The first half of the book was average - too easy to put down. There is more action in the second half and then it rushes to the finish - appropriately perhaps. The main character seems not to know what's happening throughout most of the book then in the last chapter or so he suddenly reveals all he's worked out, of which the reader had absolutely no inkling. It left me dissatisified really. Not a bad read, but not a book worth keeping.

Read 2014

Never had an interest in horse racing until I picked up a Dick Francis novel. His books are so well written and keep you gripped until the final page. This book takes you into the world of gemstones intertwined with horse racing, obviously with the odd murder thrown in for good measure. A must for all thriller fans.

High-quality Francis

A really great book, in other words. The hero, a jockey as most of Francis's heroes are, because he was one himself, is a likeable man thrown into a terrible predicament. Again standard Francis.
The first and worst predicament is not life-threatening, but contains a terrific puzzle, which the protagonist does not actually uncover for some time. The life-threatening predicament is only loosely knit to the layered predicament. This double-barrelled jeopardy makes the entire book a fast-paced and riveting read. As with most Francis books, it is well enough wrought to arrive at the end of the novel giving the reader a sense not only of closure, but of admiration for the protagonist. And, of course, for Dick Francis himself.

Most, if not all, of Dick Francis's novels have a formula. The protagonist is an intelligent, decent, nice and moral guy with a connection to horse racing. Usually the protagonist finds himself in a world that has nothing to do with horse racing. In this story the protagonist is Derek Franklin, a steeplechase jockey, who is recovering from a broken ankle. The non-horse racing world he finds himself in is the world of gemstones. The story opens when he gets a call informing him that his brother, Greville, has been in an accident and is in the ICU at a hospital in Ipswich. He is not expected to survive.

Greville owned a business dealing in gemstones and which Derek inherits. Along with his house, his gadgets, and his enemies. In addition to Greville's love of gadgets he was also very secretive. Although Greville's employees inform Derek that he never dealt with diamonds it seems that recently Greville did in fact make a recent large purchase. The diamonds are missing and someone is looking for them and they don't care who gets hurt in the hunt.

There are several interesting supporting characters in the story … Brad who is Derek's driver / bodyguard; June, one of Greville’s employees; and Clarissa, Greville's mistress to name a few. Derek knows nothing about gemstones but is forced to learn quickly. He is not a geek but has to sort through and figure out all of Greville’s different gadgets. And he has to find the missing diamonds.

A very enjoyable read. Like all of Dick Francis's novels … good clean fun.

9 Sept 2016
29 Jun 1990
19 Sep 1991
1 Jan 1998
21 Jul 1998


A bit much on the drug-dealers-are-evil riff, but I love the gemstones.

Really enjoyed how this story was set up and the study of the diamond industry.
Also the understanding between brothers.
Along w/the lives of horses and jockeys.
I enjoy reading Dick Francis books and I am going to miss him as a writer, once I have read all his books.

Great to read Dick Francis again. It's been years. I really enjoy his likeable central characters. Good mystery, very satisfactorily solved. A real page turner. Hard to put down. Wonderful narrator. Such a good read.

Two brothers, one a gemstone dealer and one a steeplechase jockey, have a rather guarded relationship. When the jockey gets injured and then finds out his brother is dead, their relationship gets real interesting--quickly. There are lots of red herrings and several great minor characters. The multitude of "gadgets," which play an important part in the plot, are definitely dated by today's standards, but I didn't find that distracting.

As always, there are a few delicious bits about beautiful horses.

Great puzzle and ending.

I may not be straight, but I am scared to read this book. I struggle with books like this because I find them overwhelming and boring. But it's a good challenge! Better vocabulary, I feel smarter, the list goes on. So here we go!

I know it's a crime but I'm going to annotate this book and highlight words I need to look up. Hopefully romanticise it a bit. Wish me luck

Another clever mystery/suspense novel from Francis, but one of the weaker I’ve read. The mystery itself is solid, and the scavenger hunt aspect inspired, but the characters here are a bit weaker. The most interesting character dies in the first twenty pages, but to be fair, becomes more interesting from there. All in all, of interest to fans, but not a good place to start.

When you need a good, straight-forward mystery to clear your head, you can't go too wrong with Dick Francis. After reading Jenifer Egan's post-modern Waiting for the Goon Squad, I just wanted something that wouldn't tax my brain too much, would entertain, and would help me forget my darn viral infection and wrist pain. Francis delivered. Not literature, but a good summer vacation read. Even if it is March.