It was 1986,I had recently discovered Francis and there certainly was a novelty to his books,at the time.I had never been to a race course,I had not even been near a horse.And I never was a gambler.

And yet the world of British horse racing,as presented by Dick Francis attracted me like a magnet.I read High Stakes in a single setting,and still remember how much I enjoyed it.

Crooked horse trainers are a staple of Francis books.Jody Leeds is one such character who defrauds one of his horse owners,a wealthy man who trusts him.

The owner is then compelled to get even and exact his revenge.One of his best books.

I didn't warm to the MC at first, but it turned out to be a fun "righting wrongs" plot. Shame about the cover on my edition, which shows a flat race when it's all about National Hunt racing.

I feel fairly neutral about this one.

This is my first read by Dick Francis, although we have several of his books in the house that my partner has read. I'm not interested in horses or horse racing in the slightest, but I was happy to find that it was still readable without any knowledge or interest in the subject.

Overall a quant little mystery/heist novel that was worth the time I spent reading, but unremarkable. A lot of pretty classic 70's sexism and classism, and the writing was clunky at times. Worth reading if you find it lying around, but not particularly worth buying or putting on the tbr shelf.
3/5

Solid. Simply solid.

Much like buying your favourite soft drink brings few surprises a Dick Francis novel offers little deviation from his tried and trusted template.

A strong – morally and emotionally – hero, who is being wronged by a villain who is either violently vicious or in chaoots with someone who is, form the basis of all good Francis novels. This one is no exception.

All the trademarks are ticked: brutal beating, destruction of property, clever plot (although this one is easier to unravel than some), beautiful love interest and a crucial horse race thrillingly described.

Telling you what order these elements appear would spoil your enjoyment and whilst this book will never have you marvelling at its brilliance it will keep you occupied for a few hours as you spend time in the company of some engaging characters.

The bad guys are, as in many Francis novels, almost cartoonishly bad but they are still fairly well drawn. Our hero is moralistic but nonetheless quite engaging.

It's a fun read and nothing more. And there's nothing wrong with that.

HIGH STAKES - Ex
Francis, Dick - 14th book

Steven Scott, inventor of Rola toys, owns horses but does not know much about them. He sacks his trainer because he suspects underhand dealings going on. He is soon to find out that moneymaking drives some people to manoeuvering and they will go a long way to protect themselves.

This is another of my favorites. Wonderfully plotted. Don't mess with a toy maker.

4.5 Stars

High Stakes by Dick Francis introduces us to Steven Scott, who has gotten very wealthy from his inventions. Not knowing anything about horses or horse racing doesn't stop Steven from investing money into racehorses- and even though he is new to the racing world- he's gets on a bit of a winning streak. But he soon finds trouble on his doorstep- bringing danger and violence. Add in some clever touches, a fast fun plot, mystery, suspense, tension, horse racing, and dramatic developments- all makes for an intriguing read.
->2023 Reading Challenge.
->Glennie's Collection
Dick Francis novels were a familiar fixture in our household when I was growing up, as both my parents loved his books. He was amongst the first ‘adult’ reads that I explored at the time, and over the years I have read everything he’s written. I remember every time my mother read one of his books, she'd tell me about him and how he'd gone from being an RAF pilot to being the Queen Mother's favourite jockey, before retiring to become a journalist/writer.
Since my mother passed away over a year ago, I have been making my way through her book collection, finally. I decided to make reading her entire collection a part of my reading challenge for the next couple of years (she has a HUGE collection), as well as a way to pay tribute to my mum, who was such a voracious reader..... Reading her collection of books has stirred up a lot of memories, mostly of our shared love of reading. I am forever grateful that she passed on her love of reading to me.

"High Stakes" is another of the charming little thrillers Francis churned out in the 1970s, with a particularly charming touch: the hero is a toy designer. One could argue over whether or not this particular book belongs in his "artist-hero" collections, but Steven here is plagued by many of the same doubts and problems as the other artist-heroes: he wants to make fun things to make people happy, but keeps accidentally straying over into the frighteningly demanding territory of Genius or Art.

That's not the only frightening thing he strays into, as he discovers what turns out to be a conspiracy to defraud him at the racecourse, and a maniacal villain against whom he has to battle, quite literally, to the death. There's a lot here that will be familiar to Francis fans, and I can't say this is one of his most hard-hitting and memorable books, but it's an extremely fun read and a lively romp through the world of British bookmaking. Pretty much any Francis book you read is going to give you that entertainment his heroes profess to want to provide, and "High Stakes" is no exception. Some very pleasant light reading for this holiday season.

The usual Dick Francis fare and quality. Not particularly noteworthy in either direction; just good.

My first Dick Francis. (Thanks to Mr. Gilbert Gandenberger for sharing him with me!).

I love horses and I love mysteries, so naturally, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I haven't read a bad book by Dick Francis, but this one wasn't his best to my mind. I certainly love the protagonist, a good-hearted toy inventor who made good dabbles in racing horses. A few of his books have focused on owners, but this was interesting in that those don't "love" horses but nevertheless own them.

The plot is pretty straight forward. I think as a movie it would have an exiting finish. But as a book it's a bit prosaic.

This is a story with a non-jockey Dick Francis hero who still ticks all the boxes: that upright, downright forthright square who doesn't suffer fools gladly, and takes a very dim view of being taken for a fool. Our Hero is a wealthy inventor who has created hugely successful toys since the age of 15; no wonder he can afford a string of race horses and a house with a view of Regent's Park! When he finds out his trainer is fiddling expenses, it sets in motion a saga that includes impersonating an officer of the law, ringers, and the search for justice by taking the law into one's own hands--but always on the right side of the law, if only just. I guess an inventor doesn't work 9 to 5, so he had time and talent to work out the whole scheme of "legal and therefore acceptable" revenge. There is less philosophical musing in this volume, reduced to the final paragraph or two.

The Girl is supposed to be American, but talks like a Brit; she says she "can't bear" a person when an American girl would say she "can't stand" him, and that someone is "mad" instead of "crazy." I was 13 in 1975, and already knew the difference between British and American slang; shame Francis didn't get someone to vet her dialogue. In reality, from clothes to attitudes, she's an upper middle class British miss, anyway.

I remembered reading this book long ago, but thought the big violent end scene was more scabrous than it turned out to be, which was a relief. Written in 1975, 14th in the Francis canon, apparently it came along before the Francis team developed their taste for kinky sexual hangups and gritty violence. The bad guy is still mentally deranged, but then this is still Planet Francis.

Tony Britton was a superlative reader, as always. He could read a dictionary to me and I'd find it fascinating.

One of my favorites, in large part because racing plays center stage. Creative, twisty, and fun.