For Kicks

Daniel Roke goes undercover to investigate an undetectable horse doping scheme. Getting a job as a stable hand isn't too hard, but getting a job at the right stable takes a bit more work. Then there's the case of getting back out...
I thoroughly enjoyed Dan Roke and his undercover personality. The metamorphosis from stud farm owner to slightly seedy stable lad was remarkable. Lots of risky thrills and hair raising moments in the climax and aftermath.

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.

Danny Roke has made a success out of running a stud farm in Australia. He's devoted to the stud, because he's devoted to the younger siblings he's raised since their parents died, and the stud brings money and stability. What it doesn't bring is a sense that this is what he wants the rest of his life to be. When the Earl of October arrives one day and offers him enough money to keep the stud running without him, he's intrigued enough to take the job offered -- going undercover as a stablehand to investigate a suspected racehorse doping racket in English racing.

Danny knows going in that the job could be dangerous. Fatal, even. But he finds enough to convince him that there *is* a racket, and he's determined to get to the bottom of it, if show more only to prove to himself that he can do the job.

It's a wonderful piece of writing, with solid characterisation and a well-plotted mystery. Highly enjoyable way to spend a few hours. show less

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.

Daniel Roke, Australian stud farm owner, goes undercover as a groom in England to stop a doping ring. Great tension, likeable hero, one of my favourites.

An early novel from Dick Francis, this was a quick and easy read. Told in Fancis’s fairly flat, no-nonsense style, the first person narrative engages early and, despite a few plot holes, is fairly believable. The mid-1960s setting does date it quite a bit, but the central theme of horses being ‘doped’ to win and the main character having to go under cover as a stable lad, was well thought through. There was a point when I thought that the action flagged a bit, but don’t let that put you off. For an enjoyable thriller, chose Mr Francis.
© Koplowitz 2012

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.