I loved the first half of this book. It was really fun that much of it took place in the small Montana towns where I grew up.

The second half of the book, with the additional case/mystery to solve, rapidly gets convoluted while also slowing down the pace.

This was my first Dick Francis book, but it was fun to have the older Dick Tracy style of feel in the writing, and I will check out other books of his in the future.

A good 3-3.5 Stars.

Since this book was originally published in 1967, in many ways it seemed like a step back to a simpler time for me. A time with simple technologies, no sex, no cussing, and very mild violence. The story centers around the search for 3 missing breeding stallions, and it was made interesting even for someone who knows very little about the world of horse racing and breeding. Gene is also a rather unconventional leading man — mysterious (you never quite find out what it is he actually does for work), severely depressed (over a woman?), and often suicidal. In many ways this book is as much about him and his emotional roller coaster as it is about the search for the horses. It sucked me in, and I was glad to go along for the ride.

Also, for some reason I kept picturing Gene as Daniel Craig. I don’t know if it was the British accent of the narrator or the fact that the first time you meet Gene he’s pulling a gun out from under his pillow, which is a very Bond thing to do.

Full disclosure: I like nearly *everything* by Dick Francis. His protagonists are not perfect, but they seek to live up to their own standards. In this story, one aspect that I found particularly intriguing and haunting was his depiction of the main character's struggle with depression.

I thought his name was Francis Dick and he was HIS son. Still an ok detective.

I’ve read about half of Dick Francis’ mysteries so far, and I’ve noticed a common formula. But “Blood Sport” was quite different in that he didn’t use the same basic story “architecture” that he has used on most all of his other books I’ve read. In those other books, Francis delves into another line of work, or technology, and explains it and it becomes a major part of the story. He’s written about movie making, animal food factories, computer viruses, outdoor survival, and art glass. You could always tell that he found a topic that interested him, researched it, then wrote it into his books. This one really doesn’t have anything like that. Instead, this is very similar to an Ian Fleming James Bond story. It is the story of a British “civil servant”, and although you never find out exactly what his job was, it involved Bond-like jobs, situational intelligence, and the use of a Luger. And as in some of Fleming’s Bond stories, here the spy is depressed. And “working” on vacation. In fact, if you wanted to say the Francis story formula was intact with this book, you would say Francis studied James Bond novels and that’s the additional research he did, imbuing his spy with some of Bond’s ways and borrowing some plot ideas. And, with no surprise, this one includes race horses and your typical unsavory characters. I liked this character, and I would have liked to have seen him fleshed out in additional books. This felt like an introduction to a series, and I’m surprised Francis didn’t continue it.

4.5 stars
SUICIDAL SPY SEEKS STOLEN STALLIONS
I really liked this one because the main character was so depressed and I'm depressed so that worked fabulously well for me. The story was farfetched and engaging. Ending mostly satisfying except for the one guy's death which was sad but probably necessary.

I always enjoy reading a good Dick Francis novel. They are pretty clean, the language isn't too bad, and not a lot of sex.... Sometimes I even reread the books, because it's like being with a friend you haven't seen in several years. I really enjoy the characters he uses, Syd in this book. Guess I've always had a little crush on him, and I also enjoy the series he writes about too. I'm not a gambler, but I really enjoy watching them live, as well as on screen. There is a certain excitement that I don't find in many other places.

This book has an interesting plot and the main character thinks up a couple of smart tricks to first solve the riddle of disappeared horses and then to find who took them and why.

I've now read this book three times, the last time was ten years ago and what an interesting thing a mind is - I had very little recollection of the story. So I was able to enjoy this as a "new" book by Dick Francis, who is one of my favourite authors! How nice!

Like a flash back to another age, this book is a visit to the late 1960's and classic Dick Francis. It's been more than 20 years since my last read and it's just as good today.

Picture perfect Dick Francis mystery.

I gave this book 3.5 stars. I have always enjoyed Dick Francis books. This story of English agent Gene Hawkins traveling to the US to search for a missing prize stallion has all the usual elements: a horse or racing-related challenge, a sympathetic and resourceful male main character, interesting female characters and plenty of danger and suspense.

Dick Francis is my favorite author. He’s the only author that I have read every single one of his books. I am slowly accumulating all of them. This one was written in 1967 and I first read it probably 30 years ago. It is different from his other ones in that there is not a violent, mentally unstable person who absolutely loathes the MC and wants him dead at all costs. Also, things are not all nicely wrapped up by the end. And wow, I can tell this was written in the 60s because the MC is 38 and the (slight) love/like interest is a 17-year-old! The MC battles depression throughout and that too is not the norm. The author does a good job portraying the hopelessness and all-encompassing weight that is continually carried around.