Dick Francis's books are always entertaining and surprising. Since his death, his son (Felix) has continued writing remarkably well and in an identical style. This was a book of 13 short stories that I read straight through, which was not my initial intention.

I listen to audio books in my car during my daily commute, so they take longer than printed books or ebooks.

Short stories with a racetrack theme, some much better than others. I liked Song for Mona best.

short stories are fun!

Dick Francis is one of my favorite writers. I have read all of his early books. I’m from a steeplechase town so the races are very real to me. Surprised that he could pack so much detail in a short story.

Wonderful fun read. Great stories that always keep you guessing. Enjoyable.

I normally don’t enjoy collections of short stories, so I almost didn’t listen to this collection of 13 stories. Through these short narratives, Dick Francis is able to teach about professions, have surprising plot twist, and introduce believable characters … just as he does through a full-length novel.

This is a good collection of short stories with a horse racing theme. Thirteen stories with interesting ending to keep readers holding on for the ride.The author has a good writing style and the stories are unique, fun and great to read either one at a time or in one sitting if you want too.
First time I have read a book by this author and I enjoyed it.

It's interesting how some authors have an optimum length, like some runners have an optimum distance. Some authors produce lyric poems, some produce epic series, and some produce medium-length standalone novels. Dick Francis belongs to the last class: his best mid-length standalone novels (he never really got into the long-running series the way many mystery authors did) were perfectly paced and plotted.

Given how spare his writing could be, one might expect him to excel at the genre of short story, but reading these stories made me feel that they were a little *too* short, a little *too* spare.

Which is not to say that these stories are bad. They're quite enjoyable, and most authors would claim them with pride. They retain the twists and turns and nasty villains one would expect from a Francis tale. What they're lacking in is details, the kinds of descriptive details that Francis in his best works knew how to drop in at just the right moment. Authors these days are all in a rage to cut as much as they can from their works, and one certainly does need to trim from time to time, but if you cut away too much, you're left with nothing at all. The missing details are what elevate Francis's best books above the run of the mill mystery; aspiring authors would do well to compare these short stories with some of his masterpieces such as Hot Money, Straight, or Longshot, and see if they can find the difference between good stories, competently written, and that special something that makes a book more than just marks on paper.

About half the stories are a bit clumsy and unsatisfying. Others are almost pastoral, like fables or fairy tales, entertaining fluff. The final story gets a touch more interesting, but on the whole it isn't representative of his best work, or a very solid collection otherwise.

Thirteen great short stories of horseback racing from mystery writer, Dick Francis. Several of the stories are based in the United States, and not his native England. All of them are good.

Dick Francis brings the British racing world to life in his many mystery stories. This collection is an enjoyable assortment that is perfect for picking up for an hour's read. As with any anthology, some stories are better than others, but any work by Dick Francis is worth reading.

13 delightful stories by Dick Francis, all related to horse racing. The audible narration by Tony Britton was excellent

I have always loved the way Francis uses all aspects of the racing world to craft his stories. My favorites include the photographer and the glass blower. These short stories are good fun.