Really very good!

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. When I bought it, I didn't have high expectations, but I quickly realized, that I'd found a gem!

The story is great. I suspected the culprit once or twice, but the ending came as a big surprise. But, it wasn't the ending so much, as following our hero's journey as he came to his conclusions that was the best part of this story. His thoughts and deductions were logical and methodical.. It was great fun to tag along with him.

The narrator was excellent. I never had to rewind.. to go over a part again. His timbre and diction were easy to follow and made the book that much more enjoyable.

Yes, I'd recommend this to anyone that enjoys a great mystery and following along with the deductions.

18 people found this helpful

One of the Best Audio Books Ever!

Would you consider the audio edition of Break In to be better than the print version?

I read all of Dick Francis's books as a youth, but now because I loved them so much I'm listening to all of them and loving them. This particular book is one of the best narrated (and written) books I've experienced, and I'm going to miss it dreadfully now that it's over! I love Simon Prebble's interpretation of all the British voices - each is distinct and so well-rendered. Outstanding, simply outstanding!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kit Fielding, without a doubt!

Which scene was your favorite?

That's a tough one to pick... there were SO many great scenes. I guess if pushed I'd pick the scene where Kit and Bobby find Jay Erskin and the other guy trying to remove the wire tap device from the Allardeck's roof. Great action!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely. I had to tear myself away from it every time I ran up against a deadline.

Any additional comments?

The rendering of the various British accents, handling of youth vs. elderly ages, women vs. men's voices... beautifully done! Kudos to an outstanding narrator, and of course, to the amazing talent of the late Dick Francis.

27 people found this helpful

Francis Delights

If you haven't read any Dick Francis before, this is an easy start to his writing. The main character, as is true in all of Francis' books, is a jockey with an aptitude for sleuthing. The book contains all of the right ingredients: a crime and puzzle that need solving, a love story, strong secondary characters, horse stories and suspense mixed with danger -- all delivered with charm. This is the Francis formula and he does it very well.

The storyline includes a number of possible villains (some of whom turn out to be guiltless). The listener needs to pay particular attention to these characters or the ending will be confusing. I think this is an important part of any mystery and Francis delivers on it.

My only quibble is with the main character's seemingly unending capacity to forgive slights, some deep and mean and some others merely minor but irritating things. There is a multi-generation family feud, a la Hatfields and McCoys, that our hero seems to be unrealistically able to overcome and overlook.

If you are looking for a deep book imbued with life learnings, this is not what you want. If you are, instead, looking for an interesting plot with enjoyable characters told by a masterful storyteller, you've found it.

11 people found this helpful

Read this one First

This is the first of two mysteries that feature Kit Fielding. The second is "Bolt." As ever, Francis writes great and Prebble reads great. There's really not much more to say....

22 people found this helpful

I love this story

If you could sum up Break In in three words, what would they be?

Kit, my hero.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

yes, wasn't sure how all the parts would be able to come together with all the right people still alive. Lot's of great tension and suspense.

Have you listened to any of Simon Prebble’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

yes I have listened to Simon Prebble, in-fact that's partly why I chose the book. Simon always tells a great story.

9 people found this helpful

Good mystery, great narrator!

Years ago I listened to a number of Dick Francis books on cassette from the library. They are reliably good stories and I learned a lot about the horse racing business. After all this time I decided to try another one - it was good but I didn't get as involved in it as I remembered in past years. I think my tastes have changed.

With Francis's books there is usually a bit of romance, a bit of violence and a satisfactory ending. This one was no exception. The main character is likable and competent. If you have any interest in horse racing you will probably love this book.

5 people found this helpful

Break In

What made the experience of listening to Break In the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed hearing the jockey's perspectives on the horses and racing industry. The mystery was interesting as well with a little romance thrown in.

What about Simon Prebble’s performance did you like?

The narration was well done.

4 people found this helpful

How have I missed this author all these years??

This one was published in 1985 and is going to go down as one of my all time faves! It has mystery, family dynamics, a bit of romance, horse racing!, and character development, and all done with a main character who has honesty, integrity, and good manners! And notably is without a grisly murder or rape or child abduction. The only thing I've rolled my eyes at a bit is that he does kiss a couple of womens' cheeks he doesn't know well (just no!) and has issue with female jockeys, as they can't roll with it like men can, but beyond that, my goodness! I've enjoyed this one! And with that confidence, I purchased three more titles by the author. I'm now in love with the narrator, Simon Prebble, and he will rival Ralph Cosham as my favorite male narrator. His voices are some of the best I've heard. Not only that, but in looking at titles for this author and listening to the samples, I have found that Ralph Cosham also recorded under the name of Geoffrey Howard! Woohoo! New titles to line my Audible shelves for bedtime stories for years to come!

3 people found this helpful

I love Dick Francis!

I needed a novel to listen to in order to escape election week news. It was a perfect distraction. Simon Prebble's narration underlines the strength and sang-froid of the jockey Kit. And a great story about the undoing of a corrupt businessman. Oh if it were only true in real life.

6 people found this helpful

Another Great Story From Dick Frances

I love these "horse stories". The plot is easy to follow and narration is excellent. I keep rooting for the underdogs who are being being swindled. The antagonists are just greedy sons of guns with no caring for those being "run down". Dangerous stuff for jockey and his family.

2 people found this helpful