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Book Review of High Stakes

High Stakes
cyndij avatar reviewed on + 1031 more book reviews


It's probably the 3rd or 4th time I've read this book, for me definitely falls into the "comfort read" category. A classic from Dick Francis, it drops you into the middle of the action right on the first page and doesn't let up. Famous toy inventor Steven Scott fires the trainer of his racehorses in a very messy public venue, and in the aftermath starts to learn just exactly how much the man stole from him. There's not enough evidence for a court case so Scott with the help of some friends takes matters into his own hands. Unfortunately these guys are not toys to be trifled with. Francis always manages to come up with believable main characters who are what we want to be - resourceful, brave, moral and generally just good guys. All the plots have something to do with horse racing; and unfortunately there do tend to be dead horses. HIGH STAKES is not a murder mystery, although there is a murder (sorry but it's a horse) and it comes at the end. I enjoy Francis so much, I'm so glad he mostly wrote stand-alones, and I bet in a few years I'll re-read this book again.