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Flying Finish
Lord Henry Grey was an amateur jockey and pilot. But when he decided to abandon his desk-bound job for an active career in the bloodstock market, he found there was more to couriering valuable horses around the world than he'd ever suspected . . .
Meeting Gabriella in Italy is the first, most pleasurable surprise. But a colleague's disappearance on the next Milan trip gives him a nasty jolt: for two of his predecessors have already gone absent without leave.
Thousands of feet up, in the hands of a sadistic killer, it seems that Grey has discovered the truth too late . . .
(from back cover)
Meeting Gabriella in Italy is the first, most pleasurable surprise. But a colleague's disappearance on the next Milan trip gives him a nasty jolt: for two of his predecessors have already gone absent without leave.
Thousands of feet up, in the hands of a sadistic killer, it seems that Grey has discovered the truth too late . . .
(from back cover)
223 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
312 people are currently reading
700 people want to read
About the author
Dick Francis
548 books1,263 followersDick Francis, CBE, FRSL (born Richard Stanley Francis) was a popular British horse racing crime writer and retired jockey.
Dick Francis worked on his books with his wife, Mary, before her death. Dick considered his wife to be his co-writer - as he is quoted in the book, "The Dick Francis Companion", released in 2003:
"Mary and I worked as a team. ... I have often said that I would have been happy to have both our names on the cover. Mary's family always called me Richard due to having another Dick in the family. I am Richard, Mary was Mary, and Dick Francis was the two of us together."
Praise for Dick Francis: 'As a jockey, Dick Francis was unbeatable when he got into his stride. The same is true of his crime writing' Daily Mirror '
Dick Francis's fiction has a secret ingredient - his inimitable knack of grabbing the reader's attention on page one and holding it tight until the very end' Sunday Telegraph '
Dick Francis was one of the most successful post-war National Hunt jockeys. The winner of over 350 races, he was champion jockey in 1953/1954 and rode for HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, most famously on Devon Loch in the 1956 Grand National.
On his retirement from the saddle, he published his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, before going on to write forty-three bestselling novels, a volume of short stories (Field of 13), and the biography of Lester Piggott.
During his lifetime Dick Francis received many awards, amongst them the prestigious Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the genre, and three 'best novel' Edgar Allan Poe awards from The Mystery Writers of America. In 1996 he was named by them as Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement. In 1998 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2000. Dick Francis died in February 2010, at the age of eighty-nine, but he remains one of the greatest thriller writers of all time.
Series:
* Sid Halley Mystery
* Kit Fielding Mystery
Dick Francis worked on his books with his wife, Mary, before her death. Dick considered his wife to be his co-writer - as he is quoted in the book, "The Dick Francis Companion", released in 2003:
"Mary and I worked as a team. ... I have often said that I would have been happy to have both our names on the cover. Mary's family always called me Richard due to having another Dick in the family. I am Richard, Mary was Mary, and Dick Francis was the two of us together."
Praise for Dick Francis: 'As a jockey, Dick Francis was unbeatable when he got into his stride. The same is true of his crime writing' Daily Mirror '
Dick Francis's fiction has a secret ingredient - his inimitable knack of grabbing the reader's attention on page one and holding it tight until the very end' Sunday Telegraph '
Dick Francis was one of the most successful post-war National Hunt jockeys. The winner of over 350 races, he was champion jockey in 1953/1954 and rode for HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, most famously on Devon Loch in the 1956 Grand National.
On his retirement from the saddle, he published his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, before going on to write forty-three bestselling novels, a volume of short stories (Field of 13), and the biography of Lester Piggott.
During his lifetime Dick Francis received many awards, amongst them the prestigious Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the genre, and three 'best novel' Edgar Allan Poe awards from The Mystery Writers of America. In 1996 he was named by them as Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement. In 1998 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2000. Dick Francis died in February 2010, at the age of eighty-nine, but he remains one of the greatest thriller writers of all time.
Series:
* Sid Halley Mystery
* Kit Fielding Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews
July 1, 2017
In this Dick Francis novel the protagonist is an amateur jockey. However, unlike most of Francis's novels, our hero spends very little time on horseback, and racing constitutes a very minor part of the story. Henry Grey is heir to a British title but would prefer not to be. The last child and the only son in his family, he was largely ignored as a child and developed into something of a loner with few social skills. He's happiest when he's piloting a small rented plane on his days off, alone in the skies over Britain.
Like many of Britain's noble families, Henry's has fallen on hard times financially. The massive family home is ancient and falling into disrepair. His parents and elder sisters expect Henry to do the right thing and marry some wealthy heiress who will bail out the family, but Henry wants no part of it and constantly avoids the young women that his mother keeps throwing at him.
He works in an office that arranges for the transportation of racing horses to countries near and far, but he's bored with that and so takes a job on the planes that actually fly the horses from one destination to another. The man who owns the company humors Henry by giving him the job, but he's sure that the titled nobleman won't stick it out for very long.
Obviously, though, the employer has never read a Dick Francis novel and doesn't know the kind of man he's really dealing with here. Like most Francis protagonists, Henry Grey is a quiet but very intelligent and capable man. He's also very determined and once he sets his mind to something, it's virtually impossible to change his course. Before long, Henry will discover that something very odd is going on in the horse transport business, and his discovery could well cost him his life.
Like most Dick Francis novels, this one is well-plotted and moves along at a brisk pace. The climax is riveting and if I have any reservations it's only because Henry Grey is not quite as interesting as the protagonists in most of the other books. Still, I enjoyed the book, and I'm sure that most Dick Francis fans will as well.
Like many of Britain's noble families, Henry's has fallen on hard times financially. The massive family home is ancient and falling into disrepair. His parents and elder sisters expect Henry to do the right thing and marry some wealthy heiress who will bail out the family, but Henry wants no part of it and constantly avoids the young women that his mother keeps throwing at him.
He works in an office that arranges for the transportation of racing horses to countries near and far, but he's bored with that and so takes a job on the planes that actually fly the horses from one destination to another. The man who owns the company humors Henry by giving him the job, but he's sure that the titled nobleman won't stick it out for very long.
Obviously, though, the employer has never read a Dick Francis novel and doesn't know the kind of man he's really dealing with here. Like most Francis protagonists, Henry Grey is a quiet but very intelligent and capable man. He's also very determined and once he sets his mind to something, it's virtually impossible to change his course. Before long, Henry will discover that something very odd is going on in the horse transport business, and his discovery could well cost him his life.
Like most Dick Francis novels, this one is well-plotted and moves along at a brisk pace. The climax is riveting and if I have any reservations it's only because Henry Grey is not quite as interesting as the protagonists in most of the other books. Still, I enjoyed the book, and I'm sure that most Dick Francis fans will as well.
December 12, 2020
Henry Grey is an earl's son,but he doesn't want a title.He'd rather take a dirty and dangerous job as a groom,transporting horses by air,much to the chagrin of his family.
But he soon discovers that something else is going on in the guise of transporting horses,in his new job.He confronts the culprit,who confesses,but is unfazed.
But,matters don't end here.Something even more sinister is going on,which makes the earlier swindle look positively tame by comparison.
Part of the book is set in Italy,where Grey falls head over heels in love with an Italian girl and keeps going back there to see her.
The book builds to a thrilling,violent and dark climax.While generally,most Francis books include a fair bit of torture,this one has multiple murders.
Francis combines his passions for horses and flying in this book (he was a flyer in World War II).Grey manages to fly and land a DC 4,with which he is not familiar.Scarcely believable,but makes for good entertainment.
This was the first Francis book in my collection,and after that I became an avid collector of his books.A new one appeared each year and I used to look forward to buying them as soon as possible.
But he soon discovers that something else is going on in the guise of transporting horses,in his new job.He confronts the culprit,who confesses,but is unfazed.
But,matters don't end here.Something even more sinister is going on,which makes the earlier swindle look positively tame by comparison.
Part of the book is set in Italy,where Grey falls head over heels in love with an Italian girl and keeps going back there to see her.
The book builds to a thrilling,violent and dark climax.While generally,most Francis books include a fair bit of torture,this one has multiple murders.
Francis combines his passions for horses and flying in this book (he was a flyer in World War II).Grey manages to fly and land a DC 4,with which he is not familiar.Scarcely believable,but makes for good entertainment.
This was the first Francis book in my collection,and after that I became an avid collector of his books.A new one appeared each year and I used to look forward to buying them as soon as possible.
February 7, 2018
3.5 stars. I'm still calibrating my Francis reviews.
Henry Grey is an earl's son, but in the sixties, all that means is that he has a manor home that's falling apart, a lot of assumption that he's stuck-up and useless, and a few good connections. At the start of the novel, Henry decides to start trying to live the life he wants. He quits his desk job and takes a much more physical one instead, overseeing the air transport of horses.
Henry is an unusual character and a little hard to warm up to at first. He admits himself that he's standoffish and doesn't give people much of a chance to get to know him or like him, partly--it emerges--because he reflexively assumes that if they did like him, it would only be because of his title, which is what he likes least about himself. He wants to be appreciated for his competence, and he is, in fact, highly but believably competent: he's a skilled amateur steeplechase jockey and a skilled amateur pilot, so you can see why he'd like this new job, even though the pay is terrible. It also explains why he spends so much time putting up with Billy, another hand on the job who does everything he can to make Henry's life difficult and painful: Billy hates Henry's position so much that Henry would only be giving him satisfaction by proving that he can't take his incessant awfulness.
It takes a little while for the plot to get going, but soon Henry clues in: there's something Yardman Transport is doing that isn't on the up-and-up. And there's the fact that his predecessors and coworkers keep going missing...
Tie in a little bit of romance, a frankly adorable international birth control smuggling ring, some immensely clever plotting, and one of the best action sequences I've ever read, and you have Flying Finish. It falters only in getting a little too hung up on some technical details and in the unavoidable, unfortunate fact that part of its plot has become history that no longer seems quite as shocking, but if that irks at all, there's always that incredible action sequence and a network of people passing on birth control for free to people who need it. Francis has a smooth style and pretty flawless plotting, and a sense of respect and sympathy for his characters that makes everyone involved feel human and striking. Once again, great fun.
Henry Grey is an earl's son, but in the sixties, all that means is that he has a manor home that's falling apart, a lot of assumption that he's stuck-up and useless, and a few good connections. At the start of the novel, Henry decides to start trying to live the life he wants. He quits his desk job and takes a much more physical one instead, overseeing the air transport of horses.
Henry is an unusual character and a little hard to warm up to at first. He admits himself that he's standoffish and doesn't give people much of a chance to get to know him or like him, partly--it emerges--because he reflexively assumes that if they did like him, it would only be because of his title, which is what he likes least about himself. He wants to be appreciated for his competence, and he is, in fact, highly but believably competent: he's a skilled amateur steeplechase jockey and a skilled amateur pilot, so you can see why he'd like this new job, even though the pay is terrible. It also explains why he spends so much time putting up with Billy, another hand on the job who does everything he can to make Henry's life difficult and painful: Billy hates Henry's position so much that Henry would only be giving him satisfaction by proving that he can't take his incessant awfulness.
It takes a little while for the plot to get going, but soon Henry clues in: there's something Yardman Transport is doing that isn't on the up-and-up. And there's the fact that his predecessors and coworkers keep going missing...
Tie in a little bit of romance, a frankly adorable international birth control smuggling ring, some immensely clever plotting, and one of the best action sequences I've ever read, and you have Flying Finish. It falters only in getting a little too hung up on some technical details and in the unavoidable, unfortunate fact that part of its plot has become history that no longer seems quite as shocking, but if that irks at all, there's always that incredible action sequence and a network of people passing on birth control for free to people who need it. Francis has a smooth style and pretty flawless plotting, and a sense of respect and sympathy for his characters that makes everyone involved feel human and striking. Once again, great fun.
September 11, 2024
Part of the British nobility, Henry Grey is the family's hope for continuity. But Henry doesn't want to be the next lord. He'd rather ride in a steeplechase, or fly airplanes, or have an ordinary job. He doesn't want to get by on his title. That's the first tension in this book.
The second is the threats to his orderly life And, the third is his discovery of a smuggling operation.
"I pushed open the heavy door and stepped into the dusk-filled house. I, Henry Grey, descendant of the sea pirate, of warriors and explorers and empire builders and of a father who’d been decorated for valor on the Somme, I, the least of them, was going to bring their way of life to an end."
I enjoy a good read from Francis. He gets the details right, whether it is a horse jumping over a fence or the way freight needs to be stored in a DC-4. But here he is unable to pull it together:
Many of the scenes run on too long
The sociopath is a cardboard cutout
There are only two-dimensional supporting characters
The romantic bits are without any depth
The ending is "not with a bang, but a whimper."
2.5*
The second is the threats to his orderly life And, the third is his discovery of a smuggling operation.
"I pushed open the heavy door and stepped into the dusk-filled house. I, Henry Grey, descendant of the sea pirate, of warriors and explorers and empire builders and of a father who’d been decorated for valor on the Somme, I, the least of them, was going to bring their way of life to an end."
I enjoy a good read from Francis. He gets the details right, whether it is a horse jumping over a fence or the way freight needs to be stored in a DC-4. But here he is unable to pull it together:
Many of the scenes run on too long
The sociopath is a cardboard cutout
There are only two-dimensional supporting characters
The romantic bits are without any depth
The ending is "not with a bang, but a whimper."
2.5*
October 30, 2022
Oct 29, 8pm ~~ This was the Zapata Reading Club's second Dick Francis title. In May of this year we finished Dead Cert and we both enjoyed it, but I think we both enjoyed this one more. I had looked through my many Francis titles (I collected most of them over the years) to find the ones that involved planes in some way, and when it was my turn to pick the next Current title, I chose this one.
Henry Gray is an amateur jockey, like most of the heroes of DF's books. But Henry Gray will also be an Earl when his 86 year old father passes away. Henry does not like to advertise himself; he tries to keep his blue blood as secret as possible.
He also has a job. He works for a blood stock agency, which mostly means he does a lot of shuffling paper around, paper which involves horses and their travels around the world.
Henry also has a secret. Every Sunday he disappears and no one knows where he goes or what he does.
But one day one of his sisters told him he was spoiled and arrogant. For some reason this got under his skin and mostly on a whim he decided to get a different job. He signed on with the transport company that the bloodstock agency dealt with the majority of the time. He would be a groom on the flights from England to various places in Europe and even the United States at times. The company flew horses from one place to another, for races or for breeding. And our future Lord Henry Gray was along to make sure that everything went smoothly.
Only soon enough he noticed that things did not always go smoothly. He was able to get the job when a former groom never showed up for a return flight from Italy. Henry didn't think much about it at the time, but he also never quite forgot about that disappearance either. What had happened to keep the man from coming home? And what will happen to Henry when he gets closer to figuring everything out?
I enjoyed this book. We could tell something was going on, but we couldn't ever decide exactly what it was. Of course later we could look back and see all the clues, but we had both been too distracted by various things in the story to pick up on them right away. Just like Henry!
We generally try to read at least one chapter per Book Day, and that is what we did this time too. Except that Thursday we read chapters 15 and 16 both, because they were fairly short. And then today we decided we just had to finish both chapters 17 and 18 and get to the end of the story, because let me tell you, these last four chapters were un-put-downable. Definitely the most dramatic and exciting of the whole book! I got carried away: I was reading way too fast. I would never be able to read professionally, I get too caught up in the story!
We will be reading more Dick Francis for the ZRC. The current selection pile has another title that involves flying, and I have all those other DF books in my bookcases. His books are easy to read aloud, fast-paced, and exciting. I'm sure he will keep us busy for years to come!
Henry Gray is an amateur jockey, like most of the heroes of DF's books. But Henry Gray will also be an Earl when his 86 year old father passes away. Henry does not like to advertise himself; he tries to keep his blue blood as secret as possible.
He also has a job. He works for a blood stock agency, which mostly means he does a lot of shuffling paper around, paper which involves horses and their travels around the world.
Henry also has a secret. Every Sunday he disappears and no one knows where he goes or what he does.
But one day one of his sisters told him he was spoiled and arrogant. For some reason this got under his skin and mostly on a whim he decided to get a different job. He signed on with the transport company that the bloodstock agency dealt with the majority of the time. He would be a groom on the flights from England to various places in Europe and even the United States at times. The company flew horses from one place to another, for races or for breeding. And our future Lord Henry Gray was along to make sure that everything went smoothly.
Only soon enough he noticed that things did not always go smoothly. He was able to get the job when a former groom never showed up for a return flight from Italy. Henry didn't think much about it at the time, but he also never quite forgot about that disappearance either. What had happened to keep the man from coming home? And what will happen to Henry when he gets closer to figuring everything out?
I enjoyed this book. We could tell something was going on, but we couldn't ever decide exactly what it was. Of course later we could look back and see all the clues, but we had both been too distracted by various things in the story to pick up on them right away. Just like Henry!
We generally try to read at least one chapter per Book Day, and that is what we did this time too. Except that Thursday we read chapters 15 and 16 both, because they were fairly short. And then today we decided we just had to finish both chapters 17 and 18 and get to the end of the story, because let me tell you, these last four chapters were un-put-downable. Definitely the most dramatic and exciting of the whole book! I got carried away: I was reading way too fast. I would never be able to read professionally, I get too caught up in the story!
We will be reading more Dick Francis for the ZRC. The current selection pile has another title that involves flying, and I have all those other DF books in my bookcases. His books are easy to read aloud, fast-paced, and exciting. I'm sure he will keep us busy for years to come!
April 27, 2022
Lord Henry Grey is an Earl’s son with an inferiority complex. He believes people only like him because of his title or want to use him as a status symbol. Like all Francis heroes he is quiet, intelligent, introverted and excellent in what he does including flying and steeplechasing.
He takes a job at an air transport company for horses where the previous people who did the job have completely disappeared. One of his coworkers, Billy hates Henry and makes his life difficult. During a trip to Milan Henry falls in love with Gabriella. When his only friend disappears on a flight he was meant to take he investigates his disappearance.
This leads to a great ending with of course torture, Henry beaten and an escape in a DC4 over Europe. A great story with espionage and one of Francis’s more nasty villains getting his deserved end.
He takes a job at an air transport company for horses where the previous people who did the job have completely disappeared. One of his coworkers, Billy hates Henry and makes his life difficult. During a trip to Milan Henry falls in love with Gabriella. When his only friend disappears on a flight he was meant to take he investigates his disappearance.
This leads to a great ending with of course torture, Henry beaten and an escape in a DC4 over Europe. A great story with espionage and one of Francis’s more nasty villains getting his deserved end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2016
This is easily the darkest, and probably one of the handful of best Dick Francis. What kills me on top, it still has a modern, a relevant feel, even though by now a lot of it is hopelessly dated: no mobiles, airports after 9/11, feminism in Italy, no more Yugoslavia. Instead now this book reads like an excellent historical, with the author commenting on the present through the past. I guess this has to be the ultimate test of an excellent genre book: the test of time and being as relevant now as fifty years ago.
Fabulous.
Fabulous.
February 16, 2011
[7 / 10] I'm a big fan of the author, and this book is in line with his usual output, a little too much so. There's the usual quiet, but secretly strong hero, getting mixed up with crooks and finding love along the way, also having his ass kicked by the bad guys but getting the better of them through sheer perseverance and endurance. Mr Francis hit on a winning formula and this book is a simple permutation of the successful elements deployed in the previous books. I just felt there's not enough sparkle to raise it above the norm.
March 30, 2015
Library Audible
Much to his snobbish family's horror, Henry Grey takes on the dirty and demanding job of transporting racehorses by air (He had worked initially in the office of a company handling the paperwork and agents for transporting). And when he discovers that he is transporting something altogether different, he has to fight to land with his life intact.
Meets friend of pilot Patrick - Gabriela and falls in love with her an Italian girl. They comunicate in french as he does not know italian and she does not know english.Patrick is fluent in italian. In Milan Gabriela works at souvenir counter in the airport. Patrick smuggled contraceptive pills for Italian women who could not get them in Italy.
Various employees of transporting company that Henry Grey worked for had gone missing as they were murdered by Billy. The boss was transporting communist and other contraband with the horses. Also, one of the senior emplyees had got involved in a scheme to export horses twice to get extra retirement money as at that time the UK was giving 1.75% of export value as an incentive.
Both Gabriela and Henry are shot, unbeknown, in Milan by Billy hired gunman masquerading as a horse groom in the transporting planes working for the boss. Billy had a real dislike of Henry as he had inherited a title and would physically bully him which was also a ruse to distract Henry was seeing what was really going on. Rather than shooting Henry after kidnapping him when he left the hospital as he had received only a graze. Gabriella shot through the lung and quite serious. Henry had some out to go to the police station in Milan, Billy wanted Henry to beg and thus gave the opening for Henry to turn the tables instend of been shot execution style outright. Henry (who has a commercial licence) flies the larger hijacked place DC4 back to his home airport just enough fuel, only just found the airport. Patrick also survived but two other flight crew murdered. Ends with the understanding Gabrella and Henry and Patrick all survive and Henry is going to take up the pilot job he was offered. He also races horses.
Much to his snobbish family's horror, Henry Grey takes on the dirty and demanding job of transporting racehorses by air (He had worked initially in the office of a company handling the paperwork and agents for transporting). And when he discovers that he is transporting something altogether different, he has to fight to land with his life intact.
Meets friend of pilot Patrick - Gabriela and falls in love with her an Italian girl. They comunicate in french as he does not know italian and she does not know english.Patrick is fluent in italian. In Milan Gabriela works at souvenir counter in the airport. Patrick smuggled contraceptive pills for Italian women who could not get them in Italy.
Various employees of transporting company that Henry Grey worked for had gone missing as they were murdered by Billy. The boss was transporting communist and other contraband with the horses. Also, one of the senior emplyees had got involved in a scheme to export horses twice to get extra retirement money as at that time the UK was giving 1.75% of export value as an incentive.
Both Gabriela and Henry are shot, unbeknown, in Milan by Billy hired gunman masquerading as a horse groom in the transporting planes working for the boss. Billy had a real dislike of Henry as he had inherited a title and would physically bully him which was also a ruse to distract Henry was seeing what was really going on. Rather than shooting Henry after kidnapping him when he left the hospital as he had received only a graze. Gabriella shot through the lung and quite serious. Henry had some out to go to the police station in Milan, Billy wanted Henry to beg and thus gave the opening for Henry to turn the tables instend of been shot execution style outright. Henry (who has a commercial licence) flies the larger hijacked place DC4 back to his home airport just enough fuel, only just found the airport. Patrick also survived but two other flight crew murdered. Ends with the understanding Gabrella and Henry and Patrick all survive and Henry is going to take up the pilot job he was offered. He also races horses.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2015
Henry Grey is the only son of an earl--and he hates it. A loner, with a bit of an inferiority complex and a chip on his shoulders, Henry lives his life in boxes. He has few friends and is coldly shut off from his family. His two pleasures in life are riding as an amateur steeplechase jockey and flying. At the airfield where he learned to fly he's managed to keep his rank a secret and it's here he feels most at home. He has a boring 9-5 job desk job at a bloodstock agency handling paperwork on high-bred horses.
When he refuses to be home for a posh weekend, his sister rages at him, calling him "a spoiled, bad-tempered bastard." Those words from the kindest member of his family shake Henry out of his rut and he gives up his desk job and takes a menial position at a horse transportation firm, perhaps to prove to himself that he's not too spoiled to do a hard day's work. The work involves shipping horses around Europe and to America by air. It is tough and takes skill and a lot of horse know-how. His co-workers are a rough and tumble lot and when one of them finds out Henry is an aristocrat he sets out to make Henry's life hell. Then odd things start happening at the transport firm....
I liked the way Henry matures and learns to open himself up to others; by the end he is a changed man. The plot is overly complicated and almost doesn't work, but the final chapters were so believably terrifying that I found my heart pounding right up to the Flying Finish.
Content PG: Horses and people get badly hurt.
When he refuses to be home for a posh weekend, his sister rages at him, calling him "a spoiled, bad-tempered bastard." Those words from the kindest member of his family shake Henry out of his rut and he gives up his desk job and takes a menial position at a horse transportation firm, perhaps to prove to himself that he's not too spoiled to do a hard day's work. The work involves shipping horses around Europe and to America by air. It is tough and takes skill and a lot of horse know-how. His co-workers are a rough and tumble lot and when one of them finds out Henry is an aristocrat he sets out to make Henry's life hell. Then odd things start happening at the transport firm....
I liked the way Henry matures and learns to open himself up to others; by the end he is a changed man. The plot is overly complicated and almost doesn't work, but the final chapters were so believably terrifying that I found my heart pounding right up to the Flying Finish.
Content PG: Horses and people get badly hurt.
June 10, 2018
I just listened to the Chivers Audio version of this book, narrated by Tony Britton, for the umpteenth time. I love the fact that it was written in the mid-1960's. It is classic Dick Francis and exactly what I want in a stress-relieving book on tape.
August 12, 2020
I like a lot of Francis' books and this one in particular. The hero is pretty clearly intended to be read as being somewhere on the autistic spectrum (although it's never made explicit) and the handling of both his interior monologue and his emotions is fascinating.
October 17, 2023
The first bit is racy, fun and exciting, with a vivid description of characters and 1960s London office surroundings. The last bit was less easy to read and the very last section rather limp and unsatisfactory.
August 4, 2012
What is there to say about Dick Francis? As I think about all of his books (yes, this review covers all of his books, and yes I've read them all) I think about a moral ethical hero, steeped in intelligence and goodness embroiled in evil machinations within British horse racing society - either directly or indirectly. The heroes aren't always horse jockies, they can be film producers, or involve heroes engaged in peripheral professions that somehow always touch the horse racing world.
But more than that, Francis's heroes are rational human beings. The choices made are rational choices directed by a firm objective philosophy that belies all of Francis's novels. The dialogue is clear and touched with humor no matter the intensity of evil that the hero faces. The hero's thoughts reveal a vulnerability that is touching, while his actions are always based on doing the right thing to achieve justice.
Causing the reader to deeply care about the characters in a novel is a difficult thing to do. No such worries in a Francis novel. The point of view is first person, you are the main character as you read the story (usually the character of Mr. Douglas). The hero is personable, like able, non-violent but delivering swift justice with his mind rather than through physical means. This is not to say that violence is a stranger to our hero. Some of it staggering and often delivered by what we would think of normal persons living in British society.
You will come to love the world of Steeple Chase racing, you will grow a fondness for horses, stables, trainers and the people who live in that world. You will read the books, devouring one after the other and trust me Dick Francis has a lot of novels (over 40 by my last count).
There are several series woven into the fabric of Francis's work: notably the Sid Halley and Kit Fielding series.
Assessment: Dick Francis is one of my favorite writers. I read his books with a fierce hunger that remains insatiable and I mourn his death.
But more than that, Francis's heroes are rational human beings. The choices made are rational choices directed by a firm objective philosophy that belies all of Francis's novels. The dialogue is clear and touched with humor no matter the intensity of evil that the hero faces. The hero's thoughts reveal a vulnerability that is touching, while his actions are always based on doing the right thing to achieve justice.
Causing the reader to deeply care about the characters in a novel is a difficult thing to do. No such worries in a Francis novel. The point of view is first person, you are the main character as you read the story (usually the character of Mr. Douglas). The hero is personable, like able, non-violent but delivering swift justice with his mind rather than through physical means. This is not to say that violence is a stranger to our hero. Some of it staggering and often delivered by what we would think of normal persons living in British society.
You will come to love the world of Steeple Chase racing, you will grow a fondness for horses, stables, trainers and the people who live in that world. You will read the books, devouring one after the other and trust me Dick Francis has a lot of novels (over 40 by my last count).
There are several series woven into the fabric of Francis's work: notably the Sid Halley and Kit Fielding series.
Assessment: Dick Francis is one of my favorite writers. I read his books with a fierce hunger that remains insatiable and I mourn his death.
September 25, 2007
Dick Francis, a little like Agatha Christie, must be a guilty pleasure. An author this prolific and popular must concede something of true quality, right? Well, perhaps. It's not great literature, but from what I remember from college work, great literature isn't exactly fun. What I say here can be said of everything I've come across in Francis's work.... an interesting, unusual, entertaining story with likable good guys, surprising bad guys, and interesting (and sometimes misleading) inbetween-guys, not to mention the gratifying resolution that's hardly ever predictable. In this particular story, I enjoyed the novice-landing-a-plane-he's-not-prepared to line, one I always seem to appreciate. Yes, that's a little weird. Not to mention the down-to-earth titled fellow hiding his privilege to prove his worth. Good stuff.
February 7, 2008
Despite the indication otherwise, I did not read the paperback. Instead I found a first edition hardback of this 1966 classic for $1 at a library sale, and the cover (a pegasus covered in a Union Jack) is amazing! Very excited to add this to my Dick Francis collection. Beyond that, the book is pretty typical of the early DF books: very engaging, very British, and just a little bit brutal. This one does veer from his other novels, however, by leaving the reader a little big hanging at the end.
May 26, 2013
This is an enjoyable Francis novel simply because the character of Gabriella is one of the better Francis heroines. It also stands out because the character of Henry goes though a believable character change and arc. There are connections in his growth and behavior that Henry doesn’t see, but that the reader does. The point of the novel seems to be class, and there is a slight plot hole that a reader will wonder about. Readers should be warned, however, that this is one of the more violent Francis endings.
September 12, 2008
FLYING FINISH - Ex
Francis, Dick - 5th book
Lord Henry Grey was an amateur jockey and pilot. But when he decides to abandon his desk-bound job for an active career in the bloodstock market, he finds that there is more to couriering valuable horses around the world than he had ever suspected.
Interesting information about shipping horses and the dangers involved. Great character, excellent suspense.
Francis, Dick - 5th book
Lord Henry Grey was an amateur jockey and pilot. But when he decides to abandon his desk-bound job for an active career in the bloodstock market, he finds that there is more to couriering valuable horses around the world than he had ever suspected.
Interesting information about shipping horses and the dangers involved. Great character, excellent suspense.
April 16, 2008
Ends too abruptly without tying up loose ends, but good. Henry Grey is not the superhuman of Dick Francis' usual male protoganists.
July 3, 2012
Flying Finish is one of Francis' odder books as the main character is the son of an Earl who seems to be drifting through life. At the beginning of the book, he takes a job helping to transport horses by plane which no one who knows him can understand. During this job he learns about a smuggling ring and falls in love before being pulled into an incredibly dangerous situation. As this is an older book of Francis', some of the language used can be harsh in terms of class and race perspectives. The main character's growth as he figures out what he wants to make of his life adds to the story because the plot is a good gripping thriller with some Cold War overtones.
June 13, 2016
"Finalist 1966 Gold Dagger Award; Finalist 1968 Edgar Award for Best Mystery "
Racing related thrillers - Henry Grey, an English duke, becomes bored with his lifestyle and, much to his parents' disgust, take a job transporting race horses by air in addition to taking flying lessons and being a horse jockey on weekends. When employees of the horse transporting agency begin disappearing Grey inquires into their disappearances. Before long he finds himself tangled up in a scandal that could put his very life in danger, and finds that those he believed to be his allies are aiming to end his life before the plane he's on ever hits the ground.
Racing related thrillers - Henry Grey, an English duke, becomes bored with his lifestyle and, much to his parents' disgust, take a job transporting race horses by air in addition to taking flying lessons and being a horse jockey on weekends. When employees of the horse transporting agency begin disappearing Grey inquires into their disappearances. Before long he finds himself tangled up in a scandal that could put his very life in danger, and finds that those he believed to be his allies are aiming to end his life before the plane he's on ever hits the ground.
February 29, 2016
When amateur jockey and pilot Lord Henry Grey launches himself into a career in the bloodstock market, he finds more danger and excitement than he'd ever anticipated. Henry immediately takes to his glittering new world and, when he meets the glamorous Gabriella in Italy, is sure he's hit the good life. That is, until a horse mysteriously dies in transit and a colleague vanishes. Then Grey discovers that both his predecessors went missing in mysterious circumstances and begins to doubt the wisdom of his career change. Either he has to turn detective or his own disappearance could be next .
August 13, 2011
My favorite author of all time!!!!! I am pretty sure that I have read all of his books. He writes mystery and it always includes horse racing in some way. This is my favorite one!!!!!! Even if you know nothing about racing or horses Dick Francis can draw you in and hold your interest. Fabulous characterization and storytelling.
August 13, 2016
A horse transport worker discovers that his company is not always on the up and up. This book takes place in Italy, having the main character falling in love as well.
Lots of death, exciting.
Lots of death, exciting.
January 17, 2021
I like Dick Francis writing but this book had some pretty dark scenes with the horses. I mean it's interesting to know more about how these very valuable animals are transported. Clearly the author had experience with how it's done. I think he was also a real pilot. But wow, not for the faint of heart. Some very dark scenes. I give it a 3.5 just because the one scene was so upsetting, and now it's stuck in my head.
Except for the disturbing scenes I would give this book a 4 for originality and well drawn characters, likable characters and complexity of plot. But wow, animals lovers beware. Gruesome scenes are visceral.
Except for the disturbing scenes I would give this book a 4 for originality and well drawn characters, likable characters and complexity of plot. But wow, animals lovers beware. Gruesome scenes are visceral.
February 2, 2019
Lengvo turinio nuotykinė knyga apie žmogų, atsiradusį netinkamu laiku netinkamoje vietoje.
December 15, 2022
Dick Francis is a consistent good read!
August 21, 2023
Sign of a busy summer, and kids that are almost adults and stay up as late as we do...this book took us ages to read. But I loved it.
August 25, 2016
Vivid characters and strong, engrossing detail about a world most of us know nothing about, horse transport by air. The story is technologically dated, but that only makes it feel like a slice of history, a window into the Cold War as seen by someone who only casually gave it thought--until people he cared about started disappearing. The opening paragraph hooks the reader with strong foreshadowing. This, and other similar, casually tossed off asides are instrumental in keeping us intrigued as the mystery builds until Henry finally begins to peel back the curtain. Francis is terrific and juxtaposing the normal and ordinary--an unhappy, socially awkward young man discovering love and fulfillment--with raw terror and moral bankruptcy. My only quibble is the book ended about 2-3 pages too soon. We're left to guess--with fairly strong pointers, to be sure--about some important outcomes. Not a book to easily put down, especially in the last third.
December 19, 2013
Dick Francis usually writes a brand new character for every one of his mysteries, and this one in particular I found rather compelling. Like many of Dick Francis' protagonists, The main character isn't very aware of his own abilities, appeal, and strengths. He knows himself as suppressed and mild, drifting, introverted and socially awkward. The way he describes himself spoke a lot to me....except in my case, I rather lack the nerves of steel and cold willpower that he eventually exhibits in the fight for life, limb, and justice.
The only downside to this book is the excessive details of flying planes. I understand that the author was really into flying, but he doesn't infodump on horse racing, so why does he infodump on flight controls and procedures? It threw me out of the flow of the story more than once, and I ended up skimming once or twice as well. Otherwise, a very good read.
The only downside to this book is the excessive details of flying planes. I understand that the author was really into flying, but he doesn't infodump on horse racing, so why does he infodump on flight controls and procedures? It threw me out of the flow of the story more than once, and I ended up skimming once or twice as well. Otherwise, a very good read.
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