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Driving Force
It’s life and death neck-and-neck in the stretch in this, Dick Francis’s thirty-first horseracing thriller.
Young ex-jockey Freddie Croft owns a profitable fleet of horse vans that convey runners to the course. A man who has few illusions about racing’s smarmier aspects, Freddie is a stickler for security. But even he is startled by the violence that erupts when a hard, fast rule is broken: Never pick up a hitchhiker.
In what will be the first of many ironies, the passenger—not the driver—turns up dead. And if one corpse is bad for business, what happens next could well be fatal: Freddie is swept unknowingly into the vortex of a malign conspiracy in which appearances deceive and the cost of being duped is murderously high. Tilting at the shifting shadows cast by his elusive adversaries, he must summon up extraordinary guile and courage to protect his enterprise—and save his life.
Young ex-jockey Freddie Croft owns a profitable fleet of horse vans that convey runners to the course. A man who has few illusions about racing’s smarmier aspects, Freddie is a stickler for security. But even he is startled by the violence that erupts when a hard, fast rule is broken: Never pick up a hitchhiker.
In what will be the first of many ironies, the passenger—not the driver—turns up dead. And if one corpse is bad for business, what happens next could well be fatal: Freddie is swept unknowingly into the vortex of a malign conspiracy in which appearances deceive and the cost of being duped is murderously high. Tilting at the shifting shadows cast by his elusive adversaries, he must summon up extraordinary guile and courage to protect his enterprise—and save his life.
318 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
313 people are currently reading
718 people want to read
About the author
Dick Francis
538 books1,255 followersDick Francis, CBE, FRSL (born Richard Stanley Francis) was a popular British horse racing crime writer and retired jockey.
Dick Francis worked on his books with his wife, Mary, before her death. Dick considered his wife to be his co-writer - as he is quoted in the book, "The Dick Francis Companion", released in 2003:
"Mary and I worked as a team. ... I have often said that I would have been happy to have both our names on the cover. Mary's family always called me Richard due to having another Dick in the family. I am Richard, Mary was Mary, and Dick Francis was the two of us together."
Praise for Dick Francis: 'As a jockey, Dick Francis was unbeatable when he got into his stride. The same is true of his crime writing' Daily Mirror '
Dick Francis's fiction has a secret ingredient - his inimitable knack of grabbing the reader's attention on page one and holding it tight until the very end' Sunday Telegraph '
Dick Francis was one of the most successful post-war National Hunt jockeys. The winner of over 350 races, he was champion jockey in 1953/1954 and rode for HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, most famously on Devon Loch in the 1956 Grand National.
On his retirement from the saddle, he published his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, before going on to write forty-three bestselling novels, a volume of short stories (Field of 13), and the biography of Lester Piggott.
During his lifetime Dick Francis received many awards, amongst them the prestigious Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the genre, and three 'best novel' Edgar Allan Poe awards from The Mystery Writers of America. In 1996 he was named by them as Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement. In 1998 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2000. Dick Francis died in February 2010, at the age of eighty-nine, but he remains one of the greatest thriller writers of all time.
Series:
* Sid Halley Mystery
* Kit Fielding Mystery
Dick Francis worked on his books with his wife, Mary, before her death. Dick considered his wife to be his co-writer - as he is quoted in the book, "The Dick Francis Companion", released in 2003:
"Mary and I worked as a team. ... I have often said that I would have been happy to have both our names on the cover. Mary's family always called me Richard due to having another Dick in the family. I am Richard, Mary was Mary, and Dick Francis was the two of us together."
Praise for Dick Francis: 'As a jockey, Dick Francis was unbeatable when he got into his stride. The same is true of his crime writing' Daily Mirror '
Dick Francis's fiction has a secret ingredient - his inimitable knack of grabbing the reader's attention on page one and holding it tight until the very end' Sunday Telegraph '
Dick Francis was one of the most successful post-war National Hunt jockeys. The winner of over 350 races, he was champion jockey in 1953/1954 and rode for HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, most famously on Devon Loch in the 1956 Grand National.
On his retirement from the saddle, he published his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, before going on to write forty-three bestselling novels, a volume of short stories (Field of 13), and the biography of Lester Piggott.
During his lifetime Dick Francis received many awards, amongst them the prestigious Crime Writers' Association's Cartier Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the genre, and three 'best novel' Edgar Allan Poe awards from The Mystery Writers of America. In 1996 he was named by them as Grand Master for a lifetime's achievement. In 1998 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2000. Dick Francis died in February 2010, at the age of eighty-nine, but he remains one of the greatest thriller writers of all time.
Series:
* Sid Halley Mystery
* Kit Fielding Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 243 reviews
July 24, 2020
Freddie Croft is an ex-jockey who, since retiring, has built a very profitable business transporting horses to races and back for their owners. Freddie loved being a jockey and this is a way of keeping his hand in the game, at least to some extent. He runs a pretty tight ship, but his whole enterprise is placed in jeopardy when one of his drivers violates one of Freddie's most important rules and picks up a hitchhiker. When the driver reaches the point where his passenger was to leave the horse van, the driver discovers that the passenger has died. Not knowing what else to do, he drives the van and the body back to Freddie's farm and has to face the music.
The dead body in the truck opens the door to a run of mysteries and bad fortune for Croft and his operation. He discovers that someone has been using his vans to smuggle something, but he doesn't know what it is or was. As the mystery deepens, someone else will die and Freddie Croft will find himself in mortal danger.
This is a fairly typical Dick Francis novel although it lacks the tension of many of the better books in the series. This may result from the fact that there is no nasty, violent, amoral villain operating behind the scenes as there often is in these novels. In consequence, although some bad things happen to Freddie, the reader doesn't sense the danger here that you usually do in one of these books.
Francis often uses these novels to explore various aspects of the racing world and in this case, we get a thorough education about the business of transporting horses back and forth between races and other venues. It's something so mundane that most people wouldn't even think about it and yet, of course, it's an absolutely vital function. We also learn a fair deal--perhaps too much, actually, about viruses, computer and otherwise, although this information is now somewhat dated. Still, it's a pleasant read, and fans of the series will no doubt enjoy it.
The dead body in the truck opens the door to a run of mysteries and bad fortune for Croft and his operation. He discovers that someone has been using his vans to smuggle something, but he doesn't know what it is or was. As the mystery deepens, someone else will die and Freddie Croft will find himself in mortal danger.
This is a fairly typical Dick Francis novel although it lacks the tension of many of the better books in the series. This may result from the fact that there is no nasty, violent, amoral villain operating behind the scenes as there often is in these novels. In consequence, although some bad things happen to Freddie, the reader doesn't sense the danger here that you usually do in one of these books.
Francis often uses these novels to explore various aspects of the racing world and in this case, we get a thorough education about the business of transporting horses back and forth between races and other venues. It's something so mundane that most people wouldn't even think about it and yet, of course, it's an absolutely vital function. We also learn a fair deal--perhaps too much, actually, about viruses, computer and otherwise, although this information is now somewhat dated. Still, it's a pleasant read, and fans of the series will no doubt enjoy it.
November 26, 2022
Freddie runs a successful horse transport business. A hitchhiker dies in one of his transports which uncovers a conspiracy involving a complicated way to nobble racehorses. Throw in some touchy customers and a geriatric horse charity managed by someone with a chip on their shoulder and we have a classic Francis thriller.
I found the motive for the murder and smuggling of mites ludicrous. The reason why one of his drivers betrayed him was money for his child’s education a bit weak. The love angle was slow and for a change an older woman is the object of desire. Not my favourite Francis but still entertaining.
I found the motive for the murder and smuggling of mites ludicrous. The reason why one of his drivers betrayed him was money for his child’s education a bit weak. The love angle was slow and for a change an older woman is the object of desire. Not my favourite Francis but still entertaining.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2016
This is a well written mystery. I did not suspect the killer until near the end. The central character is Freddie Croft, a retired race jockey who now runs a horse transport business. One of his drivers picks up a hitchhiker(strictly forbidden by Freddie) who dies of a heart attack. This starts a chain of events that include murder, attempted murder, computer viruses and more.
December 22, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and learned another aspect of the horse racing business - transportation. This became a convoluted, interesting plot and it made a sharp turn in a direction I wasn't expecting towards the end. It involved "illegal" passengers - human, animal & insects. It led to murder, computer viruses, and major vandalism. It was a tangled web indeed, and the MC did a great job of finally unraveling it, solving the mystery.
This was my travel book to read at lunch each day or while I was waiting for an appt. I looked forward to opening it at every opportunity and sorry to have to close it when it was time to move on! I was satisfied when it came to a an end.
This was my travel book to read at lunch each day or while I was waiting for an appt. I looked forward to opening it at every opportunity and sorry to have to close it when it was time to move on! I was satisfied when it came to a an end.
October 13, 2025
Always enjoyable.
March 24, 2019
One Humdinger of an audiobook! Not to be Missed!
I had told the drivers never on any account to pick up a hitchhiker but of course one day they did, and by the time they reached my house he was dead.
“How was I to know he’d die on us?” Dave said aggrievedly as I put down the receiver. “Do someone a favor . . . Yeah, well, I know you told us not to. But he was going on something chronic about how he had to get to Bristol for his daughter’s wedding or something . . .”
I looked at him in disbelief.
“Yeah, well,” Dave said defensively, “how was I to know?”
“It was all Dave’s idea,” Brett assured me.
“Did you talk to him?” I asked them.
“Not that much,” Dave said. “He chose that seat behind us, anyway. Didn’t seem to want to talk.”
“I told Dave it was all wrong,” Brett complained.
“Shut up ,” Dave said angrily. “You could have refused to drive him. I didn’t notice you saying you wouldn’t.”
“And neither of you noticed him dying, either?” I suggested with irony.
The idea discomfited them, but no, it appeared, they hadn’t.
“Thought he was asleep,” Dave said, and Brett nodded . “So then,” Dave went on, “when we couldn’t wake him . . . I mean, you saw how he looks . . . well, we’d just pulled off the motorway at the Newbury junction . . . we were going to drop him at the Chieveley service station there so he could get another lift on to Bristol . . . well . . . there he was, dead, and we couldn’t roll him out onto the ground, could we?”
They couldn’t, I agreed. So they’d brought him to my doorstep, like cats bringing home a dead bird.
“Dave wanted to dump him somewhere,” Brett whined virtuously. “Dave wanted to. It was me said we couldn’t.”
Dave glared at him. “We discussed it,” he said, “that’s all we did.”
“You’d have been in real trouble if you’d dumped him,” I said, “and not just from me.”
*******
*Audiobook Review*
Driving Force by Dick Francis is a smashing novel written by and it's an even better audiobook! Narrator Simon Prebble's performance is flawless and highly entertaining as he pulled the characters from the pages into living, breathing, and colorful characters which enhanced this book to a whole new level of entertainment, earning him all 5★'s for his narrative prowess!
My nerves began buzzing very early on and by the finale I could have lit up a metropolis if they'd had an electric current! Dick Francis is my very favorite author, thanks to my Mom who gave me one of his books to intrest me in reading and I've never looked back! I've read all of his novels. His son, Felix Francis, co-authored several books with his father and now writes his own works since his death.
This is one of my top favorite Francis books having read it twice before but I will no doubt be listening to the audiobook again and again! This is one humdinger of a novel! I love, love, loved it! I raced through this audiobook in two sittings!
Champion Steeplechase Jockey to Champion Mystery thriller novelist! The Best Horse Racing Mystery writer!
I had told the drivers never on any account to pick up a hitchhiker but of course one day they did, and by the time they reached my house he was dead.
“How was I to know he’d die on us?” Dave said aggrievedly as I put down the receiver. “Do someone a favor . . . Yeah, well, I know you told us not to. But he was going on something chronic about how he had to get to Bristol for his daughter’s wedding or something . . .”
I looked at him in disbelief.
“Yeah, well,” Dave said defensively, “how was I to know?”
“It was all Dave’s idea,” Brett assured me.
“Did you talk to him?” I asked them.
“Not that much,” Dave said. “He chose that seat behind us, anyway. Didn’t seem to want to talk.”
“I told Dave it was all wrong,” Brett complained.
“Shut up ,” Dave said angrily. “You could have refused to drive him. I didn’t notice you saying you wouldn’t.”
“And neither of you noticed him dying, either?” I suggested with irony.
The idea discomfited them, but no, it appeared, they hadn’t.
“Thought he was asleep,” Dave said, and Brett nodded . “So then,” Dave went on, “when we couldn’t wake him . . . I mean, you saw how he looks . . . well, we’d just pulled off the motorway at the Newbury junction . . . we were going to drop him at the Chieveley service station there so he could get another lift on to Bristol . . . well . . . there he was, dead, and we couldn’t roll him out onto the ground, could we?”
They couldn’t, I agreed. So they’d brought him to my doorstep, like cats bringing home a dead bird.
“Dave wanted to dump him somewhere,” Brett whined virtuously. “Dave wanted to. It was me said we couldn’t.”
Dave glared at him. “We discussed it,” he said, “that’s all we did.”
“You’d have been in real trouble if you’d dumped him,” I said, “and not just from me.”
*******
*Audiobook Review*
Driving Force by Dick Francis is a smashing novel written by and it's an even better audiobook! Narrator Simon Prebble's performance is flawless and highly entertaining as he pulled the characters from the pages into living, breathing, and colorful characters which enhanced this book to a whole new level of entertainment, earning him all 5★'s for his narrative prowess!
My nerves began buzzing very early on and by the finale I could have lit up a metropolis if they'd had an electric current! Dick Francis is my very favorite author, thanks to my Mom who gave me one of his books to intrest me in reading and I've never looked back! I've read all of his novels. His son, Felix Francis, co-authored several books with his father and now writes his own works since his death.
This is one of my top favorite Francis books having read it twice before but I will no doubt be listening to the audiobook again and again! This is one humdinger of a novel! I love, love, loved it! I raced through this audiobook in two sittings!
Champion Steeplechase Jockey to Champion Mystery thriller novelist! The Best Horse Racing Mystery writer!
January 18, 2023
"It isn't necessary to speculate about the driving force within us, it leaps out and reveals itself. Under pressure, it can't be hidden".
This is an amazing nail-biting whodunit with sufficient details of steeple chase, horse transport and virology!
Never thought I would learn so much about viruses-both biological and digital, their transport (vector), infection mechanism, mutation etc. in a book by Dick Francis. But here was an interesting info that I learned. Ehrlich was a German Nobel prize winner, who was the founder of immunology and pioneer of chemotherapy.
Freddie Croft is not a super hero and is so endearing. All other characters were equally good.
This is an amazing nail-biting whodunit with sufficient details of steeple chase, horse transport and virology!
Never thought I would learn so much about viruses-both biological and digital, their transport (vector), infection mechanism, mutation etc. in a book by Dick Francis. But here was an interesting info that I learned. Ehrlich was a German Nobel prize winner, who was the founder of immunology and pioneer of chemotherapy.
Freddie Croft is not a super hero and is so endearing. All other characters were equally good.
October 3, 2021
28 August 2121
This one doesn't much grab me. The plot is complex, and we learn about horse transportation, which isn't interesting even to a gal who loves a Gantt chart. There's a married woman he pursues who obviously doesn't reciprocate. The hero is brighter than anyone expects and likes champagne and endures a horrible physical ordeal, all familiar Francis tropes. But in this story the social aspect of horseracing feels toxic and hostile to women and Freddie, the amateur dick, is part of that hostility.
Also the name Freddie is unappealing, which fits. He's condescending to his employees, doesn't see the constant sexual harassment of or by his employees as a problem, and he doesn't want to go to the police because they weren't pleasant when they asked him about a corpse.
Really, the problem is that no ending which includes Freddie carrying on won't be happy one.
Library copy
Read for Amateur Sleuth
This one doesn't much grab me. The plot is complex, and we learn about horse transportation, which isn't interesting even to a gal who loves a Gantt chart. There's a married woman he pursues who obviously doesn't reciprocate. The hero is brighter than anyone expects and likes champagne and endures a horrible physical ordeal, all familiar Francis tropes. But in this story the social aspect of horseracing feels toxic and hostile to women and Freddie, the amateur dick, is part of that hostility.
Also the name Freddie is unappealing, which fits. He's condescending to his employees, doesn't see the constant sexual harassment of or by his employees as a problem, and he doesn't want to go to the police because they weren't pleasant when they asked him about a corpse.
Really, the problem is that no ending which includes Freddie carrying on won't be happy one.
Library copy
Read for Amateur Sleuth
June 20, 2021
After starting a number of books that just weren’t working for me, I knew I had to read something by Dick Francis. My own version of a cozy mystery. In rereading this one, I did notice that the author went into a lot of unnecessary detail about schedules, computer viruses, horse viruses. I just skimmed through, knowing it wasn’t important for me to know about, say, pleomorphic organisms symbiotic in and transmitted by anthropod vectors. A nice relaxing read.
6/18/21 review
Freddie Croft is a single thirty-something ex-jockey running a fleet of vans which transports horses around England, Ireland and France. After his parents died in a car accident, Freddie was raised by his older sister. An additional twist to Francis’ typically unusual, often dysfunctional family situation is that Freddie has fathered a child with whom he has no relationship.
It’s no surprise that Freddie handles conflict with cool composure. A typical Dick Francis protagonist. There were plenty of bad guys to chose from in solving this mystery. I did have a soft spot for Jogger and was sad to see him killed off. One surprise for me was how attached I became to many of the characters. I was disappointed the story ended, although I was certainly happy with the plot resolution. I found myself missing the characters. I wanted to follow Freddie and Nina’s relationship into the future. I wondered if Freddie would ever have a relationship with his daughter. Finally, there was Aziz. I definitely wanted more of his story.
6/18/21 review
Freddie Croft is a single thirty-something ex-jockey running a fleet of vans which transports horses around England, Ireland and France. After his parents died in a car accident, Freddie was raised by his older sister. An additional twist to Francis’ typically unusual, often dysfunctional family situation is that Freddie has fathered a child with whom he has no relationship.
It’s no surprise that Freddie handles conflict with cool composure. A typical Dick Francis protagonist. There were plenty of bad guys to chose from in solving this mystery. I did have a soft spot for Jogger and was sad to see him killed off. One surprise for me was how attached I became to many of the characters. I was disappointed the story ended, although I was certainly happy with the plot resolution. I found myself missing the characters. I wanted to follow Freddie and Nina’s relationship into the future. I wondered if Freddie would ever have a relationship with his daughter. Finally, there was Aziz. I definitely wanted more of his story.
August 22, 2008
Seriously, nothing exciting happens in this book. He talks forever about the boring bits and just sort of skims over the interesting parts. Gosh, I wanted the main character to just stop thinking about everything.
February 13, 2021
Found this book in a box. Thought I had read it, after all...a Dick Francis book about horse racing... Turns out I hadn't. Nice storey about horse transportation and computers and the old Michaelangelo bootsector virus.
September 27, 2014
Freddie makes a great character because he manages to run a horse transport fleet in a friendly but detached way (doesn't have to like all of his customers to take their money), unearth a mystery (he really wants to know why his best mechanic got murdered), and call in backup for problems too big for him (mysterious glass vials with milky fluid). He knows what he can do well, and what others can do better. Similarly, the crime and the criminals are quite balanced. There's the likable yet unprincipled rogue whose motives are quite clear (ambition and money), and then the wild card, who gets obsessed with jealousy and envy. You can tell at a glance that the 'horse charity' business has more than one element of fraud, but finding out exactly what type of fraud - that is indeed the hard part. Some of Francis' books have a great emphasis on horses and speed, some on the betting element of racing - this book has a great deal to do with horses as lovable allies and friends. I'm guessing that he wrote this book only a few years after stepping down from racing, and was still missing it a great deal. Favorite side characters: the computer whiz with an unhealthy fascination for the art of hacking, and Jogger the thrifty mechanic who spoke in rhyming slang riddles.
July 24, 2021
I am working on all of DF books....
October 7, 2017
Another beautifully written mystery from Dick Francis. Most of his books are not part of a series. It is nice to be able to just pick one off the bookshelf without wondering if I am reading them in the wrong order.
March 23, 2018
Gelezen nov. 1996
November 19, 2013
An excellent murder mystery with a bunch of players and angles. I find I always enjoy a Francis mystery more when his protagonist has more skin in the game. In the previous book, Comeback, Peter was just kind of swept up in events. He helped those under siege more out of a sense of obligation than personal investment. Here, Freddie is the one under siege. He is deeply personally invested, since it's his employee murdered and his business on the line.
This was the book that introduced me to Cockney rhyming slang. A character might say, "I'm going up the apples to have a butcher's." Apples and pears = stairs. Butcher's hook = look. Ergo, "I'm going up the stairs to have a look." I had no idea this was a thing before. It's fascinating. Also incomprehensible (part of the plot revolves around trying to figure out the slang) because my brain doesn't work that way, but still. Fascinating. (A more recent mainstream example would be the speech patterns of Basher in Ocean's Eleven, played by Don Cheadle.)
I love that Freddie's sister, the academic, flies a helicopter. Because why not?
Profession in Focus: Horse transportation service. Freddie owns a fleet of horse vans and manages a handful of drivers and staff. The part of me that loves organization and logistics gets stressed out (and a little gleeful, I'll admit) thinking about all the planning that has to go in to an operation like this, even a small one. And this is in the pre-cell phone, pre-GPS, pre-serious computing world. Written logs, satellite phones, floppy discs, and DOS prompts, woo!
Protagonist as a Memorable Character: Medium. Freddie is like most Francis protagonists: youngish, thinish, unflappable, capable, with reserves of inner strength (shocking, I know), but here the traits seem a bit muted. That's only because I've been reading the Francis books in succession; I'm not sure I'd have noticed it otherwise. I mostly remember him in terms of his business, how proud he is to have built it and how hard he fights to keep it running.
Relation to Horses: High. Cheltenham is a racing town, everyone is involved in it.
Love Interest: Yes. Nifty and different because she's older than he is. There's a love interest almost every time, but I really like that almost all of them are ladies who earn their own living doing something they're good at.
Abrupt Ending: Yes. Most Francis novels end abruptly once the killer has been discovered and/or incapacitated instead of taking time to ease the reader down gradually.
This was the book that introduced me to Cockney rhyming slang. A character might say, "I'm going up the apples to have a butcher's." Apples and pears = stairs. Butcher's hook = look. Ergo, "I'm going up the stairs to have a look." I had no idea this was a thing before. It's fascinating. Also incomprehensible (part of the plot revolves around trying to figure out the slang) because my brain doesn't work that way, but still. Fascinating. (A more recent mainstream example would be the speech patterns of Basher in Ocean's Eleven, played by Don Cheadle.)
I love that Freddie's sister, the academic, flies a helicopter. Because why not?
Profession in Focus: Horse transportation service. Freddie owns a fleet of horse vans and manages a handful of drivers and staff. The part of me that loves organization and logistics gets stressed out (and a little gleeful, I'll admit) thinking about all the planning that has to go in to an operation like this, even a small one. And this is in the pre-cell phone, pre-GPS, pre-serious computing world. Written logs, satellite phones, floppy discs, and DOS prompts, woo!
Protagonist as a Memorable Character: Medium. Freddie is like most Francis protagonists: youngish, thinish, unflappable, capable, with reserves of inner strength (shocking, I know), but here the traits seem a bit muted. That's only because I've been reading the Francis books in succession; I'm not sure I'd have noticed it otherwise. I mostly remember him in terms of his business, how proud he is to have built it and how hard he fights to keep it running.
Relation to Horses: High. Cheltenham is a racing town, everyone is involved in it.
Love Interest: Yes. Nifty and different because she's older than he is. There's a love interest almost every time, but I really like that almost all of them are ladies who earn their own living doing something they're good at.
Abrupt Ending: Yes. Most Francis novels end abruptly once the killer has been discovered and/or incapacitated instead of taking time to ease the reader down gradually.
August 14, 2017
I read this back when it came out, but not since. The rating holds up though on re-reading so I'm very glad I found my way back into this book after so long.
First of all, I have a whole new respect for Freddie Croft and the work he does, reading this book at this point in my life. I read this initially back before I had horses. Since then I've purchased horses in Louisiana and shipped them to Colorado, and then later shipped horses from Colorado to California. We've also done a bit of transporting ourselves, bringing a horse up from LA to where we live now, a 4-hour drive. Whew, it's a lot of work. And anyone who can ship horses and get them there safely and in good shape is a hero in my book!
Enter Freddie. Former jockey, now transport specialist with a fleet of trucks and reliable drivers whose job it is to get various racehorses from point A to point B. The thing is, we discover right at the start of the book (which starts off with a definite BANG) that horses aren't the only things that Freddie is transporting. Only with that discovery comes death and meyhem, as only it can in a book of this nature.
I loved re-reading this one. The main character is real and believable and just heartbreaking enough to make you want to take him home with you. The mystery is twisty and unexpected. Everything comes together at the end in just the right way, leaving reader well-satisfied and eager to enjoy the next Dick Francis book. Definitely recommended!
First of all, I have a whole new respect for Freddie Croft and the work he does, reading this book at this point in my life. I read this initially back before I had horses. Since then I've purchased horses in Louisiana and shipped them to Colorado, and then later shipped horses from Colorado to California. We've also done a bit of transporting ourselves, bringing a horse up from LA to where we live now, a 4-hour drive. Whew, it's a lot of work. And anyone who can ship horses and get them there safely and in good shape is a hero in my book!
Enter Freddie. Former jockey, now transport specialist with a fleet of trucks and reliable drivers whose job it is to get various racehorses from point A to point B. The thing is, we discover right at the start of the book (which starts off with a definite BANG) that horses aren't the only things that Freddie is transporting. Only with that discovery comes death and meyhem, as only it can in a book of this nature.
I loved re-reading this one. The main character is real and believable and just heartbreaking enough to make you want to take him home with you. The mystery is twisty and unexpected. Everything comes together at the end in just the right way, leaving reader well-satisfied and eager to enjoy the next Dick Francis book. Definitely recommended!
April 15, 2016
Not the best of Dick Francis' novels, imo. The plot was all right, and most of the characters were well written; but the middle third of the novel dragged a bit. Francis thought/talked a little too much about computer viruses, and having a huge chunk of the storyline be about equine viruses as well was a weird combo.
The sudden, burning hatred of the craziest-psycho of the "bad guys" literally seemed to come out of nowhere.....? (I mean, who does these things...?)
Also, the protagonist had a daughter he had nothing to do with, that he kept mentioning, but nothing really happened with that storyline either. She never knew her "dad" wasn't her real dad. This didn't sit well with me. It seemed tacked on, to make the protagonist more likable.
Francis obviously knew a lot about horse transportation, and it showed. I didn't mind learning about this, since most of his protagonists were either ex-jockey/p.i., or ex-jockey/horse trainer. But with these other issues, and an ending that fell flat for me, I didn't enjoy this novel as much as I usually do.
I'd sprung for the audiobook/Ebook combo, and now I'm let down. The narrator was ok...... But that's it. I had to stop listening, as he was boring me to tears. Reading the novel went much, much faster. Too bad this novel isn't on par with his others, as I don't have many more to read, before I've finished them all. And the genius of Dick Francis has left us, some time ago....
3.5 stars.
The sudden, burning hatred of the craziest-psycho of the "bad guys" literally seemed to come out of nowhere.....? (I mean, who does these things...?)
Also, the protagonist had a daughter he had nothing to do with, that he kept mentioning, but nothing really happened with that storyline either. She never knew her "dad" wasn't her real dad. This didn't sit well with me. It seemed tacked on, to make the protagonist more likable.
Francis obviously knew a lot about horse transportation, and it showed. I didn't mind learning about this, since most of his protagonists were either ex-jockey/p.i., or ex-jockey/horse trainer. But with these other issues, and an ending that fell flat for me, I didn't enjoy this novel as much as I usually do.
I'd sprung for the audiobook/Ebook combo, and now I'm let down. The narrator was ok...... But that's it. I had to stop listening, as he was boring me to tears. Reading the novel went much, much faster. Too bad this novel isn't on par with his others, as I don't have many more to read, before I've finished them all. And the genius of Dick Francis has left us, some time ago....
3.5 stars.
July 18, 2016
Enjoyed very much. Good range of characters in and interesting and believable plot. Much interest in the descriptions of life behind the scenes in the horse racing world.
November 27, 2025
As a logistics professional I appreciated all the confusing lists of how many horses were being delivered to where every single day.
Dicky boy you did it again.
Dicky boy you did it again.
October 4, 2020
My world was getting a little tight, what with the pandemic and all, so I decided to slip away to Planet Francis for awhile. However, this was not the most felicitous choice, which is what happens when you don't trouble to read the blurb first.
First, Our Hero is an ex-jockey who now transports horses to and from races and sales. Oh, not himself--he runs a business. He's an atypical Francis hero: not a fatherless abandoned drifter who can't fit in, this time he's a trainer's son (which means money or extreme poverty, depending on how you look at it) and former jockey whom everyone in his little village just looooves. He drives a Jaguar and his sister has her own helicopter--admittedly, in timeshare with two others, but you get my point. The bad guys were rather a surprise (though one turns out to be, as ever on Planet Francis, a total head-case) and the web was well woven.
The infelicitous bit is that it takes place during a flu epidemic among both people and horses. Just what I didn't need; no escape from pandemics here! Our Hero decides (as Francis heroes always do) that Justice Must Be Done, and he doesn't trust the police to do it; not even the Jockey Club. No, it's up to Man Francis to sort it out. Another infelicitous bit was Francis-the-author using a part of the story to do with equine charities to say that horses have no emotions; as a former jockey he should know better, but the soapboxing was painfully obvious. Men of his generation often used that to excuse the way animals in general were treated in their youth.
As ever, Simon Prebble could read a shopping list and have me riveted. He gets one star of the four in my rating all to himself. (And was that Griff Rhys-Jones saying "Side One, Side Two"?)
First, Our Hero is an ex-jockey who now transports horses to and from races and sales. Oh, not himself--he runs a business. He's an atypical Francis hero: not a fatherless abandoned drifter who can't fit in, this time he's a trainer's son (which means money or extreme poverty, depending on how you look at it) and former jockey whom everyone in his little village just looooves. He drives a Jaguar and his sister has her own helicopter--admittedly, in timeshare with two others, but you get my point. The bad guys were rather a surprise (though one turns out to be, as ever on Planet Francis, a total head-case) and the web was well woven.
The infelicitous bit is that it takes place during a flu epidemic among both people and horses. Just what I didn't need; no escape from pandemics here! Our Hero decides (as Francis heroes always do) that Justice Must Be Done, and he doesn't trust the police to do it; not even the Jockey Club. No, it's up to Man Francis to sort it out. Another infelicitous bit was Francis-the-author using a part of the story to do with equine charities to say that horses have no emotions; as a former jockey he should know better, but the soapboxing was painfully obvious. Men of his generation often used that to excuse the way animals in general were treated in their youth.
As ever, Simon Prebble could read a shopping list and have me riveted. He gets one star of the four in my rating all to himself. (And was that Griff Rhys-Jones saying "Side One, Side Two"?)
May 9, 2021
I will forever pick up Dick Francis to read.
I didn't find this book to be as fast paced as the first two I read but I really enjoyed the skillful execution of the plot.
I didn't find this book to be as fast paced as the first two I read but I really enjoyed the skillful execution of the plot.
September 5, 2022
his esoteric settings and broody plots are right in my wheelhouse
August 4, 2012
What is there to say about Dick Francis? As I think about all of his books (yes, this review covers all of his books, and yes I've read them all) I think about a moral ethical hero, steeped in intelligence and goodness embroiled in evil machinations within British horse racing society - either directly or indirectly. The heroes aren't always horse jockies, they can be film producers, or involve heroes engaged in peripheral professions that somehow always touch the horse racing world.
But more than that, Francis's heroes are rational human beings. The choices made are rational choices directed by a firm objective philosophy that belies all of Francis's novels. The dialogue is clear and touched with humor no matter the intensity of evil that the hero faces. The hero's thoughts reveal a vulnerability that is touching, while his actions are always based on doing the right thing to achieve justice.
Causing the reader to deeply care about the characters in a novel is a difficult thing to do. No such worries in a Francis novel. The point of view is first person, you are the main character as you read the story (usually the character of Mr. Douglas). The hero is personable, like able, non-violent but delivering swift justice with his mind rather than through physical means. This is not to say that violence is a stranger to our hero. Some of it staggering and often delivered by what we would think of normal persons living in British society.
You will come to love the world of Steeple Chase racing, you will grow a fondness for horses, stables, trainers and the people who live in that world. You will read the books, devouring one after the other and trust me Dick Francis has a lot of novels (over 40 by my last count).
There are several series woven into the fabric of Francis's work: notably the Sid Halley and Kit Fielding series.
Assessment: Dick Francis is one of my favorite writers. I read his books with a fierce hunger that remains insatiable and I mourn his death.
But more than that, Francis's heroes are rational human beings. The choices made are rational choices directed by a firm objective philosophy that belies all of Francis's novels. The dialogue is clear and touched with humor no matter the intensity of evil that the hero faces. The hero's thoughts reveal a vulnerability that is touching, while his actions are always based on doing the right thing to achieve justice.
Causing the reader to deeply care about the characters in a novel is a difficult thing to do. No such worries in a Francis novel. The point of view is first person, you are the main character as you read the story (usually the character of Mr. Douglas). The hero is personable, like able, non-violent but delivering swift justice with his mind rather than through physical means. This is not to say that violence is a stranger to our hero. Some of it staggering and often delivered by what we would think of normal persons living in British society.
You will come to love the world of Steeple Chase racing, you will grow a fondness for horses, stables, trainers and the people who live in that world. You will read the books, devouring one after the other and trust me Dick Francis has a lot of novels (over 40 by my last count).
There are several series woven into the fabric of Francis's work: notably the Sid Halley and Kit Fielding series.
Assessment: Dick Francis is one of my favorite writers. I read his books with a fierce hunger that remains insatiable and I mourn his death.
August 29, 2012
As Dick Francis books go, I think Driving Force is pretty middle of the road. The mystery isn't completely predictable from the get go, it's not terribly violent but there are a few violent episodes, and in the end everything is figured out and dealt with. Of course, in the case of Freddie Croft, much like most of Francis's other protagonists, he is unflinching in the face of danger, unrelenting in his pursuit of the truth, and much smarter than any other character gives him credit for. The formulaic method of story telling that Dick Francis uses is a good medium to explore the characters and one of things I enjoy most about his writing is the 3-Dimensionality of his characters, even the background characters. In this book, for example, we know that Croft's driver Nigel is "insatiably heterosexual", that the local policeman Sandy is loyal to a point but stuck between the locals and the higher ups in the police force, and that sister is independent, doesn't care what people think of her, and a bit of a tomboy. Equal attention is paid to the method of the crime, even to the point where I wasn't quite understanding the technical terms and had to wait for someone to explain to Croft what was going on in layman's terms.
All in all it's better and worse than I remembered, as I haven't read a Dick Francis book in something like 7 or 8 years and have never read this particular one. It's a quick read, and light in a way, but still a murder mystery and satisfying in its violence.
All in all it's better and worse than I remembered, as I haven't read a Dick Francis book in something like 7 or 8 years and have never read this particular one. It's a quick read, and light in a way, but still a murder mystery and satisfying in its violence.
March 1, 2024
Like many Dick Francis thrillers, Driving Force starts with a pun. On the one hand, Freddie Croft, our hero, is the owner of a fleet of horse vans, so his driving force is carrying horses all over England, as well as to Ireland, France, and Italy. On the other hand, as mentioned several times, villainy breaks out into violence when there is a driving force compelling the perpetrator. When strange things start happening around Freddie's garages, the discovery of the driving force becomes the key to the mystery.
The chain of events is kicked off when two of Freddie's drivers pick up a hitchhiker, strictly against orders, and the man dies on them. One thing leads to another, as Freddie figures out that someone is using his trucks and drivers for their own, nefarious purposes.
The scene that really kicks the suspense into high gear is when Freddie visits his yard late one night, and it bashed on the head. Next thing he knows, he's been dumped into the ocean off the Portsmouth Docks. Once he manages to get himself out of the water and onto dry land, he has to start thinking about who might dislike him that much or be that threatened by him.
As always, Dick Francis entertains with insights into the racing scene and the cast of unique and eccentric characters who inhabit it. But who, among these happy, hoarse-loving people, might "smile and smile and be a villain?"
The chain of events is kicked off when two of Freddie's drivers pick up a hitchhiker, strictly against orders, and the man dies on them. One thing leads to another, as Freddie figures out that someone is using his trucks and drivers for their own, nefarious purposes.
The scene that really kicks the suspense into high gear is when Freddie visits his yard late one night, and it bashed on the head. Next thing he knows, he's been dumped into the ocean off the Portsmouth Docks. Once he manages to get himself out of the water and onto dry land, he has to start thinking about who might dislike him that much or be that threatened by him.
As always, Dick Francis entertains with insights into the racing scene and the cast of unique and eccentric characters who inhabit it. But who, among these happy, hoarse-loving people, might "smile and smile and be a villain?"
October 19, 2017
I categorized this novel as both suspense and mystery, because all of the elements for each genre are there, but honestly, Dick Francis almost deserves his own category. It could be said that his writing is 'formulaic' (same plot, same type of hero-character, same type of conflict, same resolution... the good guy *does* win in the end but often has to go through some pain/danger beforehand!) Certainly for now, I am finding this author addictive.
Freddy Croft (like the author himself) used to be a jockey. He now owns a horse transport business, supervising and coordinating vans and drivers to transfer horses to races and horse farms. When one of his vans pick up a hitchhiker who subsequently dies enroute, Freddy's business troubles begin... and they don't end there.
Someone is obviously out to sabotage Freddy Croft, but who? What could the suspicious metal box discovered underneath his van contain? Who put it there, and why?
The more Freddy tries to find out, the worse things get for him... for a time. With believable, true-to-life characters, a fast-moving plot, and a few surprises thrown in, the reader is pulling for Freddy's success all the way. His mechanic's sudden death is just one of the puzzles in this fast-paced (as always) mystery.
Freddy Croft (like the author himself) used to be a jockey. He now owns a horse transport business, supervising and coordinating vans and drivers to transfer horses to races and horse farms. When one of his vans pick up a hitchhiker who subsequently dies enroute, Freddy's business troubles begin... and they don't end there.
Someone is obviously out to sabotage Freddy Croft, but who? What could the suspicious metal box discovered underneath his van contain? Who put it there, and why?
The more Freddy tries to find out, the worse things get for him... for a time. With believable, true-to-life characters, a fast-moving plot, and a few surprises thrown in, the reader is pulling for Freddy's success all the way. His mechanic's sudden death is just one of the puzzles in this fast-paced (as always) mystery.
February 3, 2018
While the book itself is not poorly written, it's definitely not written as a thriller, which is what I assumed when I picked it up. The book has quick pacing, but due to the way it's written I found myself bored through the vast majority of it.
It doesn't age well, having almost an entire chapter devoted to explaining computer viruses. I will concede that at the time this book was written they were less common and less known about, but when you're reading it in 2018 it's much less worth the time it takes to read that portion.
The main character wasn't engaging. In fact, I hated him. The events of the book seemed to happen around him, rather than include him, and I was wildly more interested in almost every other side character than him. Why write a thriller mystery if your main character doesn't seem to care about the mystery at all? And the ending of the book disappointed me more than the rest of it put together, writing in a seemingly important character for shoehorned, undeserved character development does not a proper ending make.
2 stars solely for the fact that it was, as a book, a functional book. I've heard the Queen quite likes Dick Francis. Shame about that.
It doesn't age well, having almost an entire chapter devoted to explaining computer viruses. I will concede that at the time this book was written they were less common and less known about, but when you're reading it in 2018 it's much less worth the time it takes to read that portion.
The main character wasn't engaging. In fact, I hated him. The events of the book seemed to happen around him, rather than include him, and I was wildly more interested in almost every other side character than him. Why write a thriller mystery if your main character doesn't seem to care about the mystery at all? And the ending of the book disappointed me more than the rest of it put together, writing in a seemingly important character for shoehorned, undeserved character development does not a proper ending make.
2 stars solely for the fact that it was, as a book, a functional book. I've heard the Queen quite likes Dick Francis. Shame about that.
July 25, 2019
One of the things I like most about novels by former jockey and journalist Dick Francis is his ability to weave complex plots.
"Driving Force" is a great example of his ability to do just that. It´s a novel about murder, betrayal, unrequited love, abuse, and revenge centered around a plot to ruin a horse breeder who is - by all accounts - a cad.
The story starts out when one of the drivers who works for Freddie Croft, a former jockey who now earns his daily wage by transporting horses, violates company policy by picking up a hitchhiker. Unfortunately for the driver, the hitchhiker dies in the truck and so his scheme to earn a few extra bob is exposed.
Things really get complicated after that when someone tries to break into the truck late at night. Why? What is the late-night prowler searching for?
Written in a breezy narrative style, with a wealth of information about the racing business, "Driving Force" features some interesting characters in addition to the twisty plot and a surprise ending that I have to admit I did not see coming.
Another excellent read by the late Dick Francis and a novel I highly recommend.
"Driving Force" is a great example of his ability to do just that. It´s a novel about murder, betrayal, unrequited love, abuse, and revenge centered around a plot to ruin a horse breeder who is - by all accounts - a cad.
The story starts out when one of the drivers who works for Freddie Croft, a former jockey who now earns his daily wage by transporting horses, violates company policy by picking up a hitchhiker. Unfortunately for the driver, the hitchhiker dies in the truck and so his scheme to earn a few extra bob is exposed.
Things really get complicated after that when someone tries to break into the truck late at night. Why? What is the late-night prowler searching for?
Written in a breezy narrative style, with a wealth of information about the racing business, "Driving Force" features some interesting characters in addition to the twisty plot and a surprise ending that I have to admit I did not see coming.
Another excellent read by the late Dick Francis and a novel I highly recommend.
September 27, 2020
Not one of his better works. Very convoluted with no clues until very late. Story of rabbits being smuggled with infectious ticks that would give a horse a fever and permanently ruin his racing prowess.
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