What do you think?
Rate this book
Outside Chance
Ben Copperfield is a freelance journalist who specializes in all things equine, so when he’s called with the news that the hot favorite for Britain’s Cheltenham Gold Cup has been kidnapped just a few weeks before the race, he wastes no time in following up the story. Although the horse’s owner and trainer, self-made millionaire Eddie Truman, immediately calls in the police, it seems he has one or two skeletons in his closet that he’d rather not share with the authorities, and so he also employs Ben to investigate. With the promise of an exclusive and orders to report back only to Truman, Ben goes to work. But as the date of the Gold Cup draws ever closer, it’s unclear whether the missing horse is still alive. Doggedly chasing the truth, Ben finds himself tested, both physically and psychologically, as he gradually uncovers a tale of prejudice, ambition, and heartbreak.
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 2005
4 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Lyndon Stacey
19 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 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 2, 2016
Love the way Stacey melds suspense with an equine based life!
I read this too long ago to leave a full review
I read this too long ago to leave a full review
January 10, 2023
This was an easy read. As it says on the book itself - "the closest to taking Dick Francis's crown" and it IS just like a Dick Francis novel. So if you are a fan of his then you will like this. I read all the Dick Francis novels years ago so nearly didn't start this one. It was in a compilation of four novels but I ran out of books so decided to read this one also. Glad I did. Just an easy read mystery which Ben the journalist solves. No amazing twists but enough intrigue and incidents to keep one going to the end.
May 14, 2022
This book is about a missing racehorse that has been stolen. Journalist Ben Copperfield's brother was in the truck when the horse was taken and he finds himself hired by the owner to locate the horse.
There were a few twists and turns but I found the book fairly fast paced. I did enjoy it.
There were a few twists and turns but I found the book fairly fast paced. I did enjoy it.
March 20, 2025
Fantastic
I have devoured all but one of Lyndon’s books in the space of a few weeks. I am a massive Dick Francis fan and this is as close as I have come to someone taking his place and that is the best compliment I can bestow!
I have devoured all but one of Lyndon’s books in the space of a few weeks. I am a massive Dick Francis fan and this is as close as I have come to someone taking his place and that is the best compliment I can bestow!
September 9, 2024
Fast paced crime thriller based on horse racing by Lyndon Stacey in “Outside Chance”
More at
https://vramonline.wordpress.com/2024...
More at
https://vramonline.wordpress.com/2024...
May 19, 2016
Review of Outside Chance by Lyndon Stacey.
Freelance journalist Ben Copperfield, who specializes in reporting related to horses, is hired to help locate a valuable racehorse kidnapped from the stable where his younger brother is a contract jockey. This investigative venture interferes with a second assignment, to cover a traveling Hungarian equestrian spectacular. The search for the missing horse involves Ben with the stable owner's dysfunctional family while his interactions with the Hungarian troupe entangles him in the complex kinship circles that conceal their own messy history.
This book passed what has come to seem a rather crucial test: it didn't annoy me. If that sounds like damning with faint praise, perhaps it is. But unlike three or four books I've recently found myself unwilling to finish, this book didn't suffer from a major deterrent for me personally: what I call "illogic." The characters in Outside Chance acted like normal people with normal instincts and judgment. Not that no one made any mistakes—wouldn't be "normal" if no one did—but their decisions to do or not do things were based on accessible and understandable motives.
The linear sequencing of the plot was also comfortable, with no need to wonder how we got here from there, or why. What's more, someone took the time to edit this book. As trivial as misspelled words or incorrect words or missing words or extra words may be, they are distracting. In this book, I was able to give myself over to the story.
It seems a shame to base a good review on the absence of mistakes. But I because I was able to avoid scratching my head in confusion or disbelief, I found myself really interested in what was going to happen and actually regretting having to stop reading each evening when my appointed reading time ended.
All that said, I did have to forgive a few things that keep this from being a five-star read. For one thing, the whole plot is predicated on a huge coincidence. I didn't learn about this coincidence until I was far enough along in the story to want to know how it ended, so I just bracketed this particular plot problem.
Second, Ben is a sweet guy, a very sensible, down-to-earth protagonist with all the right sentiments, but, to be frank, he's just a little . . . um, boring. He's the kind of guy all us gals should surely want to marry, but I'm not sure he's the kind we want to romp around with in our fiction. He just lacks the edge of the best mystery/thriller characters. This may seem incongruous, but in thinking about what makes a fictional character compelling, I found myself thinking of Doc Martin in the PBS series. Louisa is nuts to even think of marrying the guy, but each week I can't wait to see what kind of misanthropic nonsense he's going to cook up. Even Ben's relationship with his girlfriend is predictable, the kind of thing we've seen hundreds of times before. (And folks, every time a character in a fictional relationship says, "I want to be there for you" or "I need you to be there for me," I have to restrain myself from driving an ice pick through the computer screen.)
Its PR casts this book as akin to the work of Dick Francis. It has been a while since I read Francis, but I remember his early books as being riveting. I think my next step may be to go back and reread one to see whether my recall is accurate. If it is, this book really isn't quite in the same class, though it made for a pleasant read.
And by the way, some really nice horses are front and center. I loved that part.
Freelance journalist Ben Copperfield, who specializes in reporting related to horses, is hired to help locate a valuable racehorse kidnapped from the stable where his younger brother is a contract jockey. This investigative venture interferes with a second assignment, to cover a traveling Hungarian equestrian spectacular. The search for the missing horse involves Ben with the stable owner's dysfunctional family while his interactions with the Hungarian troupe entangles him in the complex kinship circles that conceal their own messy history.
This book passed what has come to seem a rather crucial test: it didn't annoy me. If that sounds like damning with faint praise, perhaps it is. But unlike three or four books I've recently found myself unwilling to finish, this book didn't suffer from a major deterrent for me personally: what I call "illogic." The characters in Outside Chance acted like normal people with normal instincts and judgment. Not that no one made any mistakes—wouldn't be "normal" if no one did—but their decisions to do or not do things were based on accessible and understandable motives.
The linear sequencing of the plot was also comfortable, with no need to wonder how we got here from there, or why. What's more, someone took the time to edit this book. As trivial as misspelled words or incorrect words or missing words or extra words may be, they are distracting. In this book, I was able to give myself over to the story.
It seems a shame to base a good review on the absence of mistakes. But I because I was able to avoid scratching my head in confusion or disbelief, I found myself really interested in what was going to happen and actually regretting having to stop reading each evening when my appointed reading time ended.
All that said, I did have to forgive a few things that keep this from being a five-star read. For one thing, the whole plot is predicated on a huge coincidence. I didn't learn about this coincidence until I was far enough along in the story to want to know how it ended, so I just bracketed this particular plot problem.
Second, Ben is a sweet guy, a very sensible, down-to-earth protagonist with all the right sentiments, but, to be frank, he's just a little . . . um, boring. He's the kind of guy all us gals should surely want to marry, but I'm not sure he's the kind we want to romp around with in our fiction. He just lacks the edge of the best mystery/thriller characters. This may seem incongruous, but in thinking about what makes a fictional character compelling, I found myself thinking of Doc Martin in the PBS series. Louisa is nuts to even think of marrying the guy, but each week I can't wait to see what kind of misanthropic nonsense he's going to cook up. Even Ben's relationship with his girlfriend is predictable, the kind of thing we've seen hundreds of times before. (And folks, every time a character in a fictional relationship says, "I want to be there for you" or "I need you to be there for me," I have to restrain myself from driving an ice pick through the computer screen.)
Its PR casts this book as akin to the work of Dick Francis. It has been a while since I read Francis, but I remember his early books as being riveting. I think my next step may be to go back and reread one to see whether my recall is accurate. If it is, this book really isn't quite in the same class, though it made for a pleasant read.
And by the way, some really nice horses are front and center. I loved that part.
December 19, 2012
Ben Copperfield is a freelance journalist who writes about horses, but he takes a side job investigating the disappearance of a racehorse, Cajun King, who was kidnapped from a horse van while Ben’s younger brother Mikey slept behind the cab. Mikey rides for Cajun King’s trainer, Eddie Truman, so when Truman finds out he told a journalist his prize racehorse is missing, he offers Ben an exclusive if he will help find the horse. Ben starts investigating, but while Cajun King stays stubbornly missing, Ben gets pulled into Truman’s family dramas and an old family secret.
Meanwhile, Ben follows a group of touring equestrian gypsies from performance to performance in preparation for a story. He befriends a number of them, especially Josef, an older man who senses both Ben’s fascination and fear of horses, and encourages Ben to get back in the saddle. Ben also has a few run-ins with some animal rights activists who are against using animals in any kind of sport. Naturally, all three of these elements tie together before it’s all said and done, as Ben unravels ugly Truman family secrets.
Lyndon Stacey is falsely touted as the new Dick Francis, but hype is always just hype. Stacey is an engaging writer, and this was a decent mystery with a likeable protagonist who gets knocked around a lot. It’s obvious this writer is familiar with all things equine, too. Nobody writes like Dick Francis, but Lyndon Stacey is a good choice for a horsey mystery.
Meanwhile, Ben follows a group of touring equestrian gypsies from performance to performance in preparation for a story. He befriends a number of them, especially Josef, an older man who senses both Ben’s fascination and fear of horses, and encourages Ben to get back in the saddle. Ben also has a few run-ins with some animal rights activists who are against using animals in any kind of sport. Naturally, all three of these elements tie together before it’s all said and done, as Ben unravels ugly Truman family secrets.
Lyndon Stacey is falsely touted as the new Dick Francis, but hype is always just hype. Stacey is an engaging writer, and this was a decent mystery with a likeable protagonist who gets knocked around a lot. It’s obvious this writer is familiar with all things equine, too. Nobody writes like Dick Francis, but Lyndon Stacey is a good choice for a horsey mystery.
July 12, 2019
I am still very happy to have discovered Lyndon Stacey and would recommend her books to anyone who enjoys a good mystery with horses. Outside Chance is a clever story, with good character descriptions and development. The only thing keeping it from getting the full 5 stars, is that there are some parts which could have done with a lot less words or explanations, including the circuitous way to get to the root of Ben’s fear of horses.
March 15, 2013
I enjoy horse stories so this was a good one but way too much LANGUAGE!another example of pride getting in the way of success and greatness. Why do we let pride creep into our daily lives????? It always ruins any success and happiness we earn because it is negative!
December 19, 2019
This books is so 'Dick Francis'. I was at times surprised to read references to modern technology like mobile phone, emails, then I had to remind myself that this was not written by Francis but by a contemporary writer.
November 26, 2012
Very well written. More depth than some others in the same genre.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews