This one was a little darker than most of the Dick Francis books I've read thus far, but still a very good story. I never did understand exactly what the main character did for a living, but got the impression that Gene Hawkins was a bit of a corporate fixer. Hawkins is on holiday and is also increasingly depressed to the point of being suicidal when his boss asks him to take his vacation in the U.S. to look for a pair of valuable stud horses of his that had been shanghaied. A lot of twists and turns before this one is resolved, but there is a constant feel of melancholy about it. ( )

I always learn something from Dick Francis. Although the hero in this one isn't involved with horses, although he can ride, the mystery still involves horses. Gene Hawkins is competent at his spy-like job, but severely depressed. His mental illness comes close to crippling him at certain points, but he wins through in the end. Clever, although some of the connections were a little thin. ( )

I love this one by DF. It's different. It takes place mainly in the American west. The hero, unlike most DF heroes is a man who is used to danger. He is a burnt out spy and somehow through the action of the book learns to appreciate life again. Like all DF's books the fun is in watching the hero cleverly foil the bad guys. ( )

2020 reread: downgrading to 3.5*
Not one of my favorites of Dick Francis's books but still well above average mystery/suspense book. This one is one of the few in which the main character is not himself really a "horse person" though apparently he grew up riding. What really struck me in this reread was how depressed Gene is (and how well Francis wrote that attitude). ( )

English civil servant Gene Hawkins is supposed to be on vacation, but his boss needs his help. A friend of his, Dave Teller, is part owner of a racehorse that was stolen during transport in the U.S. This is the second horse Teller’s had stolen in the last three years. The suicidal Hawkins welcomes the distraction of the investigation, hoping it will keep him alive long enough to climb out of the deep depression he’s in. Gene teams up with insurance agent Walt and hops across the U.S., sometimes in Walt’s company and sometimes in the company of his boss’s teenage daughter, Lynnie.

While the suspense of the investigation kept me turning the pages, I never warmed up to Gene. I had a hard time buying his depression. Something about his voice didn’t quite ring true. Gene acknowledged what he was feeling, but not how or why. Francis always includes a romantic interest for his lead, and he really pushes the envelope here since she’s seventeen to Gene’s thirty-eight. He’s more than twice her age. It made me really uncomfortable, and it might be enough to put off some readers. ( )