Terrific read

Suspense,fast paced, cannot put down read! Classic Francis at his best. I loved this book and highly recommend it for anyone wanting a story with twists and turns and unexpected characters.

The thing that makes Dick Francis novels stand out from the pack of run-of-the-mill mysteries is his keen insight into the horse racing industry and in this book he takes a look at a special kind of fraud that unscrupulous trainers can put over on their absentee owners. To the untrained eye, many horses look alike, so what do you do when a trainer swaps your prize-winning horse with one that looks similar but doesn’t have the racing magic? It’s an interesting problem, especially when the trainer is well liked, and it’s especially painful when Steven Scott, are hero, is vilified by the press and other race goers for trying to extricate himself from a man who has been cheating him. There’s never any doubt who the villain is in this novel, but there’s a lot of uncertainty regarding how our hero will get justice in the end. The solution to one of Francis’ most ingenius.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

3.5 stars

This was my second Dick Francis novel and I enjoyed it much more than the first one. Like Nerve, High Stakes was a quick, entertaining thriller set in the world of horse racing. Steven Scott was a very likeable, intelligent protagonist who devised a clever, non-violent plan to deliver swift justice when he realised that his trainer had been skimming large amounts of money off him over a period of time.

Steven had a mismatched circle of friends who he roped into to ensure his plan was a success. This lied to some humorous dialogue and my favourite was definitely Bert, who kept me entertained whenever he was in the spotlight.

Overall, High Stakes was an engaging and entertaining read.

It has been more than a dozen years since I've read a Dick Francis and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed his books. We listened to this book on owe trip west and thoroughly enjoyed it. The protagonist is a wonderfully crafted character and someone who I would enjoy knowing (always important for me). The story line is fun, creative and rewarding to the last word.

Another winner from Dick Francis, with a very likeable and humble hero. Steve Scott is an Engineer, who got rich by inventing toys. He owns race horses too, but know nothing about horses. His trainer, Jody cheats him over time, with a very crooked plan which would be hard to prove and convict. Scott fires him but he becomes a persona non-grata among the racing circles. The way Jody cheats him and the way Jody gets all the sympathy made me angry.
Our hero is of course clever. How he gets even with Jody makes the book exciting. Along the way, we learn more about horse racing. I also learnt the difference between slander and libel. What more does one need !

Stephen Scott, wealthy toy designer, owns a string of 9 race horses. The best is a black stallion named Energise. Stephen and 4 friends carry out an elaborate ruse to get Energise back from Jody Leeds, a young talented trainer who has decided to get rich by cheating his owners and the betting public.

Reread this, probably my favourite Dick Francis novel (a 99p Kindle download). He's a really good thriller writer. Like most of his books, it's written in the first person - but our hero retains some mystery. Some of the characters are larger-than-life, but this is part of the charm.

What is there to say about Dick Francis? As I think about all of his books (yes, this review covers all of his books, and yes I've read them all) I think about a moral ethical hero, steeped in intelligence and goodness embroiled in evil machinations within British horse racing society - either directly or indirectly. The heroes aren't always horse jockies, they can be film producers, or involve heroes engaged in peripheral professions that somehow always touch the horse racing world.

But more than that, Francis's heroes are rational human beings. The choices made are rational choices directed by a firm objective philosophy that belies all of Francis's novels. The dialogue is clear and touched with humor no matter the intensity of evil that the hero faces. The hero's thoughts reveal a vulnerability that is touching, while his actions are always based on doing the right thing to achieve justice.

Causing the reader to deeply care about the characters in a novel is a difficult thing to do. No such worries in a Francis novel. The point of view is first person, you are the main character as you read the story (usually the character of Mr. Douglas). The hero is personable, like able, non-violent but delivering swift justice with his mind rather than through physical means. This is not to say that violence is a stranger to our hero. Some of it staggering and often delivered by what we would think of normal persons living in British society.

You will come to love the world of Steeple Chase racing, you will grow a fondness for horses, stables, trainers and the people who live in that world. You will read the books, devouring one after the other and trust me Dick Francis has a lot of novels (over 40 by my last count).

There are several series woven into the fabric of Francis's work: notably the Sid Halley and Kit Fielding series.

Assessment: Dick Francis is one of my favorite writers. I read his books with a fierce hunger that remains insatiable and I mourn his death.

I've loved every other Dick Francis novel I have read. Through most of this book, I had a lot of empathy for the main character - it began to wane with the love scene at the beach, which came back as callous towards his girlfriends feelings of reluctance.

Steven Scott finds himself in danger when he realizes that his racehorse trainer has been systematically cheating him. However, firing his trainer at the racecourse and his trainer's popularity, makes him the villain of the piece.

When he further realizes that his trainer has substituted another horse for his, he plans and epic con to get his horse back and get the trainer his comeuppance. Steven, who is a very successful inventor and engineer, is assisted in his quest by his new girlfriend, his workshop assistant, and a wealthy banker in his quest.

I really enjoyed this mystery which was written in 1975. I had read it years ago but it was just as exciting and engaging as when I first read it. I liked Geoffrey Howard's narration.

I’m giving us a 2.5. I thought I like the whole thriller aspect of it by actually cared more for the romance of the story than the actual thrilling plot line. Whenever the plot, main plot, came back into affect I didn’t really pay attention to it. I got really bored! But as soon as the romance aspect came into the story line again and again I was more in tune with that.

Always loved the intro to the book. The most heartfelt I’ve ever read. Plot is excellent and the people seem to be true to life. Read it before and I will again.