always a pleasure. I enjoy learning about the horse racing world.