Racing Reviews

Dick Francis has a knack for developing interesting characters. This book is no exception. The plot is well developed. The characters are very interesting.

Tony Britton does a great job as a reader.

This highly enjoyable mystery is unusual in many ways, from the main character who is NOT a detective or police officer to the villains (kidnappers), plus the clever way Dick Francis worked the milieu he knows best (horses and horse racing) into each of the three kidnappings.
The main character, Andrew Douglas, is a partner in a firm which negotiates for the release of kidnap victims/hostages by working as an "advisor" to police, governments, and occasionally taking things into his own hands (unofficially) as demonstrated in the second kipnapping in the story. Andrew shares many traits with other Dick Francis heroes--he is honest, likeable, an all-around good guy who trumps the criminals and gets the girl in the end. In this novel, Andrew himself is not connected with horses or horse racing, but rather the connection comes from the fact that all of the kidnapping victims share a connection to the horse racing world, be it as a female jockey, a part-owner of a promising race horse, the owner of a race track, and the head of the Jockey Club. From these tenuous links, Andrew and his partners realize that the perpetrator is probably known to the horse racing world, and begin to try to trap him, but not before one more kidnapping takes place!
Like his other novels, this one too is a very easy, fast read, and takes readers from Italy to England to America before winding up most satisfactorily.
I also liked the other characters in the novel, particularly some of Andrew's partners (described and fleshed out thoughtfully and with humor) and his love-interest.
Readers will also learn something about horse racing, this time mostly from the perspective of a trainer and a jockey, as well as come away from the novel with a good sense of what it is like to go to the races, even if they have never attended.
If you have never read anything by Dick Francis, this novel is an excellent place to begin.

This is one of Francis' best. As with most of the best ofDick Francis' books, the hero here is truly human and has doubts and worries and feels pain and desire while also acting fairly super-human when confronted with difficult situations. This time the plot is tight and excellent and the characters are well-developed and grow in the course of the novel. There are good supporting characters and a good romantic story. I recommend this on if you are just finding Dick Francis.

I remember the original printing of this book. I read it many times in my elementary school's library. I found the descriptions of the far-off places like Monza, LeMans, and Monaco to be exciting, but no more than the famous US tracks like Daytona, Charlotte, Riverside and Sebring.

Leo Levine took me there as a child. I felt that I was bouncing across the Baja with Parnelli Jones in a Stroppe Bronco, testing at LeMans with Ken Miles, welding up a roll-cage with Holman-Moody, and mourning the tragic deaths of so many great drivers.

This book started me on a life-long love affair with motorsports, racing, reading, and Ford products.

Highly recommended.

Wow. This is a fabulous story told by a skillful writer. The people and the technology support each other, and "Ford" as a theme takes the story through early racing, hot rodding, Indy, NASCAR, and Europe. The research that Levine put into the book shows, and he (or his editor) is skilled enough to know exactly when to step aside and let the source material tell the story.

And what a value! 640 pages for $..., compared to <200 pages for a typical auto racing book.

This book was a terrific detailed history of Ford Motor Company racing through 1967. For anybody who loves fast cars, Fords and lived through the debut of the Mustang, the Cobra, and the GT40 that won at Le Mans this is a terrific read. A friend who is a car buff recommended it and while it took a while to get through (640+ pages) it was worth the effort. It also makes you appreciate the advance in publishing that have taken place since 1968 when this book first appeared. The pictures are grainy and don't do justice to the drivers, the cars or the author's fine writing.

Having instructed students and trained horses for over 35 years, it's still tough to find books good enough to recommend to people trying to learn about them. THIS book does it with flying colors.

Everything is in here: safety, compassion, how-to handle a horse and ride, along with why things are done the way they are. Presented in a fun & light-hearted way from the horse's point of view. Very understandable.

Even though the book was written in '66 it is superior to and far more practical than the tomes being written today that confuse an experienced horseperson, let alone a novice. Whether riding English (as illustrated) or Western this book tells what needs to be known.

I bought it for my 13 yo niece just starting with horses & have recommended it to adults who have spent years with horses.

I recieved this book from my younger sister when I started to ride (at age 35) and found this to be an excellent guide. With easy to follow instructions and cute illustrations it made riding more fun. It also made it easier to understand what my instructor was talking about.

Excellent book for the beginning rider. Covers basic horse information in a fun and easy to read manner. Mostly geared for the younger rider, it has information that parents of new horse owners/riders shouldn't be without. The pictures complement the text and are warmly funny. Highly reccomended, I give it to all my younger students on their first lesson.

As a MX and Offroad rider for over 2 decades, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of my riding ability....and my weaknesses....until I read this book. After applying the techniques and practicing them on the track, it was easy to feel the difference in how I handle difficult situations....easy to see where I fall into the most common, simple to cure, mistakes that make the race a battle with myself more than the guy ahead of me....and it was obvious how much faster my laptimes were. On my website at MotoxMadness, I only recommend one book that every rider should read...this one. Use it and it will change your life. See ya' on the track!

I just started racing and this book is very helpful. It practicly tells all the Pro riders secrets and tips. Also, it has sections where Gary Semic (A professonal teacher who teaches Jeremey McGrath)gives inside information on just about everything. If you like to ride Dirt Bikes and possibly thinking of racing, or just tooling around, THIS is THE book to own!

Really helpful for all riders. No matter if you are a beginner or pro, motocrosser or off-road, this book will help improve your skills. Uses lots of cool photos.

If Puhn's "How to make your car handle" is practical and straightforward then RCVD is marvellously comprehensive and thorough. Casually flipping through it you might be deterred by the intensity of some of the mathematical passages in this book but this is just the "textbook" side of things. The Millikens also give very clear explanations, diagrams and concise well-structured advice. My one gripe was that the index, while long enough, tends to hide information under unexpected headings, with successive indents snaking from page to page until you quite lose the thread of where you are in the suspension alphabet. Still, it is probably the best currently published work on suspension theory, leavened by some very funny quotations in the chapter headings.

Who better to publish a book about vehicle dynamics than the Society of Automotive Engineers? I was a bit sketchy about the price at first, but I probably would have spent five times as much buying all the different books it would take to get all the information in this one! It only took me a week or two to get it, even though it said something like 3 to 5 weeks. Anyway, highly recommended!

Tired of reading articles by so called 'experts' that have probably never driven a rae car in their lives and wouldn't know the difference between oversteer and understeer if it hit them in the face. This book has all the answers, and that's as simple as I can make it. It has all the math, all the theory, and some of the best stories I have ever read. Everything about this book extrudes excellence, go on and buy it, just don't show it to your friends.

Jockey Kelly Hughes and trainer Dexter Cranfield have their licenses suspended by the Oxford stewards for supposedly throwing a race. Hughes believes that they were framed and he sets out to clear their names and get the licenses restored. Who would want to ruin their careers? As the truth is revealed we hear a story of sexual deviation, blackmail, fixed evidence and attempted murder.

"Yesterday I lost my licence."

That's how the book begins ... and indeed Kelly Hughes, a leading jump jockey , has been indefinitely suspended from racing after being found guilty of deliberately losing a race.

He knows that someone has rigged evidence against him, and rather than sit back and wait for the ban to be lifted , he sets out to find his secret enemy.

Hughes isn't a detective, and just as he doesn't really know how to carry out an investigation, the reader can't guess at how the plot will develop. My favourite highlight is when Hughes is driving home after a dance. At first it seems to be just a 'filler' scene, but it turns into something more dramatic - and the writing here is particularly well-crafted.

The two main characters are Hughes himself , a widower, and Roberta, the snooty daughter of his employer. Near the start of the book Roberta asks him:

" "That picture .. that's your wife isn't it?"
I nodded.
"I remember her". She said. "She was always so sweet to me. She seemed to know what I was feeling. I was really awfully sorry when she was killed"
I looked at her in surprise. The people Rosalind had been sweetest to had invariably been unhappy. She had had a knack of sensing it, and giving succour without being asked. "

Unfortunately Roberta has been brought up by her father to regard jockeys as an inferior social class, and it takes a long time for the two of them to kindle any real friendship, let alone romance.

Francis is particularly good in this book with the minor characters - such as the aristocratic Bobbie, who clearly is very fond of Roberta but can't help hinting that Hughes is a better match for her, or Derek the diffident mechanic who kept most of his brains in his fingertips.

The plot doesn't flag, the tale builds to a satisfactory climax and I only wish Hughes had appeared in another of Francis' books.

The primary reason I continue to seek out and read Dick Francis is that he continually creates heroes that are efficacious and rational. He avoids the common pitfalls of most modern writers, and instead invents characters who pass the ultimate test: "Would I like to meet and know this person?" If you can answer "yes" to that question then there is great potential for enjoyment in the fiction centered around that character. If you answer "no" to that question, why even bother reading further?

Dick Francis' characters almost always recieve an unreserved "YES!" Read "Enquiry," it's not the best from Francis but it's still furlongs beyond the rest.

Russ Conway has written a wonderful investigative piece about a man who is truly a disgraceful figure in the history of Canadian hockey. Russ brings forth, with his own agressive style, the wicked ways of a man who calling a crook is an understatement. First, he never backed down to get his answers and his writing is first-rate. Anyone who follows hockey should read about a man who almost destroyed it.

This is one of the most important sports books ever written. Through his exhaustive work, Russ Conway exposes the greed, corruption and financial swindling that plagued the NHL throughout Alan Eagelson's reign of terror and the financial and emotional price that so many players faced. Most importantly, Conway's work served as the catalyst for Mr. Eagleson's downfall and proving many player's assertions of corruption. Put simply, this is an important piece of journalism that every fan of sports should read, whether you are a hockey fan or not.

All hockey fans owe Russ Conway a debt of gratitude for helping rid hockey of the parasite Alan Eagleson. He documents Eagleson's criminal and disgusting behaviour in great detail, helping fans to better understand what hockey players faced in the past, the necessary background information for many of the issues facing pro hockey today. I haven't read such a gripping book since "Net Worth". Eagleson will be back in the courts again before long, no doubt willing to lie about the charges being brought forward by a number of retired hockey players. Read this book and you'll see that the players have justice on their team.

Francis' third book, written back in the mid-Sixties, though still a great read (curious reference to The Beatles is the only jarring reminder of its time), and a wonderful example of how quickly Francis picked up his new craft. If he was as fluent, smooth, and skillful jockey as he is writer he must, indeed, have been great. This book first introduces Sid Halley, one of Francis' two recurring heroes, the jockey-turned-detective with a damaged left hand. Halley has been drifting through life since his career-ending injury; a further injury (caused by a bullet) and the not so subtle intervention of his father-in-law bring a change to his attitude, a radically different outlook, and a desire to work effectively and properly at his new job. He is badly frightened, and physically damaged ~ two things Francis excells at writing, his fear, especially, is thoroughly convincing ~ but succeeds in both defeating the baddies and renewing his life.

I give ***** to the verson read by Ian McShane (avoid the other readers). I enjoyed McShane's read voice. Some actor/readers, try to act took much when they read - I mean males doing higher voices for females are such a pain. McShane give the right tone, a narrator and is it an enjoyed voice that carries you vividly into the world of ex-jockey Sid Halley. Injured in a riding accident, he now is a Enquiry agent/security expert that is looking into the strange accidents happening and Seabury Race Course.

Dick Francis' writing, quite naturally, is excellent, though it is McShane excellent narration that has me listening to this tape again and again. I have given it several times and gifts and recommended it to friends. All have thanked me for the enjoy listen.

What are your odds not to read the book Odds Against? And what are your odds to stop reading the thrilling pages when you are half way of the book? Finally, what are your odds to finish to book without putting it down? The answer is obvious, none. From a jockey to a private detective along with twisting events with twisting ending, there is no way of telling what will happen next. For those fans that enjoy mystery books, this is one of the books that you can't pass on. In this book, you will find how clever that Sid Halley (a former jockey champion) to end Kraye's (a businessman) plan of taking over Seabury Racecourse. Just make sure that you tell me one thing: What are the odds of Halley spoiling the plot of Kraye and his henchamen?

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Libby Riddles personally on a cruise with Princess Cruise Line. Her talk was so enlightening that I bought the book. This is a must read for every Iditarod fan or interested person. The grueling schedule and trails will hold your interest until the end of the book. You'll find out what Libby cared on her sled, how she prepared for each checkpoint and what all the mushers have to endure to come out on top of the pack. You'll easily learn to respect the mushers and the love/dedication they have for the Iditarod.

Libby Riddles is the first woman to win the Iditarod, which is the Alaskan dog-sled race that covers over 1,000 miles.

As I'm not very familiar with Alaska, I had never heard of Libby Riddles, or the Iditarod for that matter. However, my boss, who is from Alaska, brought me an autographed copy of the book as a souvenir from one of her trips home. I immediately started reading the book and was quickly engrossed in Libby's adventure.

The book is written in journal style. I felt as if I were right there on the trail with Libby throughout her grueling race to the finish. Interspersed throughout the pages are interesting Iditarod facts that help the reader to better understand the life of a musher as well as the ins and outs of the race.

Libby, as well as all the mushers, show an amazing amount of courage and strength. From start to finish, many mushers don't get to shower and exist on an hour or so of sleep every 15-24 hours! Imagine that kind of schedule, coupled with the intense physical endurance they're also experiencing. It was simply mind boggling, but very admirable.

I found this a fascinating read; my only complaint is that I wish it were longer! I wanted the story to continue a little bit after Libby crossed the finish line in Nome!

After meeting Libby personally in Juneau May 2001, I had to read the book! She takes you "with her and her precious dogs" on this adventure with details about the event and how she feels,copes and thrives throughout the 1984 Iditarod.

The best part? She won as a team (with her dogs) and as a person of strength with the knowledge that she would also be a role model from both women and men.

I found the book inspiring!

I loved it! Racing with the Hawk is the best book I have read about the Nascar life from a business perspective. Don Hawk has risen to the top of his profession without abandoning his integrity and personal relationships. An extremely interesting read for all lovers of Nascar, as well as a marketing primer! I highly recommend this book.

As a recent college graduate in Business/Marketing, and trying to det into Motorsports Marketing, I found this book to be AWESOME! This is a MUST for anyone that likes to be honest, truthful, and have integrity in any business. This is a very interesting book!

THIS IS A MUST READ BOOK FOR ANYONE IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY.DEALS WITH HONESTY,INTERGERTY,AND THE NEVER QUIT ATTITUDE.NO MOUNTAIN IS TOO HIGH TO CLIMB ONCE YOU PUT YOUR HEART AND MIND TO ACCOMPLISH ANY GOAL IN LIFE.ESPECIALLY RECCOMEND FOR ANY ONE IN THE AUTO SERVICE AND SALES CARREER. HIGHLY RECCOMEND FOR ALL SENIORS IN SCHOOL TO SEE WHAT CAN BE POSSIBLE IN YOUR FUTURE IF YOU SET GOALS IN LIFE.AFTER YOU READ IT YOU WILL COME AWAY FEELING MUCH BETTER ABOUT YOUR FELLOW PERSON AND YOURSELF.