Alice B. reviewed on 5/12/2020 + 3563 more book reviews

Dick Francis wrote only 2 books about champion jockey Kit Fielding, whose real first name is Christmas, and who can communicate telepathically with his twin sister Holly (they were born on Christmas Day). But BREAK IN, the first one, and BOLT, its sequel, are well worth it. BREAK IN is the story of Kit's struggle to help Holly and her husband (the son of the Fielding family's most bitter rival) prevent bankruptcy when a gossipy newspaper begins printing horrible rumors about the state of their solvency. Like all Dick Francis heroes, Kit is the man to turn to when you're in trouble, and Holly does, drawing him into a world of rival newspaper barons (the book was published in the 1980's) who are willing to go to almost any lengths to win, even if it means ruining a completely innocent young couple. At the same time, the Montague/Capulet aspect of Holly's marriage draws Kit into the closer scrutiny of her malevolent father-in-law, a man determined to earn knighthood by concealing just how he earned HIS money. If it sounds convoluted--it is. It's also a dazzlingly good read. I can't count how many times I've re-read this book, and enjoyed every second of it. Francis writes heroes who are truly heroic--brave, strong, kind, resourceful and determined to right wrongs--and villains so truly villainous that each encounter with them in the book raises your temperature.

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