Really great suspense in this one. Francis had me on the edge of my seat. I did, however, figure out the key to the mystery long before the protagonist did. Who knew I would get into mystery novels based in the world of British steeplechase, but there you are. Good writing is good writing. ( )

A good story for escape reading, about race horses in England and Australia of course. Bad guys are very bad and very cruel to horses. To they get it in the end? Read and see. ( )

A little gem of a novel. Francis continues to be one of my main, favorite authors, and I mourn his death a little more, with each novel I read. ( )

Fast moving action, interesting challenges and characters, set in the not too often explored unglamorous corners of horse training, this is pretty much a completely satisfying story, less of a mystery than a how to expose the villains plot.
At what must be at least my 4th re-read of this it remains a favorite. Some of the mechanics are more obvious than in later books and though Danny Roke remains my favorite of Dick Francis's protagonists some of the character details seem to wobble a bit. ( )

I've read most of the Francis books and recommend them for a reliably good read. They're all set against a background of horse racing, and while that wasn't particularly interesting to me at first I've come to enjoy it; it doesn't overpower the plot. I especially like his tight unsentimental style that moves the narrative at a steady pace. ( )