What do you think?
Rate this book
Gideon Blake #2
Time to Pay
Damien Daniels has been murdered, shot through the chest by an expert marksman. It looks like a professional job, but who would want to kill a popular ex-jockey who trains racehorses for a living? Animal behaviorist Gideon Blake witnesses the shooting and is able to provide information that leads to an arrest, but many questions remain unanswered. Do a series of mysterious break-ins have any bearing on the case? What is the significance of the cryptic list found among the dead man's belongings? Gideon soon finds himself drawn into the mystery, and before long a terrifying conspiracy comes to light, threatening to destroy the lives of those closest to him. This title was previously sold under the title Six To One Against .
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
3 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Lyndon Stacey
18 books24 followersLyndon Stacey lives in a quiet village in the Blackmore Vale in Dorset, with three assorted dogs and a cat, and her books are set in the surrounding counties.
Although she started writing fiction as a very young child, she worked in many and varied jobs after leaving school, alongside which she gained a very good reputation as an animal portrait artist. Writing was always her first love, however, and when she hit on the winning combination of everyday (if tough) heroes and a rural background abounding with dogs and horses, her first publishing deal was not far behind.
Her many interests include reading (unsurprisingly!) horse riding, Canicross, animal psychology, gardening, music & dance, genealogy and motorcycling, but her overriding passion is for dogs, their training, and all kinds of dog sports.
Although she started writing fiction as a very young child, she worked in many and varied jobs after leaving school, alongside which she gained a very good reputation as an animal portrait artist. Writing was always her first love, however, and when she hit on the winning combination of everyday (if tough) heroes and a rural background abounding with dogs and horses, her first publishing deal was not far behind.
Her many interests include reading (unsurprisingly!) horse riding, Canicross, animal psychology, gardening, music & dance, genealogy and motorcycling, but her overriding passion is for dogs, their training, and all kinds of dog sports.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 2, 2016
I can't get enough Gideon Blake!
I read this novel too long ago to leave a full review.
I read this novel too long ago to leave a full review.
May 24, 2019
Great read
Being a massive Dick Francis fan, l am fed up of all the "next Dick Francis" claims and was initially prejudice for this reason. But, having read most of Lyndon Stacey's books now. I have to admit that, although he can't be replaced, she is a good substitute. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Being a massive Dick Francis fan, l am fed up of all the "next Dick Francis" claims and was initially prejudice for this reason. But, having read most of Lyndon Stacey's books now. I have to admit that, although he can't be replaced, she is a good substitute. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.
May 5, 2020
Not a bad read with a few unexpected twists
May 12, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyable. As good as Dick francis.
May 8, 2010
RATING: 2.5
There's something about a UK countryside setting that just demands that there be horses and a group of hunters. In your mind's eye, can't you see the rolling hills and fields with fine steeds galloping, tails pluming in the wind? Certainly, the one thing that you don't expect is that this vision would include murder. But while animal behaviorist Gideon Blake is helping ex-jockey Damien Daniels prepare his horse for a local hunt, Daniels is shot out of his saddle. He leaves behind a young wife and son, a sister, and parents who can't cope with their grief.
As a friend of the family, Gideon takes it upon himself to figure out why Damien was targeted. A series of break-ins leads him to believe that the murderer is searching for some important information. When Gideon finds a list of numbers, he begins to put things together, which endangers himself and those around him.
As the book progresses and the incidents escalate, Gideon becomes a one-man investigation team. And therein lies the problem with the book. Certainly, it is normal to be curious about mysterious events. However, it is completely foolhardy to take matters into one's own hands and not inform the police when dangerous situations arise, when evidence is uncovered, when people are being hurt all around you. Gideon moved from a character that had some interesting aspects, such as his innate ability to work with animals, to someone who I wanted to stick my spurs into. Over and over again, he finds himself in jeopardy and over and over again, he deals with things on his own. Theoretically, he is protecting the Daniels' family by not involving the police; in reality, he is bungling about making things worse for everybody.
Stacey does a good job of describing the process of the hunt, and I found the details of how Gideon worked with problem horses fascinating. However, most of the characters were flat and never came to life; and the villain was obvious five furlongs away. By the end of the book, I was completely irritated with Gideon which negatively colored my whole perception of the book. If he had called in the police and been involved in the investigation as a concerned civilian, I would have liked the book far more.
There's something about a UK countryside setting that just demands that there be horses and a group of hunters. In your mind's eye, can't you see the rolling hills and fields with fine steeds galloping, tails pluming in the wind? Certainly, the one thing that you don't expect is that this vision would include murder. But while animal behaviorist Gideon Blake is helping ex-jockey Damien Daniels prepare his horse for a local hunt, Daniels is shot out of his saddle. He leaves behind a young wife and son, a sister, and parents who can't cope with their grief.
As a friend of the family, Gideon takes it upon himself to figure out why Damien was targeted. A series of break-ins leads him to believe that the murderer is searching for some important information. When Gideon finds a list of numbers, he begins to put things together, which endangers himself and those around him.
As the book progresses and the incidents escalate, Gideon becomes a one-man investigation team. And therein lies the problem with the book. Certainly, it is normal to be curious about mysterious events. However, it is completely foolhardy to take matters into one's own hands and not inform the police when dangerous situations arise, when evidence is uncovered, when people are being hurt all around you. Gideon moved from a character that had some interesting aspects, such as his innate ability to work with animals, to someone who I wanted to stick my spurs into. Over and over again, he finds himself in jeopardy and over and over again, he deals with things on his own. Theoretically, he is protecting the Daniels' family by not involving the police; in reality, he is bungling about making things worse for everybody.
Stacey does a good job of describing the process of the hunt, and I found the details of how Gideon worked with problem horses fascinating. However, most of the characters were flat and never came to life; and the villain was obvious five furlongs away. By the end of the book, I was completely irritated with Gideon which negatively colored my whole perception of the book. If he had called in the police and been involved in the investigation as a concerned civilian, I would have liked the book far more.
October 18, 2010
I really enjoyed this novel. Having always been a Dick Francis fan, it is good to know that there are other authors that can continue to offer me very good equine mysteries. I will be reading more books by this author.
February 9, 2015
I was given a load of books as someone was having a clear out. As a freebie it was alright but I wouldn't seek out others by this author. A bit dull I thought.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews