Rat Race

Written by Dick Francis

Narrated by Ian Ogilvy

Dick Francis, the bestselling master of mystery and suspense, takes you into the thrilling world of horse racing.

Hired to fly four racing buffs to the track, pilot Matt Shore expects it will be the kind of job he likes: quick and easy. That is until he’s forced to make an emergency landing just minutes before the plane explodes.

Luckily nobody is hurt, but it isn’t long before Matt realizes that he’s caught up in a rat race among violent criminals, who are dead set on putting anyone who stands in their way on the wrong side of the odds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705071328

Reviews for Rat Race

[stephanie_m-868484 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A very interesting novel about small plane pilots, and their jobs being taxis. I loved the change of pace, and all the characters!

[streamsong_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Matt Shore is a private pilot whose career has slid slowly downwards due to circumstances beyond his control. He’s now working for a very small, struggling commuter airline that often ferries jockeys, owners and other horse racing aficionados between racetracks.Some near-fatal incidents, including a bomb on the plane while it is on the ground, alert Matt that something is badly amiss. But who is the target? The popular jockey who can coax wins out of unlikely horses? The trainer and owner who are known to fix races to win money betting? Someone out of Matt’s own slightly checkered past?The horses themselves take a more minor role in this novel than in many of Francis’s other books. I did enjoy the details of flying an aircraft, which, since it is also one of Francis’s loves is full of authentic details. For me, that’s the allure of the Francis books: the details, especially the horse details ring true. That along with a protagonist who truly is trying to do the right thing make these comfort reads for me.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Matt Shore is a good pilot who’s had some bad breaks. His current gig is flying an air taxi service, and his passengers are often employed in the horse racing industry. A couple of near misses leave him wondering who and what I behind them, and most importantly of all, why it’s happening. Pilots don’t have much room for error.The mystery plot isn’t as strong in this book as in some of Francis’s other books, but other aspects of the book made up for it somewhat. I really liked most of the characters in the book, especially the younger Matthew, nephew of the Duke of Wessex. I also liked the flying theme, although the technical details in a couple of passages were over my head. It was obvious to me that the accident insurance had to be the motive behind everything as soon as this element was introduced in the plot since it didn’t make financial sense. And someone needs to introduce Chanter to Honey.

[ameise1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this book, the horseracing plays only a marginal role, rather it is about flying.Matt Shore is a pilot and flies trainers, racehorse owners and jockeys to the horse races. Already on the return flight of his first working day, his plane is blown up by a bomb. Luckily, no one hurt. Of course he has the commission of inquiry on the neck. Nobody can explain how the bomb came on the plane. At a later date, the plane of Colin Ross' sister is manipulated. She can land safely with a spectacular rescue operation.Who is behind all this? Matt finds all the pieces of the puzzle with time, can he convict the villain before the next assassination?Very exciting written.

[quondame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is just as much a page turner as most Dick Francis mysteries, though Matt isn't a main character that has much going for him and the romance lacks enough fuel to make a believable blaze. Also the mystery itself isn't the strongest, more like well, we need something to act as a plot.

[rosalita_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rat Race was published in 1970, and it shows in the cultural descriptions, in particular a hippie character named Chanter, who sprinkles around a generous helping of "man"s and disdain for authority as he's casually groping the female love interest and railing against the establishment. Thankfully, he's limited to two brief appearances, so don't let him turn you off from this groovy story, man.Matt Shore is a pilot. Once among the best in his profession, flying for B.O.A.C., one of the forerunners of the current British Airways, Shore's career has been on a bit of a downward spiral and he's now been reduced to working for a ramshackle flying taxi service that is barely keeping its wings above water. He's depressed and keeps himself shut off from the world, until he is blasted — literally — out of his apathy when a bomb explodes on the plane he had been piloting just minutes earlier. It is seemingly only through the merest chance that Matt and his passengers — the top steeplechase jockey in Britain, a respected former Army Major, and an iron-glove woman trainer — escape serious injury. But accidents keep happening, and Matt realizes he needs to figure out where the danger is coming from before his career and his life both go up in smoke.I remember when I first read this one ages ago, I was fascinated by the glimpse into the world of private aircraft. In both of my editions (and hopefully all) there is an introduction from Francis explaining how the story came to be. Once again, wife Mary figures prominently, as she apparently got so absorbed in researching the details of flying taxis that she took flying lessons and became a pilot herself. The Francises even had their own flying taxi service for a while before they sold out to a competitor. I think all of that experience lends a nice air of authenticity to the details of Matt's job, though of course the technology of flying airplanes has changed a great deal in the past 30-odd years.

[ambermcwilliams · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

All Francis's usual style - and this time with a pilot instead of a jockey, just for variation and extra drama. Very, very readable.

[markatread · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The formula is much the same in Rat Race as in other of Dick Francis's books (a laconic hero thrust into the middle of killing and treachery) but this one has some nice moments in it that are missing in later novels. Dick Francis was a pilot in WWII and then owned an air taxi service with his wife. There is an air rescue passage in the book that is very tense and believable. Dick used heroes in many different walks of life throughout his career and some of the action scenes in other books seem windy and feel like filler. Not so in this book, the air scenes are very taut and fit well into the story, especially the air rescue scene where his soon to be girlfriend 's plane has been sabotaged.There is another scene where a brother and two sisters invite Matt on a picinic with them that is quiet but also well done. But perhaps the best scene in the book is when Matt visits the Duke late at night and watches as he plays with his nephew in an attic on an elaborate train set. It has nothing to do with the plot but is a good definition of who the Duke is and why he ultimately is susceptible to cons and thieves. And while the ending of the book returns to the formula with the hero being attacked violently and being pushed past the point of endurance only to fight through courageously to the end and win the hand of the girl, this book still has several very nice moments that recommend it.

[sonya-33528 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very good, keeps the suspense going to the last minute. Great air chase.