Product Description

When a hitchhiker picked up by one of his drivers is later found dead, ex-jockey Freddie Croft, the owner of a profitable fleet of horse vans, is drawn into the mystery. (Adventure & Suspense).

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3964426 in Books
• Published on: 1993-05
• Format: Large Print
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 493 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Francis's first-rate thriller about the British horse-racing scene--a 10-week PW bestseller--portrays a former steeplechase jockey who learns that his horse transportation firm is implicated in a drug smuggling operation.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
YA-- From the first paragraph, the action grabs readers and plunges ahead like one of the thoroughbreds that is such valuable secondary characters in every Francis novel. As usual, a particular aspect of the British racing industry is carefully profiled, in this case the job of transporting horses. Former jockey Freddie Croft is the owner of just such a business, and must confront the discovery that his vans have been used for some very unusual smuggling. Freddie discovers two separate plots to victimize race horses through disease; along the way a bit of romance begins to enrich his life, a trusted employee is murdered, computer files are wiped out, and a malicious villain destroys Freddie's home with an ax. Clues abound, with those needed to solve the mystery satisfyingly mixed in with enough red herrings to keep readers happily guessing. Additional plot enrichment is provided by weaving in the latest in computer technology and epidemiology. A dependable writer will satisfy his YA fans once again.
- Carolyn E. Gecan, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County,
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Is there any aspect of horse-racing that Dick Francis hasn't turned into a thriller? Yes: the horse-van business - with all those drivers taking horses to and from races, trainers, and breeders. And it's the basis for the freshest, moat energetic Francis book in years. Ex-jockey Freddie Croft, the likable narrator, owns and runs a fleet of 14 vans "zigzagging round England" - a tricky setup full of scheduling headaches. So the last thing Freddie needs is a couple of suspicious deaths around the place. First, there's the shady, middle-aged gent who hitches a ride on one of Freddie's vans and inconveniently drops dead (of natural causes, it seems). Then there's Jogger, Freddie's mechanic, who finds odd, empty containers attached to the undersides of several vans - and is soon thereafter discovered with a broken neck at the bottom of the inspection pit. And Freddie himself (in one of Francis's grand ordeal-set-pieces) is abducted and nearly drowned! What's going on? To find out, Freddie enlists the help of an undercover agent from Racing Security (an attractive older horsewoman) and - when strange chemical fluids become a key clue - his science-professor sister. Drug-smuggling? No - something far more interesting, with lots of curious, satisfying tidbits (from computer lore to Cockney rhyming slang) adding to the layered puzzle. Francis not only has a far-above-average plot this time. He has also taken the trouble to flesh out the supporting cast - the fussy and eccentric owners, the raggedy drivers, etc. - with his old-time brio. All in all, despite a sometimes sluggish pace: top-drawer Francis. (Kirkus Reviews)

Customer Reviews

Viruses and fleas are scarier than lions and bears oh my
OK, let me say first that I like pet rabbits, and in a way, a pet rabbit is one of the heros of this story. I like a lot of Francis's books, but this one had that something extra for me.

Dick Francis has a winning formula: he writes books about a young man of around 30, in a career most people might think is boring, but which turns out to be exciting. His hero is usually taken for granted and under-appreciated by his family, and under-employed, but in the course of the book proves he is far smarter, cleverer, and more observant than anyone supposed. Usually, there's a highly intelligent middle-aged career woman who recognizes his worth and helps him along. It's a formula, but the details that Francis provides makes it work every time.

Our heros in this book include not only Freddie Croft, who owns the horse transport business, but a veterinary epidemiology researcher who is quite a character. We learn more, perhaps, about viruses, parasite-born diseases, and other related things than some people might want to know; if you're squeamish, you might not want all the details of some of the illnesses we hear about along the way.

The stock middle-aged woman character this time is a rather unusual woman truck driver; Francis has always been in the forefront of having women in interesting careers; even back in the 60's, many of the women in his books held jobs. One doesn't tend to think of mystery writers/racing writers as being on the leading edge of trends, but Francis has shown himself to be so, in having career women, gays, and the disabled as important and strong characters in his books, even in the midst of the old-fashioned and conservative racing world.

Fun read for both mystery lovers and the 'horsie set'
This 1992 mystery focuses, as do all of Francis' books, on some part of the racing industry. This time it is the horse transport business. Freddie Croft had been a successful jump jockey (like Francis himself) for many years. When he retired from racing he began a transport business based from the farm he had inherited in Pixhill, a popular horse training area. The business had begun to flourish but as the novel opens Croft has discovered that two of his drivers had broken company policy by picking up a hitchhiker who died during the ride.

As the story progresses Croft's problems increase, he is attacked, kidnapped, his property vandalized, his computer hacked, an employee killed and to add to the aggravation his drivering force is succumbing to the flu that is sweeping the area.

As is the case in all of Francis' work, his hero is a flawed individual, a loner with a secret problem from a dysfunctional family. He bravely and stoically endures his trials, finds romance and a way to cope with his burden along the way just as Francis' heroes all do. Despite the formulistic nature of Francis' work he once again manages to breathe life into his characters and to make the story come alive. Even though a longtime reader of his books knows quite well were the story is going there are always surprises along the way.

This would appeal to fans of mysteries in general as well as horse enthusists. The mysteries are clever, orginal and fairly laid out with all the necessary clues for the reader to follow.

Driving Force Delivers!
I've read approximately 90% of Mr. Francis' books and I must say that this is by personal favorite; with plenty of twists and turns all experienced by the reader through the eyes of the morally stalwart hero. It's non-stop interest from beginning to end. A must-read for any Dick Francis fan. Definitely my pick for Francis' best work.