Knockdown (ISBN 0425210243)

Sale Ring:
Kentucky horse country, Keenland Sales where million dollar bids are common pulled this reader into the so-so Dick Francis' thriller, KNOCKDOWN. The behind-the-scenes glimpse of the British sales ring is good as we enjoyed a well paced mystery. Jonah Dereham purchases horses for wealthy buyers, but all goes wrong in a gentleman's agreement world when greed for commissions enters to picture to destroy lives. Jonah finds himself under attack from sources unknown and close to home, but he fights back. Dick Francis is a good read, but this one ends the race as an also ran. Nash Black, author of WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

lively tale with the inside dirt on horse trading:
Jonah Dereham is an honest horse broker dealing with an increasingly complicated world. Hired to buy a bargain horse, he gets attacked. Then one of the horses in his stable is let loose, and further attacks occur. As the violence escalates, Jonah wonders who is really behind the whole thing, and why. It appears that an anonymous mafia like character wants Jonah to play by organized crime rules. Along the way, Jonah finds a strong willed girlfriend with grit, and has to deal with his alcoholic brother. This book is first class - a diamond in the rough. I am surprised it hasn't reached more readers.

Perhaps a TKO but not a knockout, 4+ stars:
This is a solid Dick Francis novel with interesting characters (esp. the supporting cast), a bigger than life hero, a mystery, and lots of IMHO fascinating information on a lesser-known aspect of the racing sport--the bloodstock agent (perhaps called horse trader or agent outside of the British Commonwealth). It also has a modicum of love interest, the long-suffering of the hero, his triumph at the end, but with some pathos too. The ending was a bit too pat for me--not readily believable IMHO--regarding Crispin--though I suppose stranger things have happened. There is a fair amount of description of Crispin's alcoholism, but today (the book is over 30 years old) the hero would probably be considered co-dependent. This work may not be Francis' best, but it's quite enjoyable--certainly not his worst book. My favorite quote in it is: "when success could breed envy even in friends, in enemies it could raise spite of Himalayan proportions." Enjoy!

Knockdown Is a Knockout:
Mr. Francis shows us another part of the British horse racing scene. We are shown it from the Bloodstock agent's view. Very well done as usual.

Dick Francis is one of a kind:
I will make no secret of the fact that Dick Francis is my favorite thriller writer. I love good, economical prose, and he is a master at it. In his autobiography he said that he couldn't leave a sentence until it was the best sentence he could write, and it shows when he limns a character or a situation in a sentence or two where others would need a page. Knockdown is not one of his very best, but even second-rate Francis beats the best of most writers. I won't outline the plot, as others have done so, bet simply suggest very strongly that you read it.