Nerve

Written by Dick Francis

Narrated by Tony Britton

Despair, suicide, and obsessive hatred, mixed well with humor, love, and horses, brew up into the story of a battle between one man's nerve and another man's
cunning. Robert Finn, steeplechase jockey, finds himself the focus of a malicious campaign, which is also afflicting his friends. He sets out to discover its source and remove it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705071298

Reviews for Nerve

[marjorie stradinger · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dick Francis is a master storyteller and Tony Britton brings the story to vibrant life for the listener.

I’m addicted. On to the next suspenseful adventure in the world of jockeys and horses and evil doers and heroes.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A little slow to start and then the revenge was really really far-fetched. Not as good or compelling as many of his books that I've read previously.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dick Francis is a prolific writer but "Nerve" was the first book I have read by him. The start was slow but the pace and suspense did pick up. I enjoyed the horse-racing setting and struggling, steeplechase jockey, Rob Finn, was a likeable narrator. Thankfully, the villain received an appropriate publishment but I felt the subplot involving Rob's unrequited love for his first cousin, Joanna, unnecessary. However, I did enjoy the mystery and will try another Francis novel.

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've read this at least a couple times before. I was _supposed_ to read it for a group read in January/February, but didn't get around to it until now. In the group read, there was a lot of comment about Rob and Joanna being cousins - I got the strong impression that Joanna was using the cousinship as a shield against Rob, and didn't have a gut-level objection to it (and obviously Rob didn't). Why she wanted to shield against him, I'm less sure. The mystery is complex - and I really liked (can't say I enjoyed) the scene of Rob's dark night, as he went down under the weight of opinion and came back up swinging. There's some lovely seeding early on, especially in the first TV interview. The punishment was neatly set up - very much a reflection of what Rob had suffered. I hope he's thoroughly broken and doesn't try to pull the same sort of thing again - but he'll never have the influence he did here, between family and fame. Not one of my favorite Francises, but a good one.

[ameise1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love Dick Francis books and this was no exception. Already at the beginning a jockey shot himself. Nobody could explain why he did this. The young jockey Rob, who sees the whole thing emotionally from the outside, gets to know the highs and lows of horse racing and decides to get to the bottom of the cause of the misery of his colleagues. He discovers that the horses of these jockeys and his horses have been doped. He's out for revenge and does it in a subtle way. He's in grave danger. His will is stronger than all the pain he suffers.A magnificently thought-out thriller that gives an insight into the world of horse racing.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm clearly in the minority on this one, but I did not enjoy this book. I think I just don't enjoy horse racing (or any other form of racing) enough to relate to the main character. Rob Finn is an up-and-coming jockey but someone is trying to do him in. If you enjoy horse racing and thrillers, you might enjoy this one. I won't be trying another installment of the series.

[quondame · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I particularly like Rob Finn, the main & viewpoint character of this book, whose unusual choices are self accepted with so little fuss for all their intensity. The world of steeplechase racing and it's personalities come to life totally integrated into the action and tone of the narrative.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jockey Rob Finn is just breaking in to steeplechase racing. Trainers and owners are beginning to notice the up-and-comer and take a chance on him with their second-rate horses. Another jockey’s bad break (literally) becomes Finn’s lucky break. Finn is puzzled by rumors about other jockeys that seem to circulate so rapidly with seemingly little foundation. When he becomes the target of rumors that he’s lost his nerve, Finn sets out to trace the rumors back to their source, no matter what the cost. Francis gives his readers a page-turning plot, a hero with depth, and a strong setting within racing circles. It’s just the kind of thriller to make time fly on a cold and rainy winter afternoon!

[laytonwoman3rd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love horses--from a distance. I'm not a rider. And I'm not a fan of racing; it's a brutal life for jockeys and their mounts, even when they live to do it. So although I remember loving Dick Francis's novels when I compulsively read them all years ago, I had kind of forgottenwhy. It's just this: his "heroes" fall into that category of male characters I can't get enough of, like those created by Robert B. Parker, and Walter Mosley---smart, attractive and fundamentally good, but not hesitant to use a trick or two from the bad guys' play book against them; reluctant to impose violence on others until absolutely necessary, and always ready to stop when enough is enough; vulnerable to injury, but relatively undaunted by the pain; decent to everyone, even, up to a point, to people who do not deserve it; and absolutely NOT subject to losing their nerve. That sums up Rob Finn, the relatively inexperienced jockey we meet in [Nerve]. He's starting to make a name for himself as fearless, so trainers and owners like to put him up on their difficult horses...the ones no one else wants to ride. He has managed a few good showings, when he gets the opportunity to pick up steady work replacing another jockey who has taken a bad fall. But (here's where the "smart" comes in) something feels very wrong to Rob...too many jockeys are losing their regular gigs because of rumors about bad habits or lack of dedication to the sport. When he finds himself unable to bring home a winner in race after race, despite being up on some very reliable mounts, his reputation takes a hit, his suspicions rear up, and we're all taken for a grand ride. Great story-telling here.

[seriousgrace · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Robert "Rob" Finn is an up and coming steeplechase rider with a passion for the competition. His passion turns to self doubt after a series of events threaten his confidence. First Arthur Mathews, a fellow jockey and friend, takes his own life in front of everyone. Then Rob starts to lose race after race after race. A fall from a horse has the whole steeplechase community convinced Rob has finally lost his nerve. And everyone knows a rider without nerve is a useless rider. It isn't until Rob discovers a carefully orchestrated trap and uncovers proof of sabotage that he starts to formulate his revenge.

[bnielsen_30 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

England, ca 1965.Jockeyen Rob Finn har ikke den store succes, men klarer sig. En dag skyder en af kollegaerne, Art Matthews sig. En anden, Greg, får et nervesammenbrud og en tredje styrter og brækker benet slemt. Det giver Rob chancen, men så begynder de heste, han rider på, også at svigte og der går grimme rygter om at han er blevet hesteangst.Han synes ikke selv at det kan passe og via en psykiater får han mistanke til en Maurice Kemp-Lore, der er en stor mand indenfor hestesport, men ikke selv er rytter. Angiveligt fordi heste giver ham astma.Det viser sig at Kemp-Lore har givet alle de svigtende heste et stykke sukker inden løbene, og det lykkes Rob at få andre gjort opmærksom på dette.Så bliver han selv bortført af Kemp-Lore og undslipper med nød og næppe og med mange knubs.Hans kusine Joanna hjælper ham og han vinder det store løb på hesten Template. Efterfølgende bliver han interviewet af Kemp-Lore uden at de lader sig specielt mærke af at den ene lige har forsøgt at forkrøble den anden.Rob melder det ikke til politiet, men tager til gengæld hævn, så det kan mærkes. Han lukker Kemp-Lore inde i et hus sammen med en hest, venter til hans faste tv-tid forlængst er gået og viser ham at beviser for hans sabotage af jockeyerne er sendt rundt til presse, hestesportsforbund og tv.Til sidst slipper han ham fri. Og Rob og Joanna finder sammen.Glimrende spændingsroman, men egentlig et banalt plot.

[reading_fox · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When you've read several DF novels over the years, and enjoyed most of them, they do all start to blend into one another. The beginning seemed new to me, but most of the rest I had a nagging sensation that I'd read it before. It's the usual plot- amateur jockey realises something isn't quite right, and through a combination of perserverance and brute strength manages to get to the bottom of it. I'll leave you guess whether or not he gets the girl too.As it happens I had read it before - but that doesn't change the predictable nature of the plot. However, that also means it features DF's predictable high points - the challenge of the horse and the race. The insights into 60s society, and the occasional really touching moment in delicate prose, as a gentleman realises his obligations.If you like his writing style and the horses you'll like this, it's at least as good as his average novel.

[theoclarke · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Typical Dick Francis thriller about an alienated jockey who investigates the sabotage of riders' hopes. The tortured hero struggles through his pain to convince the racing world that he has not lost his nerve as he tracks down his deranged enemy and takes his revenge. Much of Francis' work is formulaic but it is an effective formula that seduces the reader and this very early novel has a freshness that enhances it appeal.

[museofire · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Nerve is the story of Rob Finn, an up-and-coming young jockey, who learns that someone is systematically destroying jockeys' careers and takes revenge. Francis is never really at his best when delving into psychology, but the point where Rob understands exactly how alike he and the villain are is riveting. I also really like the romance in this one; unlike in some of his other books, it feels central to Rob's character.

[tzelman_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rise and fall of a marginal jockey who supposedly loses his nerve--excellently plotted. Francis once again has a taste for appropriate revenge.

[tripleblessings_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rob Finn, jockey, investigates a string of misfortunes that have ruined other jockeys. An average thriller by Dick Francis' standards, which is an entertaining escape read.