I love Dick Francis books and this was no exception. Already at the beginning a jockey shot himself. Nobody could explain why he did this. The young jockey Rob, who sees the whole thing emotionally from the outside, gets to know the highs and lows of horse racing and decides to get to the bottom of the cause of the misery of his colleagues. He discovers that the horses of these jockeys and his horses have been doped. He's out for revenge and does it in a subtle way. He's in grave danger. His will is stronger than all the pain he suffers.
A magnificently thought-out thriller that gives an insight into the world of horse racing.

Dick Francis is always worth a read. This is one of his earlier books, and not (I don't think) his best work -- there are some passages that read a little awkwardly, and the plot arc doesn't really have a strong climax (instead it has two, one of which is surprisingly far from the end of the novel) -- however the book displays his normal ability to create compelling characters and delve into some unthought of facet of the racing world. Not one of his best, perhaps, but still very good.

This is one of my favorite Dick Francis reads. The middle part of the story makes you squirm with sympathy for Rob Finn who can't understand why all his rides are suddenly running slowly and the racing world looks at him with disgust over having his loss of nerve. A book of terrific revenge and suspense!

If there is one trait above all else that a jockey needs in steeplechase racing, it’s nerve. Junior jockey Rob Finn has plenty of it. The rest of his family have made it big in the world of classical music, but Rob never fit into that world, instead being drawn to the active and risky world of horse racing. But just when he had caught his big break and was finally getting rides, wins, and the recognition that goes with it, everything comes tumbling down. After a nasty fall during a race, a string of last place finishes just about does him in. They’re saying he’s lost his nerve. But to Finn’s mind, there is something far more devious at play and he is determined to discover its source and get his revenge.

This is the second published work of fiction (1964) by the esteemed Dick Francis. The author was, himself, a champion steeplechase jockey so the horse racing scenes, the preparation activities for each race, and the overall racing business environment always ring true and full of authenticity. I think what I like best about Dick Francis novels is the way they are structured not just as detective or mystery plots, but as genuine stories. This novel, like most of his fictional work, is narrated by the main character which always brings an added feeling of “connection” with him. While I would not have made the same choices as Finn does, he does make rational choices true to his character. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel all the way through.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a Dick Francis novel, but this one has jump-started my desire to add him into my regular rotation. Looking forward to a long list of must-reads to come.

I had never read a Dick Francis book before, but I like him! Back over 3 decades ago my aged Grand Aunt, who was a retired English teacher, told me she loved reading Dick Francis novels. Reading this made me feel close to her.
Someone is sabotaging the lives of jockeys on the British racing circuit. New to the sport jockey, Robert Finn, becomes the saboteur's latest victim, after his friend kills himself because of the sabotage. Finn is a resourceful engaging character. who solves the mystery but not before a number of hair raising experiences! Engaging writing and story telling.

A Dick Francis classic. A young jockey finds himself quickly at the top of steeplechasing world, and then at the bottom because he has supposedly lost his nerve. Like every Francis hero, Rob Finn tries to find out why, gets beat up badly for it, and foils his nemesis in a creative and somewhat brutal way. There's also a nice love story with a cousin who is hesitant to get involved romantically with someone possible a little too closely related to her.

It's just a fun thriller. It's got whump, friendship between jockeys, sinister public figures, a jockey coming into the next exciting stage in his career, everything one might want from a horse-racing thriller specifically. I think Dick Francis has the potential to be a new favorite author of mine--I will have to read more by him.

Grabbing old favorites off the shelf again... Dick Francis was a British steeplechase jockey who took to writing thrillers and had a nice little second career writing international best sellers from the sixties up through the nineties. Most of his books involve horse racing, and they're dependably entertaining, with plucky underdog heroes, convincingly bad villains, and just enough succinctly depicted violence to make us wince and root for the bad guy's comeuppance.
In this one, a struggling jockey watches his fellow riders fall prey one by one to mysterious mishaps; he susses out the malevolent string-puller behind them and, having survived his own encounter with the scoundrel, devises a wickedly appropriate extra-judicial punishment.
It's not the best thing Francis wrote; there aren't a whole lot of surprises and there is a slightly weird subplot involving the protagonist's unrequited love for a comely first cousin, but it has all the Francis virtures: clear and competent narrative, sharply drawn characters, and all that good horse stuff if you like that.

I don't know how Dick Francis manages to write characters so well, but he does. This one took a while to reach the mystery part, though. And I ended up being a little disappointed about how the protagonist dealt with the bad guy.

I was listening to the audibook version and it was difficult to keep involved because the reader was a bit monotone, but he seemed to warm up to the story after a while. The plot was good and kept me interested. I found myself feeling sorry for the 'bad' guy but also felt like he got what he deserved.

A very early Francis, but just as enjoyable as all of his others. This time, our everyman hero is young steeplechase jockey Robb Finn. Robb is working hard to find rides and establish himself in the sport. He's just gaining ground when he get's a chance to substitute for an injured top jockey, and he's finally where he wants to be.

But someone is spreading bad rumors about jockeys, Robb included. And he's not going to stop until he finds out who and exacts his revenge. There is also an odd kissing cousins subplot that I'm not too sure about, but Robb is charming enough that I'll allow it.

As usual, 3 stars.

Dick Francis' heroes are always ordinary chaps who show stalwart resolve and a core of honor when pressed by the bad guys. I think this novel (an older one I just tracked down) is one of my favorites. A steeplechase jockey's career is finally taking off when all of a sudden every horse he rides seems sluggish and his string of wins turns into losses. Of course, the trainers and owners then drop him and his career is seemingly finished (which shows you how precarious the life of a jockey is, in addition to injury risks etc.). He figures out what he has gotten caught up in and why, and manages to stop the bad guys and I love that he turns the tables on them!