Another fine story by Dic Francis. This one is a little sadder than most. Interesting and fast moving plot with lots of new ways to nobble a horse. Tim Ekaterine is another guy who gets in over his head but uses his brain to get out. Of course there is the requisite bit where he gets the s**t beaten out of him but it wouldn't be a Dick Francis novel if the hero didn't get knocked about would it? ( )

Remembering everything that I love about Dick Francis novels! ( )

I think what fascinates me about Francis is his ability to consider all the aspects of horses and horse raising. Tim Ekaterin is an investment banker who, with somewhat half hearted support from his firm, invests in a race horse. And then he learns why people don't invest in race horses even as he gets involved in a mystery. Ekaterin also pines for his boss's wife. Francis creates carefully woven mysteries with wonderfully real and complex characters.

an investment banker whose bank backs a studhorse exposes fake animal healer

Merchant banker Tim Ekaterin works for a firm that bears his family name. The family talent for figures skipped Tim’s father, who was better at gambling away wealth than accumulating it. Thus, some firm members are wary about whose footsteps Tim will follow - his father’s or those of the company’s founder. As confidence in Tim’s ability grows, he is given an opportunity to evaluate a potential investment in a stud farm’s purchase of a champion racehorse. It seems a safe bet, until something goes horribly wrong. Inevitably, Tim will be held responsible for the loss of the firm’s investment, until an even more horrifying possibility emerges. What if the looming disaster isn’t just bad luck? If it’s the result of deliberate action, then a chillingly evil actor is behind it.

As is typical for a Francis novel, the plot is nicely twisty. Francis’s romance subplots are hit or miss for me, and this one is a miss, largely because I don’t buy Tim’s boss’s acceptance of the mutual attraction between his wife and Tim and his trust that their relationship will remain platonic. It’s a triangle not unlike Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot. The book also has a higher body count than many other Francis adventures, and one of the deaths is especially gut-wrenching. ( )