3.5 stars

Another fun, engaging read by Dick Francis. I am enjoying his quick, horse-racing thrillers. Not only do they have likeable characters, the main protagonists use their brains instead of violence to clean their names, there is always a touch of romance. Overall, a satisfying, fast-paced story.

Quick, Beach read. Not his best or worst. Ending was pretty darn decent. Woke up in middle of night fighting hate in my heart for our neighbors in 1997-2000, the Malevolent Malones. Actually they weren't malevolent, just snobbish greedy selfish assholes who thought they were better than everyone else. Especially that Leslie. Ugh. So I'm trying to do the Loving Kindness Meditation on the Malones and failing miserably, then I turned on the light and read Enquiry for 2 hours. Problem solved. There were enough greedy snobbish assholes in the novel to keep me entertained and allow me to forgive Leslie. May she be happy, successful and spirtually improved in the past 16 years. God Bless her.

Kelly Hughes, jockey and Dexter Granfield, trainer are forced to an enquiry and lose their licenses because Kelly lost a race he was expected to win and the trainer was found to be betting the wrong side.

Usual well written plot.

Opravdu mě překvapilo, kdo se nakonec ukázal být pachatelem. To jsem nečekala. Skoro jsem zapomněla, jak dobře umí Francis psát. Líbilo se mi, že se Kelly nenechal srazit na kolena. Ano, pár dnů mu trvalo, než se sebral, ale pak se vrhl do vyšetřování a potížím se stavěl čelem. Roberta byla taky skvělá!

I have to admit this is one of my favourite books by Dick Francis, live the characters and too see how the story pans out

Trainer Dexter Cranfield and steeplechase jockey Kelly Hughes are summarily disqualified after an obviously rigged racing enquiry. Cranfield falls to pieces, but Hughes is made of tougher stuff and takes it upon himself to get back their licenses before the fast approaching Gold Cup. As with all Francis’ heroes, Kelly Hughes is not a run of the mill jockey. The son of a farm labourer he may be, but he holds a degree from the LSE, and was planning to enter the Civil Services when he lost his heart to racing. Brains, sheer guts, imperviousness to threats, violence and severe injury, softened by a quick intelligence, a kind heart and impeccable taste produce a true Francis protagonist.
But unlike all the previous books, which I truly enjoyed, this one is unusually slow to develop. In fact, the action begins only after a hundred pages or so. While the pace picks up and is maintained, the reader is in for another disappointment at the end. The solution to the mystery is difficult to swallow, and leaves one wishing for another twist in the tale in true Dick Francis style.

Always good always 5 stars ⭐️

Enquiry was an excellent example of Dick Francis's best writing. Kelley Hughes is a steeplechase jockey. After the favorite he was riding fails to win a race, he and the trainer are called in by the stewards for an inquiry. Neither of them are expecting the result of that enquiry: they lose their licenses and aren't allowed around racing.

Kelley is surprised at the hearing both because of the verdict and because of the "evidence" presented. A fellow jockey testifies that Kelley told the other riders to ease off and photos were shown that indicate he took bribe money from the trainer. And a tape from another race shows him contradicting what he had said to explain not using a whip on the horse. Only the horse in the race wasn't the one he was riding in the disputed race.

Determined to clear his name, Kelley begins his own investigation and easily learns that the fellow jockey had taken a bribe to lie about Kelley and that the detective who shot the pictures showing bribery was well known for producing "evidence" for the right price.

Someone is clearly fearful that Kelley will learn the truth because his car was tampered with almost causing his death. But the accident makes Kelley even more determined. With the assistance of some of his racing acquaintances, Kelley finds evidence that proves that the enquiry was rigged but finding out who was so determined to have him and the trainer disbarred from racing leads Kelley into even more danger.

The writing is spare, and the action is fast-paced and furious. Kelley is an ordinary man doing what he loves and then doing what it takes so that he can keep the career he loves. He's not a superman and is beaten up during the story but pain won't stop him from reaching his goal.

I would recommend Dick Francis’ novel Enquiry to everyone. In the novel Enquiry a jockey named Kelly Hughes has had his racing licensed suspended and suspects it is because of foul play. On the day that he was racing he didn’t win, and that was it but instead of the owner taking it as a simple occurrence it is instead brought to a review board and with them using a pile of evidence stacked against Hughes, his license is taken away.
tSome main themes in this novel are proving honesty, friendship, and facing reality. The main character Hughes has to find a way to survive and try to continue living while the one thing that he loves to do is taken away from him. Hughes makes it his mission to see himself proven innocent and finds that other people before him have been misjudged or had their verdict decided before they showed up for the review board.
tI would recommend this novel to everyone because it is very well written and I haven’t yet found a book by this author that I didn’t enjoy. The writing is similar to that of Agatha Christie and each book has something included in it that helps you to learn something new about racing and racehorses.

Great Read!

Thoroughly entertaining; terrific plot with both great character development and at a good pace. The reactions of the mentally ill couple (the Roxfords) bring an unusual twist to a good racing novel. I highly recommend the novel!

Standard Dick Francis thriller - meaning good writing, likable characters, a little love interest, a little whiff of High Society, the usual adversary trying to use violence as a means to an end and the hero stoically enduring and digging his heels in obstinately and using brains rather than brawn to clear his name.
The plot is a little less spectacular than other Francis books, dealing with the aftermath of a jockey suspension enquiry and his efforts to revert the decision. The final reveal was not one of the brightest or most surprising ones, but the ride to reach the conclusion was a pleasant one. Speaking of rides, I would have liked more time in the saddle for the main character, but that's OK: thre'll be another Dick Francis story in my hands soon ...

Jockey Kelly Hughes and trainer Dexter Cranfield had been barred from racing--a devastating event for them both. The charge t the secret enquiry? Throwing a race for personal profit. It was a vicious frame-up and, worse, they had nowhere to turn to clear their names. Still Hughes refused to take the phony verdict lying down--even though his personal enquiry might have him lying down permanently...

I love Dick Francis' works. Set among the racing world in England, his action moves fast, and I like his character development as well as his mysteries!