I knew the name Dick Francis as someone my dad and grandma read all the time when I was kid. And as a family we’d often watch the TV version of The Lovejoy Mysteries. But I never got around to picking up a Francis book myself. My dad even gifted me a big stack of Duck Francis books LAST Christmas. I just now read my first one…this Flying Finish. No wonder that man was so popular! In a current times view, this book is definitively masculine, but not in the toxic way Fleming’s Bond feels. Solid thriller, excellent storytelling, and easy to read. Gotta get to work on the rest of this stack.

This is the one where the hero flies horses around Europe and the United States, and has to act way outside his comfort zone when his plane is hijacked. The adrenaline of the ending doesn't ease off for quite a while after the last page.

Read 4 times

Flying Finish is an aptly named mystery by Dick Francis. Published in 1966, I picked this one out for the Birth Year Challenge: Time Machine Version. I've read a couple of other Dick Francis books in the past, but I can't say that his mysteries really stick with me. This one will probably wind up going straight out my memory as well. It's a decently told story with a fairly interesting main character. But I can't say that Francis has ever sold me on his horse racing stories. I think perhaps if they were much more centered on the track and the actual horse racing, then he might do a better job of pulling me in. Every book I've read so far has dealt with some peripheral portion of the horse racing world. This one is no different.

Henry Grey, his main character, has been told that he has a bad disposition. His sister thinks so and so do his co-workers. Henry becomes convinced that all he needs is a new job; he's just tired of riding a desk all day. The only riding he really enjoys is as a part-time, amateur jockey. However, instead of trying his luck as a professional racer, he takes a job air transporting race horses and brood mares. He sees it as a way to get out of his rut and see a bit of the world...and maybe a way to change his fortune, if not his disposition. Things change all right...but how lucky is it when you find out that the planes are carrying more than horses? And your employer would rather you not know.

This is a fast-paced read. There's a bit of excitement in the final chapters...but no real mystery. The best part of the story--Henry's attachment to an Italian girl named Gabriella is interrupted (perhaps fatally) and the reader is left guessing at the outcome. Quite honestly, we could have skipped the "mystery" and gone with the human interest story and romance and I think it would have been a much better book. And, remember, this is a die-hard mystery fan talking here. Three stars--solid story-telling, but could have been better.

Despite the indication otherwise, I did not read the paperback. Instead I found a first edition hardback of this 1966 classic for $1 at a library sale, and the cover (a pegasus covered in a Union Jack) is amazing! Very excited to add this to my Dick Francis collection. Beyond that, the book is pretty typical of the early DF books: very engaging, very British, and just a little bit brutal. This one does veer from his other novels, however, by leaving the reader a little big hanging at the end.

I've only read a couple of them, but it amazes me every time that the author manages to tell good stories with engaging characters EVERY time in such a narrow scope. Even more amazing is that he creates a pile of new characters for every novel. Sure, the protagonist/narrator is a bit of a Marty Stu, but still, the books are always a fun read.

Flying Finish was no exception, dealing with a shipper of horses whose employees were mysteriously disappearing. The main character was an Earl who was an amateur jocket and pilot, and who was a very down to earth 'I just want to be a regular guy' type. As it was written in 1966, naturally communists are involved, too. The ending wasn't entirely satisfactory (it really could have used 1 last chapter/epilogue), but that's just because I want to know if everyone lived happily ever after or not.

Oct 29, 8pm ~~ This was the Zapata Reading Club's second Dick Francis title. In May of this year we finished Dead Cert and we both enjoyed it, but I think we both enjoyed this one more. I had looked through my many Francis titles (I collected most of them over the years) to find the ones that involved planes in some way, and when it was my turn to pick the next Current title, I chose this one.

Henry Gray is an amateur jockey, like most of the heroes of DF's books. But Henry Gray will also be an Earl when his 86 year old father passes away. Henry does not like to advertise himself; he tries to keep his blue blood as secret as possible.

He also has a job. He works for a blood stock agency, which mostly means he does a lot of shuffling paper around, paper which involves horses and their travels around the world.

Henry also has a secret. Every Sunday he disappears and no one knows where he goes or what he does.

But one day one of his sisters told him he was spoiled and arrogant. For some reason this got under his skin and mostly on a whim he decided to get a different job. He signed on with the transport company that the bloodstock agency dealt with the majority of the time. He would be a groom on the flights from England to various places in Europe and even the United States at times. The company flew horses from one place to another, for races or for breeding. And our future Lord Henry Gray was along to make sure that everything went smoothly.

Only soon enough he noticed that things did not always go smoothly. He was able to get the job when a former groom never showed up for a return flight from Italy. Henry didn't think much about it at the time, but he also never quite forgot about that disappearance either. What had happened to keep the man from coming home? And what will happen to Henry when he gets closer to figuring everything out?

I enjoyed this book. We could tell something was going on, but we couldn't ever decide exactly what it was. Of course later we could look back and see all the clues, but we had both been too distracted by various things in the story to pick up on them right away. Just like Henry!

We generally try to read at least one chapter per Book Day, and that is what we did this time too. Except that Thursday we read chapters 15 and 16 both, because they were fairly short. And then today we decided we just had to finish both chapters 17 and 18 and get to the end of the story, because let me tell you, these last four chapters were un-put-downable. Definitely the most dramatic and exciting of the whole book! I got carried away: I was reading way too fast. I would never be able to read professionally, I get too caught up in the story!

We will be reading more Dick Francis for the ZRC. The current selection pile has another title that involves flying, and I have all those other DF books in my bookcases. His books are easy to read aloud, fast-paced, and exciting. I'm sure he will keep us busy for years to come!

Good book, but I wish he would extend the ending so you can see how he talked himself out of such a tight spot!

I'm starting to really enjoy Dick Francis. This is the second of his books that I've read (the other was Rat Race). Once again, we have a mystery/thriller tale at the intersection of the horse racing and general aviation worlds (this has got to be an unusual combo!). I like the protagonist in this book a bit better, because who doesn't love identifying with an introvert? But he sort of undergoes a bizarre personality shift about 2/3 through the book and then becomes a superhero, which is cool, but not really the same guy we started with.

The romance is weirdly tacked on and unresolved. Unnecessary.

Mostly I loved the dose of plane-flying experiences and knowledge that was incorporated into the story, which is all 100% real, aside from (perhaps) the heroics in the final act.

Regardless, the pace is gripping and this book is very hard to put down! Enjoy it!

I had not known that Dick Francis was also a pilot. It also involved air transport of race horses. Fascinating information about this business and a good mystery.

Very fun read. Loved the tiny detailed bits of info on horse racing and aircraft flying. I feel like Henry gray’s horse racing expertise couldve been used for some action scenes though. Also love the way dick francis writes, especially the action/ suspense scenes. Although, there were certain events unexplained or that really just felt out of place. Cant wait to read more from him though.

Another satisfying one from Dick Francis's stables. Hero in this one is a Lord in the Wings, Henry Grey. He is an amateur Jockey, an amateur Pilot and his day job is that of a Head Groom with a Horse transportation company (international air transportation of race horses). So, there's lot of scope to learn about horse transportation, airplane flying, smuggling...
It takes more than the half the book for the author to build up the characters. Slowly we learn about the missing grooms, and then realize there is more to it. The action in the end is unbelievable but worth reading.

One quote from the book - They (Russians) won't invate any more countries with armies, only with money and technicians. Italian and French and British communicsts can rely on never having to choose which side to shoot at

Well, looks like his prediction in 1966 went wrong.

Another of the older Dick Francis books, learned about flying and navigating by the stars and the earth. Underlying plot was okay, overall a good experience