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sheranel's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
annieb123's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Rat Race is a mystery/thriller written around the horse racing community in Britain. Originally published in 1970, this reformat and re-release out 2nd May 2019 from Canelo is 170 pages and available in ebook format (earlier editions available in other formats).
This is an enjoyable and fairly typical Dick Francis thriller. Former commercial pilot Matt Shore has been demoted to flying 'puddle jumper' commuter flights for racing personnel to the race days. On the return flight from the trip up, he makes an emergency landing just minutes before the plane explodes. The protagonist is a flawed good guy dealing with some tough breaks in his life (through no fault of his own). There's a light potential romantic subplot and the bad guys get their comeuppance in the end. Pure Francis. Still enjoyable for all that.
I love the author's oeuvre (even the ones supposedly ghost written by his wife and the ones his son helped finish). This was a very enjoyable short read for me. For non-fans or new fans, this is a standalone and if it's maybe not at the apex of his large body of work, it's certainly not near the nadir.
Four stars. It's really nice to see classic works by popular authors being released in ebook format for new generations of readers.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Rat Race is a mystery/thriller written around the horse racing community in Britain. Originally published in 1970, this reformat and re-release out 2nd May 2019 from Canelo is 170 pages and available in ebook format (earlier editions available in other formats).
This is an enjoyable and fairly typical Dick Francis thriller. Former commercial pilot Matt Shore has been demoted to flying 'puddle jumper' commuter flights for racing personnel to the race days. On the return flight from the trip up, he makes an emergency landing just minutes before the plane explodes. The protagonist is a flawed good guy dealing with some tough breaks in his life (through no fault of his own). There's a light potential romantic subplot and the bad guys get their comeuppance in the end. Pure Francis. Still enjoyable for all that.
I love the author's oeuvre (even the ones supposedly ghost written by his wife and the ones his son helped finish). This was a very enjoyable short read for me. For non-fans or new fans, this is a standalone and if it's maybe not at the apex of his large body of work, it's certainly not near the nadir.
Four stars. It's really nice to see classic works by popular authors being released in ebook format for new generations of readers.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
cdbellomy's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
dawsonreads's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
yi_shun_lai's review
Like all of Dick Francis' novels, this one was a quick read, and engaging. But I think it's one of his earlier novels, which accounts for his choosing someone who's totally unrelated to racing as the protagonist. And while I didn't find the distance as engaging (mostly because I cracked the thing on an incredibly lazy day and apparently couldn't be bothered to feel anything), I did, by the end of the book, find it refreshing, if not downright moving.
Why 3 stars, then? Lack of backstory. Most of the Francis heroes have clear backgrounds that allow you really get in deep with them; give a flying f*** about where they're going and why. But this guy is a self-avowed iceberg, although simultaneously fighting that and his nature, which is apparently a caring sort of guy.
So--a chink in the Francis armor, maybe: the narrator, through most of the book, feels too distant for me to get alongside of. And by the time I'm thoroughly with him, the book's over. Meh.
Still--onward, to the next mystery!
Update: I just read this book again. And I think I may have been reading the ending wrong all along. Meh!
Why 3 stars, then? Lack of backstory. Most of the Francis heroes have clear backgrounds that allow you really get in deep with them; give a flying f*** about where they're going and why. But this guy is a self-avowed iceberg, although simultaneously fighting that and his nature, which is apparently a caring sort of guy.
So--a chink in the Francis armor, maybe: the narrator, through most of the book, feels too distant for me to get alongside of. And by the time I'm thoroughly with him, the book's over. Meh.
Still--onward, to the next mystery!
Update: I just read this book again. And I think I may have been reading the ending wrong all along. Meh!
nga's review
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
storiesforhisglory's review
5.0
Favorite
This book is fantastic. I have reread this I don’t know how many times, and it is still fantastic. I am over the moon that it finally came out on kindle!!! I love Matt Shore, human iceberg, and Colin, and Nancy, and Midge. Such a lovely fun story, with a grand mystery too.
This book is fantastic. I have reread this I don’t know how many times, and it is still fantastic. I am over the moon that it finally came out on kindle!!! I love Matt Shore, human iceberg, and Colin, and Nancy, and Midge. Such a lovely fun story, with a grand mystery too.
pinknantucket's review
3.0
A bit dated of course but still quite a satisfying mystery with reasonably interesting characters. Haven't read any for a long time but I can see why Dick Francis is my sister's go-to for comfort reading - like an Agatha Christie but with jockeys instead of upperclass British people and Poirot.
My copy: read at my sister's place.
My copy: read at my sister's place.
julieputty's review
3.0
Continuing my sequence of Dick Francis books. These are the best airport reads in the world--fast, compelling, suspenseful, not so complex that they are ever hard to follow. But this one isn't really complete feeling. The note at the beginning says much is based on real experiences in the Francis family, and maybe that's a mistake. It feels more like shorthand at times.
alarra's review
3.0
Very in the mould of a Francis but still very enjoyable - here's the super competent, old beyond his years male lead in lots of dangerous situations that hurt but not incapacitate him and he finds his family with a coterie of people who can't help but come to rely and love him. Yay!
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