Listened to the BBC full cast audio, it was ok, story was ok, was distracted by constantly being told it was a full cast BBC adaption, part 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 of Whip Hand, way too long chapter breaks that all took me out of the story.

Another book from my library bookshelf challenge. I didn't realize it was second in a series, but it wasn't too bad not having all the background info. Nothing earth-shattering about it, just a solid English detective book set in the horse racing world. The main characters are likable and not shallow.

Does anything scare you? That's the start of a great blog post too. Sid Halley's second foray into the criminal world around horse racing does not dissappoint. One of the bad guys actually turns away at the end when he figures out Sid will never stop. Good writing from Dick Francis and his wife (yes I think her Literature degree and typing skills paid off for both of them).

I think this is either my favorite or at least one of my top three in the Dick Francis panoply of novels. It's one of the few that has a repeat protagonist (Sid Halley), but I think it's the best of the four novels in which he appears. The first of those books, Odds Against, is more of a scene-setter in which Sid has to learn to get over being a jockey (he sustained a serious injury that took away the use of one hand) and embrace another career. By the time the second novel, this one, starts, he has been a private investigator in the horse-racing world for a while now and has settled into the job and mostly into the headspace necessary to make him a good one. Even though this is possibly one of Francis's shorter novels, he manages to create three separate lines of investigation for Sid to pursue: the mysterious illnesses of champion colts, an internal investigation of corruption at the top level of the Jockey Club, and a private request from Sid’s former father-in-law to unmask a confidence trickster who duped and deserted Sid's ex-wife, leaving her to face possible prosecution for a scam. Between the three, Sid and his sidekick, Chico, are kept on the run, and I mean that literally. The book contains the usual racing background, the inevitable villains, and a casual love interest for Sid, but despite the repetitious nature of elements that populate Francis's novels, it's still a thumping good story with smart and thoughtful bits, lots of action, and a satisfactory resolution. I'm glad I picked it up again.

Yawn, another book that in itself isn't badly written, but very boring unless you are very interested in horse racing...

Well, hello. I'd always avoided Francis, thinking his books would be too "niche." How interesting could a mystery set at a racetrack be? I was incredibly wrong. Great characters, good dialogue, excellent sense of place - this book worked on just about every level. One good thing about avoiding Francis for this long - I can look forward to many enjoyable hours of reading ahead.

balloon !

His best. Well worth a read.

I am being kind giving it 2 stars. Really wanted to like it. If you are into horse racing (I am) its not the worst book ever, if you are not then avoid it.

Another wonderful Dick Francis book. Characters you care about caught in a web of intrigue.

I enjoyed this book, for a variety of reasons, one being the insider knowledge of the racing world. Clearly, I don't know what's what with racing, but the way Francis writes, he clearly does.

I also enjoyed the crisis the protagonist goes through, and the inner thoughts we see. I kept thinking, "you idiot!" but then also remembering that you have no idea how you'd react in a situation like that. In the end, I was happy to remember that, and cut the guy a break, as I will likely cut myself a break, should I ever be in those dangerous situations (unlikely, given I just work on databases).

Anyway, yes, I enjoyed this book from 1979 (!), and will read more of Francis going forward.

Another entertaining Dick Francis thriller and this time I was wrong about the culprit. I didn't realize this protagonist had been used before by the author, but I can see why he was- he makes for a sympathetic, but strong leading main because of his resolve in spite of his prosthetic hand. Francis aptly meshed three mysteries together into one. What I think I'll remember most from this novel is the hot air balloon ride which was clever, and very fun. Overall, you just can't go wrong with dessert books from Dick Francis.