Synopsis: Dick Francis' 12th racing thriller plays mostly in Norway. David Cleveland, Jockey Club investigator, has come over to find an English jockey who has disappeared with a day's racing entry fees. But he finds more than a jockey - he finds serious trouble, with several attempts being made on his life. People are not what they seem to be, and the motives are very confusing...
Strange that this book is 36 years old - it still reads fresh. Most of it is a corker, too, with crisp clear writing, tension, thrills, humour, good dialogue and small tidy packages of quick-draw perfectly formed personalities. Four-and-a-half stars, as the ending, I feel is not quite up to the rest of the story.
Yes, this is a thriller/detective story set in the horse-racing world, but it is also a very intelligent book, and *very* well-written. I am not into horse racing, really, but Dick Francis can make me care deeply about most things - he is a fantastic writer.
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