Kirkus Review
After a dull departure into spy/terrorism (Trial Run), Francis clearly wants to get back on the track--and he does it by reviving lame ex-jockey/private-eye Sid Halley (Odds Against, 1966), whose sleuthing led to his losing a hand (he now has a nifty motorized one). Despite such disabilities, narrator Sid takes on three simultaneous cases here: one for friendship (figuring out why a trainer's most promising horses have all been losing, then dying); one for love (tracking down the con-man who has made an unwitting criminal out of Sid's bitter ex-wife Jenny); and one for profit (checking up on a crooked racing official). Francis fans will not be surprised to learn that Sid's snooping brings him physical ordeals--locked in a horse trailer, beaten with chains. But there's also a delightfully surprising balloon race (Sid needs to interview the balloonist), Francis sentiment at its best (Sid's relationship with his beloved ex-father-in-law), and a nice enough final twist. True, some will find Sid's heroism a bit much (""Isn't there anything . . . that you're afraid of?"" the villain asks Sid in the book's last line); and the triple-focus--perhaps designed for the TV version to be seen here in the spring--never equals the impact of the best, relentless Francis adventures. But, even if not quite topnotch, this is the steeplechaser in his old, tough, vivid manner, a solid winner in just about any mystery/adventure race around. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.