have not read a dick francis since he died. thought i read them all, but obviously not. easy read with the usual non hero problem solving through the issues to an end resolving all the issues. director making a movie about an old unsolved death adapted from a fiction novel about the incident. interweaving of movie directing and horses just does not make this one of the author's better reads. duly acceptable for a saturday, rainy day matinee with a libation accompanying the read. enjoy!

As with all Dick Francis thrillers, this book did not disappoint. So many authors over-use violence, making it commonplace. Francis has always been able to bring a few violent acts down to a point that is personel, and scary. The reader is never numb to the pain and terror of even small injuries. I suppose Francis had enough run-ins with injuries as a jockey to give him this edge. But the next important step that Francis takes is to develope villians that are personal in nature as well. These aren't James Bond villians who want to take over the world and are willing to kill thousands at a single swipe. No, his villians have small, personal, violent urges that are directed at one or two people. I am reminded of that discomforting feeling I get in the grocery line when I inadvertantly run afoul of a stranger who suddenly looms beside me with a presence that cannot be ignored. A "what have I gotten myself into?" sort of situation--is this guy going to follow me into the parking lot and come after me? Seriously? What is wrong with this guy?
Wild Horses has these two elements in fine racing form. The slow, methodical descent into mystery and danger drew me in, with ever increasing speed. Somewhere around page 250, I stopped taking breaks from reading and galloped down the home stretch, as if the last lap were run down a steep hill.
As a bonus, this book dealt with movie making, and I love anything that details this process. This was great fun.

I just re-read this after many years, such a great writer, or should I say writers, since Francis himself credited his wife as being his writing partner. The characters in this book are so well observed and described, and the story is very good! So glad to be starting all the Francis books again!

Another easy-to-read Dick Francis mystery, but a long way short of his best work. I wasn't overly convinced by the movie-making setting that provided the background to the novel. In my opinion, it padded the storyline needlessly. The big red editors pen could easily have gone through much of it, including in particular, the dream sequences and the purchase of viking horses offshore - both of which added nothing of note to the actual plot. 3 stars *** (just).

Dick Francis ability to make every book compulsive, even though you know the hero of the day is going to win, is enviable. I have not the slightest recollection of reading this, and learning of the processes whereby films are made, though I guess it's one bought and read as soon as it was published - very likely a Christmas gift.

Published in 1994, this book follows the reliable and very readable Francis formula - this time our hero is a young film director who faces danger from people trying to sabotage his film loosely based a local death in Newmarket 26 years earlier. Easily read in one day.

I haven't read a Dick Francis for a while but this reminded me what an enjoyable read they can be. Think there were some plot holes but a page turner none the less

The usual Dick Francis ingredients -- horses, racing, brave laconic hero getting beaten up and so on. Some of the books have a different backdrop, and this one has the film industry. The hero is a director, shooting a film about an old unsolved mystery in Newmarket. The best part of the book is the insider view of how a film is shot, how truth is adapted to fiction and how fiction is adapted to other fiction. There's almost a philosophy in there.

Not my favorite one. It was hard to get to know the main character - he had very little interior monologue. That plus an implausible love interest who was practically a child and a number of totally irrelevant plot arcs....

Loved this mystery about a former jockey turned film director who is making a movie about a long-ago romantic triangle that ended in suicide -- or was it murder? The family involved in the original scandal want to see the movie shut down, by whatever means. I don't know what experience Mr. Francis had with shooting films, but he writes with authority and accuracy about the workings of the movie business. Enthusiastically recommended.

Another day without electricity, so I pick "Wild Horses" from my Dick Francis collection. Thomas Lyon, whose father trained steeplechase horses, rode as a teenage amateur steeple chaser until he grew too tall. Now at 30 he is the director of a high budget Hollywood film, set in England. Dick Francis does a terrific job telling an interesting story while giving the reader a glimpse into the world of making movies. A fast moving novel, with good characters and marvelous visuals. In particular, the scene at the end of the book was amazing.

My electricity is back so I need to get on with my life, but it is sure tempting to pick out another Dick Francis novel from my collection and spend another day immersed in his magic.

Dick Francis book- of course a 5

Dick Francis almost always has main characters with internal personalities much more complex than their public appearance. Both are very believable. This book is no exception.