Bolt

by Dick Francis Narrated by Simon Prebble

Overview

The privileged world of horse racing, filled with sleek thoroughbreds, burnished leather, and the silken sheen of jockeys' colors, is a wonderful place to spend a few hours. Let best-selling, internationally-popular author Dick Francis take you to the immaculate stables of the de Brescou estate, where dark forces are lurking.

Someone is killing the de Brescou racehorses with a "bolt" gun, shooting them silently, leaving no clues. Before the noble family, which includes his fiancée, is torn apart, jockey Kit Fielding must find the assassin. There are higher stakes than the horses, though. The de Brescous could lose control of their family business as well.

Bolt spent 13 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list. From regal countesses to dapper racing officials, it puts you in the company of truly intriguing characters. The impeccable pacing of this mystery, enhanced by Simon Prebble's assured narration, is sure to keep you on the alert each step of the way.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In his smashing sequel to Break In, Francis shows his old racing colors to advantage. Champion jockey Kit Fielding again proves his mettle when Henri Nanterre, the ruthless business partner of his fiancee's uncle, tries to convert their road construction company into an armaments enterprise. Nanterre threatens the life of Princess Casilia, his partner's wife, who also owns many of Kit's mounts. Nanterre is foiled, but then some of the princess's horses are found dead, killed, ironically, by captive-bullet bolt guns designed for ``humane'' deaths. Next come several near-lethal attacks against humans, including Kit's Danielle, and our Kit must devise a plan to thwart Nanterre for good. Soon Danielle has second thoughts about sharing the dangers of a steeplechaser's life. Maynard Allardeck, racing steward and hereditary enemy of the Fielding family, reappears and makes Kit's life even more difficult. The characterization isn't especially profound, but the plot races along wonderfully well, right up to a jolting twist at the end. BOMC featured alternate; Reader's Digest Condensed Books and Detective Book Club selections. (March 23)

OCT/NOV 00 - AudioFile

Jockey Kit Fielding's mounts are being killed with a "bolt" gun in this rather uninspired Francis. There are good guys and bad guys, and it’s no secret as to which are which. Simon Prebble's narration also seems flat. Inner turmoil is read with the same matter-of-fact air as the descriptions of the steeplechases. Whether these races end in victory or a fall doesn't change Prebble's pace or verve; perhaps this is masculine rectitude. But he doesn't interpret the voices of the cast much either, except for the old curmudgeons whose voices are gravelly and low. The awfulness of the horses' deaths is indeed recognized, but only at the end might one be moved to bleary eyes. B.H.B. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170615698
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	04/29/2011
Series:	Kit Fielding , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged

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