Classic Francis. Every word is carefully crafted to build suspense and bring the reader along step by step. What begins as a simple Enquiry into the running of a race results in the suspension from racing of a trainer and jockey. The jockey doesn't take it lying down since he was innocent. Then the trail leads inexorably onward to a surprising climax. Very hard to put down.

My Plan: I’m going to read these books again and I an going to review them such that I know which freaking book is which.

Just stating this publicly in the hopes that it will help me actually do it.

In this book:
MC is a widowed jockey who lives in his cousin’s racing stable yard
Love interest is the snobby daughter of the snobby trainer he rides for, is 19 and just finished finishing school.
He is warned off (along with snobby trainer) for losing a race.
Book is him trying to prove he was framed
Decorated his own flat (apparently that’s evidence he was highly educated...even though he studied (read) economics...or maybe that he has good taste, which goes against the stereotype of jockeys?)

There is something immensely satisfying about Dick Francis books.
Parts of them appeal to the petty, grudge-holding, “let someone else ‘be the bigger person’” aspects of me such as this quote:
“And when you lose your license for this — and I’ll see that you do — you’ll have plenty of time to understand that it *serves you right*” (very satisfying)

But it also appeals my magnanimous, aspirational side (such as when he covers for the above jockey)

This is early Dick Francis, just as he was getting into his stride, and a standalone novel. Although it does not have the glitter and sparkle of the Sid Halley or Kit Fielding novels, it has all the promise of both: a burning injustice, manmade or just bad luck, and the efforts to set matters right in some way by a prototype of the classic Dick Francis hero. There is almost always a direct or indirect connection to racing, as in this case, where Kelly Hughes, a jockey and Cranfield, the trainer he works for, have both been accused of pulling a big race, causing a loss to the punters, and their licences withdrawn so that, as Kelly observes, he can't even emigrate to Australia, because the ban is world-wide. How he starts a private investigation to find who was behind the frame-up, and why, forms the plot. The pace is terrific, although it is a little slow to start with, the language crisp, short and telling, and the suspense keeps you going without sleep, drink or food till you hit the climax – or rather, till the climax hits you. Brilliant.

I've read many of Dick Francis's books over the years, and have enjoyed most, if not all, of them. Interesting narratives, characters from the British horse-racing world, lots of action, and quick to read. This one may not be a favorite (gave it an 8 out of 10), but it was still pretty darn good! (It was from 1969.)

While many Dick Francis books explore a side topic along with the horse-related content, this one concentrated more on the horse racing industry. I enjoyed the insights on betting, steeplechase races, and the different roles of the many people involved in owning, training and riding horses. I also enjoyed the reminder that British society at the time this was written was full of classism and snobbery.

My husband and I listened to the audiobook, and Ralph Cosham did a great job as narrator, making his voice sound young enough to be believable as the main character, Kelly. At several points, my husband pointed out that the "bad guys" should never have realistically expected to get away with their crimes. Rather than being a failure on the author's part, this actually seemed realistic since you wouldn't expect "normal" people to suddenly become criminal masterminds.

It was nice to listen to a mystery without multiple murders. I was seeking entertainment and a relaxing listen while in the car on holiday errands and trips to/from the airport. This fit the bill!

Ok 5 stars is a bunch, but in Enquiry, Dick Francis delivers everything he can in this book. Francis--himself a star steeplechase jockey winning more than 350 races, writes about horse racing in England, always examining a related theme in depth. Past books I have enjoyed include Proof (where Scotch whiskey plays an important role) or Reflex (where photography plays a key role). Here it is the less than transparent "stewards' enquiry"--which refers to an investigation which race course officials (and ultimately the UK's regulatory authority over horse racing) can launch into suspicious losses of races--suspicious because they may appear to favor betters of an outside the odds horse. Francis describes how such an enquiry can have multiple consequences on the lives of trainers, stable boys, jockeys and bookies, while painting a very realistic case where the motives of stewards themselves can be less than pure and the British caste and internal nations' issues also play important roles. Gripping, informative and insightful, this Francis novel delivers a satisfying and fast paced read.

(NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!).

I have found Francis' books good but not great.

I've read most of Francis's books over the years, and they are always winners. This was no exception. In this case Kelly (and the related trainer) are warned off on the very first page. Kelly, as expected, doesn't just take it--he fights back. So he investigates who is out to get them, how it could have been faked (since he knows he didn't do what they claimed), and why. Francis creates heroes who are strong but quiet, intelligent but not showy, with a lot of grit and cleverness. Kelly is a successful jockey with style and good taste (which surprises people when they see his apartment) and a strong intelligence (despite his poor upbringing--he was the first in his family to go to college, much to their chagrin). There's a good message of learning not to be snobbish ("listen to the character, not the accent") when he meets Roberta, his trainer's daughter. Lots of excitement, a fast-moving story, and a satisfying ending. I'm rarely disappointed with a Francis book. A great way to start off a new year of reading.

Delightful as usual!

One cannot help but find Dick Francis' writing rewarding if they lived in the 20th century for most of their lives. Simple, plain and didactic...written with love of all the good traits of an old time hero...

I needed some Dick Francis. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is too heavy (literally and mentally?) for the train.

***

There seemed to be even less action/intruige than a usual DF mystery. A full half of the book passed before the hero was actually threatened by anyone.

Also, the social commentary on S&M (and confusion with physical abuse) was a little strange/unexpected. Oh, the 60s. And a lot of parts of the country now, I guess.

"Winning and losing", she said. "That's what it's all about."
"Racing?"
"Life."

⁣"Someone has it in for Cranfield, too. Both of us, it was. The Steward's couldn't possibly have warned off one of us without the other. We were knitted together so neatly."
"It makes me livid,"  Tony said violently. "It's wicked."
I nodded. "There was something else, too, about that Enquiry. Some undercurrent, running strong. At least, it was strong at the beginning. Something between Lord Gowery and Lord Ferth. And then Andy Tring, he was sitting there looking like a wilted lettuce." I shook my head and puzzlement. "It was like a couple of heavy animals lurking in the undergrowth, shaping up to fight each other. You couldn't see them, but there was a sort of quiver in the air. At least, that's how it seemed at one point...."
"Stewards are men," Tony said with bubble-bursting matter-of-factness. "Show me any organization which doesn't have some sort of power struggle going on under it's gentelmanaly surface. All you caught was a whiff of the old brimstone. State of nature. Nothing to do with whether you and Cranfield were guilty or not."
He had convinced me. He polished off the rest of the whiskey and told me not to forget to get some more.
Money. That was another thing. As of yesterday, I had no income. The Welfare State didn't pay unemployment benefits to the self-employed, as all jockeys remembered every snow-bound winter.
" I'm going to find out," I said abruptly.
"Find out what?"
"Who framed us."

********
*Audiobook Review*

Enquiry by Dick Francis bolts out of the gate at a high rate of speed and never slowes down!

Overall, narrator Ralph Cosham's performance was  a solid four stars. I did have to slow the speed down on the settings which is something I've never had to do before as the speed of his narration was a bit too fast. 4★'s

Dick Francis is my one of my favorite authors as his novels were the start of my love of reading!
His stories are always unique and fast paced, loaded with suspence that will have you on the edge of your seat! He creates well fleshed out characters, some you love and some you hate which is exactly what he intends them to be! Classic good guy vs bad guys! You can't go wrong with a Dick Francis mystery!!

A decent enough mystery. On the plus side, the villains are more normal, and are driven by largely normal motives (albeit normal motives inflated and aggravated to abnormal levels). Francis can sometimes fall into the habit of resolving his stories with the rather lazy trope of "a crazy psychotic madman did it!" It's much more compelling when the perpetrator is a largely normal neighbor, driven by commonplace motives. As a reader, I prefer stories that remind me that I am not so different from these villains . . . that the distance between us is not as far as I might like to think. I struggle with jealousy. I struggle with anger, or guilt, or fear. And I have friends who do as well. We all of us are not as far removed from villainy as we like to think.

Still, this particular story was not as compelling as others he's written. The solution seemed to come too quickly, and there was no real a-HA! moment. The villain, though normal, was not terribly surprising. Francis focused more on the relationships in this story, particularly the romantic relationships, which was nice (and well done). An enjoyable read, but not his best.