Break In

If you're looking for fast-paced, exciting action, this is not the book for you. On the other hand, if you're okay with plot taking awhile to develop, and like character-driven stories, and are a fan of intriguing (rather than gruesome) mysteries, you might really like this one.

Personally, I was ready to give up on the book early on. I admit, it's slow. Some of the detail about racing is tedious for a non-racing enthusiast. But I'm glad I kept going because the story picks up momentum, the characters get interesting, and though I'm a little `eh' at the `psychic connection' bit, I still enjoyed the story and trying to guess who was at the bottom of the dastardly plot. Good for a cozy lover, there's a little bit of violent but it's not graphic and most of the mystery is more... intellectual. Just be warned that you're in for a lot of detail and a plot that moseys along.

After 9/ll I would recommend to our readers Dick Francis's BREAK IN and it's companion story BOLT as fictional mysteries to illustrate what Americans did not understand: The overwhelming power of hatred when taught from childhood. These two books still fill the bill -- they are two Francis at the top of his game.
Kit Fielding is a champion rider with strong ties to his family even when his beloved twin, Holly marries Bobby Allardeck the son of their most powerful enemy. Bobby has been taught by his father to hate Fieldings, but love for the lovely Holly transcends a lifetime of brain washing. The obsessive father uses every manipulation device he can command to destroy the marriage and gain his ultimate goal. Kit struggles against the odds, then uses the same tactics to acquire the necessary evidence to prevent his brother-in-law from killing him while destroying Maynard Allardeck ascension to power.
Read this early Francis as an introduction to great mysteries, exciting thrillers, powerful suspense, strong writing, and deep insight into the human psychic. BREAK IN is one of the best.
Nash Black, author of SINS OF THE FATHERS and QUALIFYING LAPS.

One of the better Dick Francis stories. Entertaining and moves at a fast pace. Not as much physical torture of the hero as in his other stories. As usual, the racing scenes are very good.

This is the first Dick Francis novel I have read and will surely be the first of many.
I am a keen horserider so I was very excited about the way he sets his thriller among the horse-racing scene. From a rider's perspective he is very accurate about the riding elements (he was a rider himself)and consequently the horse-related aspects of the story ring true. As a Brit I was also interested in his take on secret world of the British Establishment of the 1980's as he shines a light on the murky dealings of the Press, the Honours system and the Jockey Club.
I found the book very difficult to put down once I had started to read it. The only reason I gave it four stars and not five is because having set up a great story he spoils concludes the novel by cramming the 'resolution' to the mystery into a few short pages. The action is in full swing when suddenly within 1-2 pages the story concludes with all the ends neatly wrapped up, the mystery solved, the budding romance consumated and all the characters ready to go and live happily ever after (with the exception of the baddies who get their rightly-deserved punishment of course!) It is as if Dick Francis had been set a word limit by his publisher and upon realizing he was approaching the magic number of pages he quickly finished the story within a few brief lines - rather like a homework assignment ready to deliver to the teacher the next morning!

Greed, feuding families, assorted acts of violence, fine bloodlines (both horse and human), Romeos and Juliets characterize Dick Francis's novel Break In. For those who suffer under the delusion that Francis is a stodgy Brit that pens plodding, equine-obsessed mystery snoozers, Break In is a perfect remedy. While Francis does not disappoint his loyal readership who appreciates his first-hand, detailed knowledge of the world of steeplechasing, he also will delight any lover of the mystery suspense genre through his tightly woven plot, engaging narrative, and thorough characterization. You would think that someone named Christmas (after his day of birth) would have better luck than Break In's hero enjoys. Steeplechase jockey Christmas "Kit" Fielding manages to survive frequent brushes with danger (both on and off the racecourse), but does so in such an entertaining way that you never stop to worry about the unlikelihood of his continued survival (a hallmark of all good suspense writers, and a particular talent of Francis). The danger stems from his desire to free one Bobby Allardeck from an attack on his reputation that is being waged by newspaper columns insinuating that he is in deep financial trouble. As Bobby's livelihood as a horse trainer depends on his reputation among both his clients and his suppliers, the longer the smear campaign continues, the more likely it will be that the paper's lies will become truth. Why does Kit care, especially since his family enjoys perpetuating a longstanding blood feud with the Allardecks? Enter the aforementioned Romeo and Juliet--Bobby and his wife, Kit's aptly named twin sister, Holly. Despite generations of animosity, but with the full support of Kit, the two have married, and it is Holly who begs Kit to investigate the rumor. Though Bobby's father Maynard Allardeck is quite well-off, Bobby's nuptials have effectively ended any hope of support from that quarter, and it is partially his father's notoriety as a business man that extends public interest in the newspaper report. As Kit, Bobby, and Holly race to discover who has it out for them before the financial damage becomes irreversible, some interesting facts about Maynard's business practices come to light. Tensions mount between the young threesome, as they fight--not always successfully--to keep the feud from destroying the bonds that they have worked to develop between them. Naturally, Kit's resourcefulness and ingenuity help them sort out their troubles to a satisfying conclusion. If you have never read a Dick Francis novel, this book is a perfect place to Break In.