Product Description

A closed-door enquiry has found a jockey guilty of the lowest possible crime--throwing a race for money. His reputation scarred, he's begun his own investigation--but asking the wrong questions just might get him killed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #188628 in Books
• Published on: 2004-07-06
• Released on: 2004-07-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Customer Reviews

Warned Off
Kelly Hughes, jockey and Dexter Cranfield, trainer are warned off---barred from racing. The secret enquiry is a frame, but how does Kelly Hughes prove it?
The hunt takes him into blackmail and vicious revenge yet provides a girl to keep the story moving. ENQUIRY by Dick Francis is a deftly plotted work that moves as fast as the pace of the horses. The crossing of class boundaries in this book does not work as well as other Francis's stories, but it is an early career book, which may explain some of the awkwardness.
Nash Black, author of SINS OF THE FATHERS and QUALIFYING LAPS.

Excellent Mystery
The story of Enquiry begins after a jockey, Kelly Hughes, and a trainer, Dexter Cranfield, have been stripped of their licenses and banned from any association with racing. Thanks to a flashback, we learn the hearing was pretty much a kangaroo court and the pair was framed for intentionally throwing a race. Hughes decides to find out what really happened and starts digging into things. Along the way, he starts to get chummy with Cranfield's daughter, making for some interesting cross-class romance. From there, things proceed to resolution in a pretty straightforward fashion for a mystery.

Enquiry moves along at a quick pace, and is not a long book at 264 pages. Kelly Hughes is the main character and he's honest, fairly courageous, and reasonably intelligent. He's no detective but he is determined to keep digging until he can find out who set him up. It doesn't take long for you to get firmly in his corner and stay there. The supporting cast is also interesting. It was definitely a nice touch to show the class snobbery between aristocracy and laborers.

This book is a good read and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a mystery. Either first time readers or established fans of Francis should be pleased with what they find here. I can't point out any real flaws in the book because it didn't suffer from any. Buy it, read it, and enjoy it.

A Story About Blackmail and Attempted Murder
Jockey Kelly Hughes and trainer Dexter Cranfield have their licenses suspended by the Oxford stewards for supposedly throwing a race. Hughes believes that they were framed and he sets out to clear their names and get the licenses restored.

Who would want to ruin their careers? Could it be the envious and greedy jockey Charley west? Could it be rival trainer Jack Roxford or the imperious Lord Gowery?

As the truth is revealed we hear a story of sexual deviation, blackmail, fixed evidence and attempted murder.ENQUIRY is up to the usual standard for a crime novel by Dick Francis.If you are a fan of the author, you will probably enjoy this book.