A highly enjoyable one, this although also strangely lacking in any real 'thrills': Kit Fielding feels altogether far too capable, both in the saddle, where most races are winners, and out of it. There are threats certainly but few, if any, come to much more than hot air.

Despite this, however, the central mystery is strong and interesting, and Francis manages to achieve a maximal cosy feeling for his long term readers.

There are some standard clichés in here around people thinking jockeys are insane, shock from a non horse-rider at the speed they go and, of course, the necessity of pointing out women who are Feminists as if it's something separate and specific. (I mean okay 1985 was actually a long time ago.)

He also takes his normal thing of horse-rider telepathy and mixes it with twins telepathy to make this make the first of his books dipping into the 'supernatural' even if only around the edges of stuff sometimes claimed by twins or those who are very close. It adds a nice element although some might find it too much.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as Proof. Francis writes plucky heroes who are easy to like. I appreciate learning about things other than the horse racing world, though I obviously learn some about that as well. In this book, it was about newspapers and corrupt editors. I suppose that it was ahead of its time, and a setting in which a newspaper arriving early on a doorstep with circles around the gossip column can actually have a tangible affect on someone's life seems antiquated. I suppose that's a bit tragic in and of itself. Social media and internet reviews could though, I guess. In any case, it was less compelling than the first one, but I do love the personal and emotional touches Francis includes.

Another great Dick Francis novel which echoes the recent controversy over newspapers eavesdropping on celebrities. Kit Fielding is a a steeple-chase jockey and enjoys the friendship of the princess who owns several of the horses he races.

Suddenly he finds himself embroiled with helping his twin Holly and her husband Bobby Allardeck. They are being targeted with a newspaper printing false rumors that they cannot pay their debts. As horse trainers, the Allardecks could go bankrupt.

The fly in the ointment is Holly did a Romeo and Juliet as the families have been for enemies over centuries. Bobby’s father is a nasty piece of work conning people out of assets and destroying their lives. Kit uncovers his nefarious deeds and also the villains trying to stop him getting his knighthood by targeting his son.

Kit is determined to discover the motive for the attack. Kit using his contacts gets help from people in the princess's circle, which includes her niece, Danielle. A romance develops between the jockey and Danielle.

Kit saves the Allardecks' business and he outwits the perpetrators of a shameful conspiracy. Newspaper tycoons are reflected accurately. Francis knowledge of the racing scene also shines through in his writing.

An enjoyable read.

Kit Fielding is a champion jockey whose family has been feuding with another racing family, the Allardecks, for centuries. But Kit’s sister Holly has broken the cycle by marrying Bobby Allardeck (much to his father’s disgust). Now someone is launching a vicious press campaign against Bobby’s business, and Kit is determined to get to the bottom of it.

Crime isn’t a genre I read often, but I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a crime-solving jockey. It does require some considerable suspension of disbelief at times – for example, Kit seems pretty much indestructible. He falls from one of his horses, gets trampled, gets beaten up, gets stabbed, then gets beaten up again, yet continues to race and take on the bad guys throughout it all. The author also seems to have something against commas, but this was a fun read.

ebook Library (a reminded for me of the story) A long time two family freud existed betweeen the Fieldings and Allardecks. Each family memeber was encourged to hate the other. So much so that Kit's was beaten up by his twin sister, Holly's husband Bobby who she had married the enemy. Near the end of the story the showdown between Bobby's evil father , maynard and Kit had Bobby pointing a gun at Kit. He was like in a trance by constant brainwashing of hatred. He pulls out last minute and gains himself back from the brink.
Bobby had to buy the stud farm from his father. Maynard. Maynard was absolutely ruthless in his business dealings. He would spot really lucrative deals where the owners were in financial trouble, help out then demand his money back on some lying pretext. He would at times make millions and the origninal owners were left often distitute. Kit managed to make an edited tape version of the various victims.
Kit short for Christmas as the two were born at Christmas. Kit and Holly. Kit was a successful Steeplechase jockey and had more than his share of close calls both on and off the course.
Maynard had tried to takeover both the Flag and the Towncrier newspapers. Both then worked together to bring Maynard down initally attacking his son Bobby via gossip in the Flag and tapping his phone thus learning all his troubles then printing them in the gossip rag the Flag and delivering them to key suppliers and others. Thus putting Booby in real dire straights. The father refused to help. The Towncrier propreitor (whose son also was conned out of hundred of thousands and shares via encouraging reckless gambling) secretly put Maynard's name forward for the Honours list. Then the Flag slated him. Thus destroying his dream that both newspaper proprietors had also created. One of the main horse owners that Kit rides for the Princess had her american niece along at the races who Kit falls for big time.
Kit sets them all up in the end, the two newspaper owners and the evil father Maynard. He extracts compensation for Bobby 50K each from the ghastly newspapers and the father to give 250K so Bobby can clear all debt and own the stables outright

Great plot that covers many sides of human nature in gossip press and ruthless business tactics and dishonest recognition in the honours listing etc. Plus as always much on the horse thing.

I'm sure I have read this before, but it's been so long that I've been enjoying listening to Francis' novels as audiobooks lately.

This is a typical Francis story. Strong, stoic, honorable protagonist. Bad guys that put him through hell and at least once hurt him very badly. There is a little variation on the bad guys and their motivation(s) in this one, but I can't say more than that without spoilers.

Dick Frances writes good, clean, horse stories that have a bit of suspense and always include a good mystery. When an untrue social flogging threatens a honest couple with financial ruin the wife's brother, who is a steeplechase rider for the wealthy, gets involved and tries to find out the motive behind this fraud.

2nd time reading this improved it

Or I'd got older and wiser. The first time I didn't quite understand this Dick Francis novel, or understand it. Now I do.
I've been rereading all Francis' books, and enjoying so much more. That last line of this Francis novel was excellent. Don't cheat and look at the last page: you will ruin it for yourself.
Uh

Ok 9

I bought a mystery and I was cheated!

I was reading this book, really enjoying myself, when about page 100 or so I noticed, nobody's been murdered? Why this is pretty clever I thought, holding off a murder scene more than halfway through a book. Well ..then I'm about three quarters through this book and I'm trying to enjoy it, but now I'm worried about when the murder is going to happen and I'm thinking he's pretty good, cause I still don't have a clue bout when it's going to happen or to whom?

Then it occurred to me - he's not planning to murder anybody!

Well, I'd been had! I called the publisher and demanded my money back. I told them, If I'm going to read two hundred pages or more of a mystery book I expect a decent body count and by damn, I deserved either a body or my money back (At this point, I wasn't really particular bout which one.)

Well anyway, she asked me if I enjoyed it and I said "yes, I did ..but" and she just said "denied".

Well, if all you care about is reading a good book? Well, then go ahead and read it, but I'm warning ya, you're gonna be horn-swoggled.

Another solid entry in the Francis canon, this time introducing Kit Fielding, champion jockey and yes, you guessed it, upright, moral all-round good egg.

Rading Francis’ back catalogue in quick succession can become a little samey given the similarities between his heroes be they Sid Halley, Kit Fielding or any of the others. Space them out a little and they are a nice, if predictable, read.

Kit is a twin and throughout the book his ‘telepathic’ connection with his sister Holly is utilised. Sometimes to good effect and sometimes in a way that caused me some eye-rolling.

The story is a good one though, drawing on Francis’ expereince in his two different careers: jockey and newspaperman. Whilst the plot is not over complicated, it is interesting enough to keep the pages turning. And, even if you do guess the bad guys, it is still fun to find out how it is all resolved.

Like all his novels this one is short and sweet (sub-300 pages) so even if you are not feeling it, it doesn't take long to get through!

Fans will find much to like and as it is an 80s novel there are quite a few things – critical to the plot –which seem oddly dated given the advances in technology over the intervening decades. All in all a decent read.

This was quite enjoyable. I thought the romance and telepathy aspects of the story to be a bit weak but I enjoyed smarts that Kit showed to solve the mystery.

One of the more violent books in the Dick Francis library. But all's well that ends well as they usually do.