Stunning and brilliant.

Dick Francis is a master with the language. He can evoke the images of a dozen or more characters using a few well-chosen words. As the novel progresses each of them become very real to the reader, so when the book ends it's like losing close friends.
In this book the narrator/hero, John Kendell, is a writer who has had a successful career writing travel books that are full of tips for surviving--in a desert, in the arctic, in a jungle, etc. He has also published his first novel, an immediate hit but it's too soon to live off the royalties. So he accepts a job to write the biography of one of the top horse trainers, Tremayne Vickers, which includes room and board at the trainer's estate and home. Tremayne's adult children and their spouses also live in the home or on the estate. John quickly gets to know and like each of them. And then a past murder complicates the household and puts John in danger as he begins to solve it.
I couldn't put this book down. Highly recommended.

Great story

Different take on usual racing story. Main character not part of the racing world but becomes part of it for a short time to write a well known trainer's biography. Very intriguing mystery!

I've read all "his" books multiple times and think that this one is the best due to its deeply nuanced appreciation of the importance of community, responsibility, challenge and fatherhood. And the mystery and action sequences are pretty great too.

Just read Spare so Dick Francis’ Longshot was a nice segue. He is able to entertain clearly. I agreed with his solution to the mystery
. He kept me guessing until the end. Francis is particularly good with character descriptions, and of course, his racing/horse information is superb. I always enjoy reading one of his books.