To The Hilt (1931) by Dick Francis is a brilliant thriller and was the former jockey turned writer’s 35th mystery book.

It follows the story of painter Al Kinloch who lives in the Scottish mountains where he has solitude, peace and time and space for his work. But soon his life is turned upside down when he is bet up by four unknown thugs and is called back to London by his mother as his stepfather is close to death.

This story is a fantastic thriller. I didn’t get who it was. It ebbs and flows in so many directions tricking readers over and over. A real sign of a good thriller. There is also much history to be learned from the book too which is very interesting. Something I love about this book is it’s sense of modernity. It was published in 1931 and yet it reads like a contemporary novel. There is female trainers like Al’s estranged wife Emily, one of the characters Norman Quorn is gay, Al is creative and non-conforming and really quite modern in that sense and Chris Young is a man who dresses up in various characters including a woman in a quest to figure out the case. All things really quite modern that I imagine was very brave to write in 1931. There is also a few other moments where there is much modernity too. It’s really cool.

My favourite character was Chris. He had some great lines and was quite a fun character. He had so much determination to succeed with the case and between him and Al who I also liked they were a great team and I loved their friendship too.

Golden Malt, the horse, was also a little sweetheart. I could picture him throughout the book and it brought a smile to my face. There is much about horse racing in this book which is not surprising but it’s more just a setting for the most part in the racing world as opposed to a book with lots about horse racing so mystery readers who aren’t into the sport need not worry. It’s an enjoyable mystery read and you don’t need to be into racing to enjoy it. (Though as a fan I liked that part too.)

A great book with a variety of interesting characters that brings you on a sweeping journey.

Not sure why I liked this book so much. I loved many of the characters and wished there were more books using the same characters. This was just a nice romp into another world.

I have liked each one of Dick Francis's novels that I have read, and this is no different. Though I am not a fan of first person narration, this book is narrated beautifully, as only Dick Francis can do.

The main character, Alexander Kinloch is not a super hero, he cannot beat up a dozen goons single handedly, he is real. That's so endearing. This book is a hide and seek story and how cleverly Al hides the hilt, the chalice, the horse and the list.

The book was a bit different from other DF, as there was very little of horse racing
This is a kind of treasure hunt novel but this is not about some ancient hidden treasure and this is not to save the world. There were some history lessons, details on the process of painting, wire transfer. I loved the character of the private detective Chris(tina) Young and Uttley.!

Though not his best book, I still love Dick Francis and his Heroes to the Hilt.

I've never read this author before...it was recommended by one of my sisters who said she quite enjoyed it...I did, too, and read it in two days. I'm not sure if it will replace Scandi Noir but I might pick up another title by the same author in our Free Library boxes.

It's been a number of years since I read a Dick Francis book. They tend to be a bit formulaic -- it wouldn't be Francis without a couple of severe beatings of the protagonist, for example. But I love the fast pace, the style of writing, and that his heroes are not all that heroic. I also enjoy the racing/horse settings, even when they're peripheral to the actual story.

So, I love Francis' books and this one was not disappointing at all. Nice little mysteries!

The best of Francis’ books that I’ve read, and surprising since the horse racing part of the story is minimal and frankly unnecessary to the rest of the book. Francis does his usual, picking two or three non-racing topics to dive into details on. In this it is painting and international bank transfers. You get some of the typical bad guys, and a protagonist that is just doing his best, one who is smart. These seem to also be part of the Francis formula. He also adds some humorous characters and events for a change, and I found this greatly added to the enjoyment of the book. I kept imagining a young Benny Hill for the private eye. This is also not your typical murder story, but instead involves financial malfeasance in a brewery. Mix liberally with some historic artifacts and a bus of drunken football fans. It works for me.

Kept me company on a hot day by the pool on holiday and the long flight home. First time reading a Dick Frances novel and it was perfectly acceptable as a holiday read.

The affectations were a little annoying eg ‘himself’ used as a name for the titled uncle, but the plot kept moving apace so I could forgive that and it was finished in a day.

Not exactly a complex mystery with a shock ending, the overall feel was a bit like a male version of a Jackie Collins novel with less sex. It wouldn’t make me look out for another Dick Frances, but I may pick one up again if I want an easy read.

Just another book one would pick if he had time to spare and explore new authors. Not as fast-paced and gripping as promised but definitely a page turner. Never really was big fan of the type of novels which had the protagonist narrating because in my opinion it makes it quite easier for the sake of writing as it excludes the point of view of the other characters,no parallel development or giving other characters a strong personality which fails to make the characters(other than the lead) memorable and lovable. The story seemed quite simple to me and predictable at times unlike any Agatha Christie books.
I am not acquainted to any other Dick Francis' works so I am not in a position to judge him or compare him to other authors but the book didn't quite strike a chord.
Not highly recommendable but not disappointing either. A leisure time read that will engage you but will not leave a lasting impression.

This was a good one -- art meets racing and golf in Scotland. Fairly tense and containing all the evil of a good mystery: greed, betrayal, revenge, entitlement (one of my favorites... : |), and probably more!

While it is loosely affiliated with horse racing, it is not set firmly in the sport as much as the last book that I read by this author. The horses were featured but definitely in the background. The greed of several malicious characters were definitely in the foreground and there was one particularly interesting character who is quite entertaining.

This one was also a bit more tension-filled and dangerous and definitely a good read.

Listened.

Remember, one man's plot summary off a book's cover flap may be another man's spoiler.

My first taste of a well-known mystery franchise, usually somehow involving horses, written by a retired jockey.

I liked this a lot.

The protagonist, Alex, a young British painter who's rejected a conventional life in the city as a businessman for a hermit life in rural Scotland, has to solve a set of tangled problems created by his uncle, his stepdad, the stepdad's daughter, and others.

Along the way Alex gets severely beat up twice, figures out a complex financial scam on the stepdad's brewery, saves his mom from abduction, protects his uncle's heirloom cup from confiscation by radical historical preservationists, reunites with his loving but conventional wife, and brings peace to his squabbling extended family.

I gather that Francis always used new characters for each book? What a feat, if the other heroes are as entertaining as this one.

This was the first Dick Francis novel I had ever read and what a great one to start with! I won't give a synopsis of the novel when Publisher's Weekly had done a great job of that here. The main character, Alexander (Al) Kinloch is captivating; I was half in love with him by the middle of the novel. Even in the "depths of despair," he's just so darn unflappable! Then there's the private investigator he hires, who is so creative and full of surprises that the parts where the PI shows up made the story worth reading. One of the most fun books of the year!