This one was one of his better books. Even as the story progresses, nothing is a huge surprise or an unbelievable stretch. The bad guys get what they deserve, our hero is battered but still upbeat and unbeaten. And the criminals are scrambling to figure out a new game, because there’s lots of money to be made around horse racing and always a new angle.

After writing my review, I decided this is really a 3 1/2, but I love Dick Francis, so I rounded up rather than rounding down.
I listened to the audiobook. It was exactly as I expected. I'm working my way through the Dick Francis mysteries. I didn't love it as much as some others. Usually Mr. Francis dives into the details of his protagonist's profession. That is one of the reasons I love his books, the side trip, deep dive into a world I didn't know was so interesting. This protagonist was a prototype toy maker, but Francis did not delve as deeply into this as he has in other books I have read. Also, it was kind of hard to follow the grift that was going on in the betting world while listening. This one might be better read, than listened to.
The narrator was fine. He had a little trouble with American accents :)

Dick Francis is always a fun read, yet I'd not rate his work as consistently five stars. So, I went into this book expecting another four-star quality story. Not the case. This story, though short, had me flipping pages with curiosity and satisfaction. Bottom line? I really liked this story. I especially snickered at the last-line humor. Well played. Would recommend this book to any who may not be familiar with the work of Dick Francis. It's a great introduction to his motif and style.

Everything I want from a Dick Francis.

Another interesting mystery that takes place in part at the track (and trainers' farms). This one revolves around an owner who made his money inventing toys - not the kinds of characters I've run into in previous Francis books. Engaging.

For one there isn't a great deal to say about how the world has moved on since this came out (1975) but equally the plot feels lacklustre even if maybe the usual tropes aren't quite so evident. The hero, for example, doesn't have a particular moment where they have to find a huge extra reserve of courage and/or strength work through a trial in order to best the villain. What mystery there is is confined to the reader not knowing the full extent of the plan to bring the bad guy down which means it all lands fairly quietly.

There's not even much in the way of IDEOLOGY except for a working class character who throws around 'capitalist' as an insult in such an OTT way it was almost endearing to find this Jeeves & Wooster level of caricature in the middle of such a safe novel.

The only part that I found a bit much was the usual romance side story which felt undercooked and lacked any real sense of even mattering much to the tale. The implied age gap (early 20s vs 35 for the hero) is not really unusual, but when you make your lead character a toy maker and the romantic interest is impressed because she played with those toys as a kid then it adds a weird note, no matter that he's supposed to have designed it aged 15.

Set mostly in and around London, we are introduced to the conflict immediately between Steven Scott and Jody Leeds. Steven is an inventor turned race horse owner and Jody is his trainer. The opening lines of the book are the discussion, or should I say argument, that the two of them are having.

The lines are clearly drawn. Steven is a young and wealthy newcomer to the racetrack. He has basically no knowledge about buying, training, and racing the horses he owns. Jody is an overly ambitious trainer that is taking advantage of Steven’s good nature and inexperience.

After Steven fires Jody, he places his horses with three other trainers as quickly as possible. He has staked his reputation on Energise. When he goes to visit the horse for the first time after the argument, he is certain there is something wrong…he doesn’t believe it’s the same horse.

We find Steven making friends who are willing to help him along the way as he tries to uncover this mystery. He also picks up a love interest from the States.

Reading this book was like stepping back in time as it was first published in 1975. I enjoyed the nostalgia of the phone ringing and people stopping by unannounced. So many mysteries today have one individual trying to figure it all out with maybe a love interest thrown in who is helping. I enjoyed the comradery of the friends that Steven made and that he was never alone on his path to solving his problem. The book was fast paced and a very easy read.

I had read this story many many moons ago, and had forgotten just how wonderful it was. Light Romance, little more violence, and a fun mystery all wrapped about the world of British Horse Racing. This time I listened to the tale, rather than flipping pages. The narrator was superb! It made you almost feel that you were sitting in a club talking with the main character.

Listened using Chirpbooks.com.

Summary: "Steven Scott, wealthy toy maker and racehorse owner, sacks his trainer because he suspects he's a crook. The trainer threatens to sue Scott for slander if Scott tells anyone why he fired the trainer. Scott is viewed as the bad guy by the horse racing crowd for firing a trainer who had provided him with horses that won races."

A review from a friend: "Good read, as Francis's stories usually are. I do like a mystery.
Dick Francis keeps his plot going ahead quickly & his characters lively."


Not one of my favorites, as I recall.

Once again we find ourselves with a Dick Francis hero: a nice guy, understated, underrated by those who want to take him for a mug. Steven Scott is a toy designer, and that has made him rich. He has become an owner of racehorses, who have a puzzling degree of inconsistency. As we begin, Steven has just figured out that his trainer, Jody Leeds, has been conspiring with a predatory bookmaker to rip Steven off. From Steven's decision not to tolerate being robbed follows the rest of this excellent story.

One of the things that makes this book so appealing is that Steven feels a certain amount of guilt for the rather ingenious revenge he takes on Jody Leeds. One might even sympathize with Jody, if he weren't such an unregenerate crook.

An ingenious book with appealing characters and a menacing victim. Well worth the read!

This book is one of the more thrilling in Francis' catalog of works offering a view into horse-racing from the side and a twisting plot. Steven Scott is a dabbler in horse racing until he discovers that he is being cheated by his up-and-coming trainer. When he sets out to right the situation, he is thrown into a dangerous drama and intrigue that his him changing direction, developing schemes, and ultimately having to face off against criminals. With all that one can expect from a Francis novel, it is fast paced and keeps the reader on her toes.

Again I was pleased and amazed at the different ways Dick Francis manages to tell his stories surrounding the horse racing world. This one was told from the point of view of a fairly well off inventor, Steven Scott, who owns a string of racing horses. They are being trained by, and were bought on the recommendation of Jody Leeds, the trainer and stable owner. Steven has begun to suspect that Jody is ripping him off and when Steven confronts him he blusters and tries to pretend they must have made errors in adding up the monthly billings. Nevertheless, Steven decides to take his horses away from Jody's stable which stuns Jody as he believes he will be ruined. Things get a lot worse when Jody steals Energise, the best horse. Stevens efforts to get his horse back and prove that Jody has been fleecing him without leaving him open for a libel charge make fascinating reading. Not only is Jody manipulating the race results by substituting horses of very similar appearance, he is in collusion with the owner of a string of betting shops to ruin small competitors who only have one shop of their own, so that Ganser Mays, the string owner can buy out their leases. Steven is a clever fellow and with the aid of some good friends he sets out to bring these two down. I can't give away too much but will only say that this is very thrilling reading!