Blindfold

Gideon Blake #1

by Lyndon Stacey (contributor)

'The blindfold was a major hindrance. So much depended on body language with animals- Without it, it felt uncomfortably like a game of Russian roulette.'Gideon Blake, artist and animal behaviourist, is used to dealing with distressed and unpredictable animals. But on one cold February night he is faced with the challenge of his life. Abducted from his home, handcuffed and blindfolded, Gideon is inexplicably forced by his violent captors to catch a dangerous and highly-strung stallion. Though severely handicapped by the blindfold and fearing certain death, he has no choice but to comply. Bruised and bewildered by the events of that fateful night, Gideon ignores his abductors' threats to stay silent and resolves to find out who was behind this sadistic and seemingly irrational act. But a chance encounter leads to a shocking discovery, one that makes Gideon question the motives of those closest to him and brings the devastating realisation that danger lies very close to home.

Genres: Mystery, Horses, Fiction

496 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2003

About the author

Lyndon 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.

Reviews

[Jonel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic novel! Fantastic author. Unfortunately I read it too long ago to leave a full review.

[Faye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would’ve been 4 stars if it wasn’t so long

[Aziza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really glad that I stuck with this read. It started off super dry in my opinion, and I was tempted to give up. But things pick up quickly and you are soon drawn in to the spirit of untangling a web of conspiracies and mysteries. I was taken by surprise with how neatly everything tied into each other in the end, when I was under the impression that multiple issues were just coincidentally running parallel to one another. Give Gideon and his gang, you won’t regret it... though you will probably learn more than you wanted to know about horse reproduction.

[Evelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A long and tedious book about mayhem and murder among the horsey set in England. It takes over 200 pages for the author to describe the people and events that lead to murder at the center of this story, and the solution is already evident when it occurs. Then the book lurches towards its neat happy ending for the likable characters in the book including some who were involved in wrongdoing who were not identified to or by the police and escaped punishment.

[Patricia Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Dick Francis ----you will like this!

I do like the Dick /Felix Francis books and when I read the first 2 chapters I knew this was going to be good. It keeps you guessing about what's going on and ends with a very satisfying end.e

[aprilla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't really enjoy it, probably not going to continue the series

[Helle · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had anything to say about it, I would ask (or possibly even demand) Lyndon Stacey to write more. I haven’t read all her books yet (they are pretty hard to acquire), but what I have read is really good. Blindfold fits right in. It has horses, it has excitement, it has good characters, and a plot that is clever, but not overly complicated. Just a bit tedious in some places, but overall another great read!
(A must have for Dick Francis lovers in my opinion.)

[Nancy Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horse racing in the style of Dick Francis

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character is Gidion Blake and artist and horse whisper. Just light reading.

[Ann-marie Riddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It stretches the bounds of credulity but so do all good action stories.

[Claudette Veniez · Rating 4 out of 5]

just as good as Dick Francis. a very enjoyable book and I would recommend it.

[Rach · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent read, pleasantly surprised again by another new author to my stable

[Dad · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like Dick Francis, you'll like this one. I would swear it was written by him.